Welcome to the She Writes AI interview episodes covering our second book collaboration stream for the AI Everywhere series. We are exploring the personal journeys and professional expertise of 32 authors from 18 countries worldwide who are redefining our relationships with machine intelligence. If you’re new to SheWritesAI, welcome! We’re a free, inclusive community of 750+ women and nonbinary writers in 60+ countries worldwide, with a focus on AI and data. Allies of all genders are welcome. Learn more: About | Books | Categories | Directory | Digests | Donate | Herstory | Join | Subscribe | Updates | Welcome | World Map For more insights from interviewer Farida Khalaf, see her Lights On by Farida newsletter or youtube.com/@faridakhalaf25. About My Guest: Dr. Astrid J. Scholz Today I (Farida Khalaf) am joined by Dr. Astrid J. Scholz, a serial systems change entrepreneur and innovator whose career has been dedicated to making the world a safer, better place. As the founder of Armillaria and co-founder of Zebras Unite and StoryQuo, Astrid builds the technical and narrative infrastructure necessary to equitably mobilize data and capital. A trained economist and recovering nonprofit executive, she describes herself as a "skeptical optimist" who desperately wants AI to work for the people and the planet, but warns that if not applied carefully, it may exacerbate the very problems it seeks to solve. In this interview, Dr. Astrid J. Scholz dives deep into the messy reality of "AI for Good". Moving past the "theatrical" hype of platforms like IBM’s Watson, she explains why the social impact sector is currently "long on stories and short on recipes". Astrid challenges the rapid adoption of venture-funded AI tools that lack ethical standards, advocating instead for "sovereign AI" and practitioner-built solutions that respect the history and data sovereignty of the communities they serve. This conversation is a masterclass in how to move from "digital worldlessness" to a design justice model that honors lived experience. Want to read a preview of Astrid’s chapter? Volunteer as an ARC reader! Live Session With: Dr. Astrid J. Scholz Below is a summary of Dr. Astrid J. Scholz ’s live video interview responses to Farida Khalaf’s questions on her chapter, AI For Good: Whether And How To Use AI When You Are In The Business Of Making The World Better. Intended Audience: Practitioners in nonprofit organizations, social entrepreneurs, funders, impact investors, and stakeholders in the global social impact industry who are wondering if AI can help solve the polycrisis of the 21st century. “The social change industry is long on stories and short on recipes that other practitioners could pick up and adapt to their bioregion.” - Dr. Astrid J. Scholz Points discussed in the video * The Failure of Watson: Why billion-dollar platforms often fail in social impact because they cannot create “recipes” out of unstructured, evocative stories. * VC Funding vs. Public Infrastructure: Astrid argues it is “ludicrous” that a technology destined to become global infrastructure is being developed through the “move fast and break things” lens of venture capital. * The “Thumbs Up” Privacy Trap: A warning that even if you have privacy settings turned on, clicking a “thumbs up” on a chat response can inadvertently release your sensitive data for model training. * Self-Authored Solutions: Success stories like Apurva in India and Salmon Vision in Canada prove that AI works best when the communities themselves govern the logic and ownership of the tools. * “Take a Beat”: Her primary advice to leaders is to question “why” they are adopting AI before succumbing to funder pressure or the fear of being “left behind” “Systems trained on historical data do not neutralize human bias; they launder it, converting patterns of discrimination into the language of algorithmic objectivity.” - Dr. Astrid J. Scholz Why This Matters Dr. Astrid J. Scholz’s perspective is a vital reminder that accountability matters. * The Data Sovereignty Gap: Most social impact organizations treat stakeholder data as their own; Astrid advocates for the CARE Principles to vest control back with the communities the data represents. * Algorithmic “Laundering”: AI tools can inadvertently encode the preferences of institutional funders, potentially erasing the unique voices and non-linear theories of change of local practitioners. * The Digital Divide: Despite the global hype, 84% of the world’s population has never interacted with generative AI, creating a critical window to ensure future infrastructure is built ethically. * AI Violence: Systems optimized for the wrong objectives can lead to a bureaucratic accumulation of harm, including the exploitation of “ghost labor” in the global south and environmental strain on water-stressed regions. Thank You, Astrid, for this incredibly rigorous and necessary guide to the ethical infrastructure of social change. For every leader trying to bridge the gap between “technical efficiency” and “true justice,” her chapter in AI Everywhere is the definitive blueprint for navigating the Data Sovereignty Transition. Astrid reminds us that the goal is not to be bullied into rapid adoption, but to trust our gut and follow our curiosity while protecting the communities we serve. Her final message is a call to leadership courage: don’t just rollout software; provide the governing framework that ensures technology works for people and planet, not just for profit. I personally highly recommend following her work with Armillaria and Zebras Unite, where she is rewriting the rules for how data, people, and capital can be mobilized to change the world. .And if you’re interested in more conversations like this, consider subscribing to She Writes AI. I’ll continue sharing insights from the voices shaping the future of AI, including contributors from new chapters in AI Everywhere from the book2 collaboration stream, where 32 women from across five continents explore how artificial intelligence is changing the world we live in, and how we can change it for the better. References For more insights on the book, see aiEverywhereBooks.com - our beautiful book series website created by Blessing Okpala, PhD (now updated with previews for book2): Where To Buy, How To Read and Listen, Ways To Review * Buy Volume 1 (now in ebook and print on Amazon, Gumroad, Lulu, Ingram Spark, and many reading platforms) * Tips from our publisher on how to buy an Amazon ebook from a country that isn’t a ‘KDP marketplace’, and how to read the ebook without a Kindle device (free) * Look for our upcoming abridged audiobook edition! * Review links for Volume 1 (we’re on Amazon, Goodreads, and Storygraph) Ways To Support To help cover book-related costs (ISBNs, proof copies, etc.) as well as other SheWritesAI community services, we follow the Wikipedia model. We are now accepting donations via paid subscriptions and can also now accept one-time tips through Stripe (‘digital ink’). All donation sizes are welcome and help keep these book authoring opportunities free for She Writes AI Community members worldwide! Patrons and Sponsors are acknowledged on our book site. Read more. Thanks as always for your support in every form. We appreciate it all. Hearts, shares, restacks, and comments are awesome! Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. Get full access to She Writes AI Community at shewritesai.substack.com/subscribe
