For me, the highlight was not just observing the debates, but participating in Panel 3: “Wie bringen wir die KI zu den Menschen?” (How do we bring AI to the people?). This session was pivotal in shifting the conversation from abstract discussion to a perspective of a software engineering, as I rather act than debate. Below, I reflect on the high-level political directives shared by Austrian leadership and outline my own contributions regarding the technical and network-political realities of adopting LLMs today. There were many more contributions and you can find an overview here. I would like to highlight the excellent work of Prof. Dr. Kettemann and his team, it was delightful to start the with a panel entirely composed of brilliant young women. A insightful and touching perspective from the youth on today’s technology.

The Political Vision: Sovereignty, Empathy, and Public Service

The IGF Austria was opened by two prominent figures in Austrian politics: Landeshauptfrau of Salzburg Karoline Edtstadler, a member of the UN Secretary-General’s IGF Leadership Panel, and Staatssekretär Alexander Pröll, State Secretary for Digitalisation, the Fight against Antisemitism, the Public Service, and the Constitution. Their remarks highlighted the tension between global dependency and local autonomy, as well as the ethical boundaries of automation.

Landeshauptfrau Edtstadler grounded the discussion in ethics. Her central thesis: AI cannot feel empathy. While AI can help us be more effective, it must remain a tool, not a decision-maker. She emphasised that critical decisions, particularly in sensitive areas like weapons systems, must never be left to algorithms. The future of work is not Man vs. Machine, but Man plus Machine. We need both human judgment and computational power to navigate complex challenges.

Staatssekretär Pröll took a more pragmatic, albeit urgent, approach. He framed digital independence not as autarky, but as the ability to sit at the negotiating table with respect. His data points were stark:

• Austria is nearly 100% dependent on non-EU entities for digital infrastructure
• To put this in perspective, 91% of German companies are fully dependent on foreign tech providers
• He noted that while breaking these dependencies is expensive, staying in them is even costlier in the long run

Pröll highlighted recent successes, such as the EU’s AI Act. In Austria, this translates to concrete actions:

1. LibreOffice Adoption: The Federal Ministry of Defence has switched to LibreOffice, setting a precedent for the public sector
2. Procurement Reform: New regulations allow public procurement to favour sovereignty and open standards
3. Public AI Initiatives: With nearly half of federal employees retiring in the next 13 years, Austria is rolling out “GovGPT”, an LLM-as-a-Service on-premise solution for federal employees. This ensures “Human in Control” while reducing bureaucratic friction

He also pointed to ID Austria as a success story (though imperfect) and teased an upcoming digital assistant that will act as a “digital advisor” for every citizen, reinforcing Austria’s position as a leader in e-government alongside Estonia and Denmark.

From Interface to Sovereignty – Panel 3: How do we bring AI to the people?

In my segment of the panel, I focused on the technical and network-political hurdles that must be cleared to realise the political vision described above. My argument was structured around three key pillars: accessibility, education, and sovereignty. While sovereignty means different things to every stakeholder, watch this brilliant talk here, my definition, coming from the civil society, is to be able to chose the soft- and hardware we want to use and to protect human rights, privacy and democracy online.

The Interface Challenge: From Chatbots to Agents

Technologically, we have made strides in making Large Language Models (LLMs) accessible. A big revolution was not just the LLMs themselves, but also also the low-level access to them. Chatbots have successfully created a UI/UX that allows people without a technical background to interact with LLMs. However, we are now moving toward Agents, autonomous systems that are harder to grasp. As companies push this boundary, the interface will become even more abstract. We must ensure that as LLMs become more powerful, it remains understandable, transparent and controllable to the end-user. We need to find legal answers to the fact that autonomous agents, supposedly acting on our behalf, could be against our interests. Will we all have a “14 days step back from my agent’s decision”-right such as we currently have when buying something online?

Digital Literacy for the LLM Era

Just as we once had to learn how to “search online” effectively, we now need digital basic education for LLMs. We need to teach citizens how to prompt, verify, and interact with LLMs critically. This is not just a technical skill; it is a civic necessity for the modern age. I kept this part short, as previous speakers elaborated on this topic profoundly and I was glad that this key topic is already on the IGF’s agenda.

The Monopoly Problem and the Path to Sovereignty

The most critical issue I raised was the opaque monopoly position of current LLM providers. These firms often ignore copyright laws, use data illegally (such as copyrighted books or open-source code), and face no consequences. This dynamic relies on the backs of the least powerful actors and reinforces existing power structures. We cannot allow LLMs to remain a monopoly. While the operation and development of these models require funding, trust can only be established through transparency. This is why Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) LLMs are decisive. We must demand that sovereign institutions and individuals have the right to:

• Use the LLM models
• Study how they work
• Modify them to fit local needs
• Share improvements with the community

True LLM Sovereignty requires access to four layers:

1. Parameters
2. Weights
3. Source code
4. Training data

A Call to Action

The political will in Austria seems to exist, as seen in the initiatives mentioned by Staatssekretär Pröll. But we need grass roots action to match it. I called on everyone in the room to actively participate:

• Use Free Software and demand Public Money Public Code
• Bring these principles back into their organisations and ask “why are we still using MS Team and not a decentralised solution such as Matrix?”
• Install my beloved Linux operating system everywhere

Thank you to the organisers of IGF Austria for a stimulating event, and to my fellow panellists, Dr. Doris Fuschlberger and Ass.-Prof. Dr. Sebastian Krempelmeyer, for the insightful discussion.

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Mkulima AI is an offline, Swahili-based AI that empowers smallholder farmers without internet access. It turns indigenous knowledge and agroecology into practical guidance, reducing costs, improving yields, and restoring dignity for marginalized rural communities.

2nd Prize: Braille4UG (Braille For Uganda): Low-Cost Interactive Braille Learning Device for Visually Impaired Children in Uganda by Michael Mugisha

Braille4UG (Braille For Uganda) is an affordable, audio-guided Braille learning device designed to address the deep educational exclusion faced by visually impaired children in Uganda.

3rd Prize: AgriOrigin: Ethical Proof-of-Origin and Commons Licensing for Rural Agricultural Innovation by Anila Kasa

AgriOrigin is a high-tech, ethical platform that enables small-scale farmers to document agricultural innovations, obtain cryptographic proof of origin, and define fair usage conditions. By combining blockchain timestamping, AI-assisted accessibility, and community validation.

Congratulations to the winning teams — and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who submitted ideas, voted, mentored, and contributed their expertise!

Check out all ideas here: https://my.ideaspace.cc/v4/explore/challenge/730ad149-95f6-4c92-a0f5-089bb6dd5699/challenge

Next step: PROJECT FORGE
On February 25 (5:30–8:30 PM CET), we will host the Project Forge — an online session where the winning teams will further develop their ideas together with mentors and experts.
Everyone interested is welcome to join:
https://mobilizon.fr/events/b42aa1a2-2d8e-4672-9983-932f6dd340f0

This contest is hosted on the IdeaSpace Ideenplattform – the open innovation platform by Salzburg Research.

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The next volume of our famous community format “Project Forge” will take place on Wednesday, February 25 2026 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. We will bring together idea-givers and people of our global networks in an online setting to jointly help new ICT4D projects to become real.

This time you will have the chance to support projects from our idea contest “Opening Opportunities: Digital Tech for All!” (https://myideaspace.innovation.at/v4/).

The jury decided for the following winning projects, which we will also work on in the project forge:

Anila Kasa: AgriOrigin: Ethical Proof-of-Origin and Commons Licensing for Rural Agricultural Innovation
AgriOrigin is a high-tech, ethical platform that enables small-scale farmers to document agricultural innovations, obtain cryptographic proof of origin, and define fair usage conditions. By combining blockchain timestamping, AI-assisted accessibility, and community validation.

For more information on the idea contest check out the online platform: https://myideaspace.innovation.at/v4/.

If you want tol participate, please register here: https://mobilizon.fr/events/b42aa1a2-2d8e-4672-9983-932f6dd340f0

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Meet Dr. Ed Canela: a global freelancing consultant, digital transformation guru, and AI innovator who’s changing the world one project at a time. As a polio survivor since age 3, he proves that resilience and brilliance can conquer any challenge. With expertise in Organization Development (OD), data sciences, AI, and project management, he’s worked across 79 countries, partnering with major global players like The World Bank, UNDP, and USAID to solve real-world problems and create sustainable solutions.

Dr. Canela’s academic journey is just as impressive. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering, an MBA in Operations Management, and a PhD in Systems Dynamics. He’s taught at institutions such as the Asian Institute of Management and UP Institute for Small Scale Industries. Beyond teaching, he shares cutting-edge ideas through his bi-monthly Substack newsletter “OD Play Notes”.

What sets him apart? He’s not just about theory; he’s about action — helping organizations innovate and thrive in an ever-changing world. Whether it’s advising governments or training future leaders, Dr. Canela’s impact is felt globally. For college students aspiring to make a difference, his story is a reminder that passion, perseverance, and knowledge can truly shape the future.

INTERVIEW OF DR. ED CANELA: CRAFTING AND SCALING DIGITAL IMPACTS

1. Which project do you consider your most successful?

As a freelance OD (Organization Development) and AI consultant, I would highlight two initiatives supporting social enterprises in Nigeria and the Philippines. I consider them moderately successful, as both still have potential for wider adoption: (a) Digital and AI literacy program for rural and peri-urban women in Nigeria (donor-supported); and (b) AI Social Impact Crafter for social enterprises in the Philippines.

2. Which current project has the most potential?

2.1 Digital and AI Literacy Programs
These one-week programs targeted women in peri-urban communities around Lagos and Abuja. Each course began with a baseline assessment, followed by short, practical sessions that included case examples, app and device demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and quizzes.

Key topics covered:

• Digital and EU AI literacy standards
• Analog-to-digital transition
• Basic data analytics
• Safe and responsible mobile phone use
• Ethics, AI responsibility, and cybersecurity

Most participants were engaged in retail and micro-selling and showed strong interest in using digital tools to improve their businesses and reduce exposure to cyber scams. Anchoring learning on their actual business activities proved to be a strong motivator for capability development.

Even after donor funding ended, the program remained impactful by clearly surfacing capability gaps—particularly in OD, data literacy, and sustainable AI use. These insights continue to inform how I design practical, context-aware, and sustainable interventions.

2.2 AI Social Impact Crafter
The AI-driven Social Impact Crafter was developed to address common challenges faced by social enterprises in designing funding proposals and justifying impact.

Built using Google Studio, the tool performs five core functions:

• Extracts baseline data from the social enterprise
• Recommends ten relevant social impact indicators
• Facilitates stakeholder discussion to select three to four priority indicators
• Aligns indicators with current UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Suggests measurement methods and reporting frequency

This tool is “live” and accessible online. Interested users may e-mail the author for further information.

3. How do you measure success?

I measure success by adoption, application, and capability growth, not outputs alone. Indicators include: (a) continued use of tools and frameworks; (b) improved reporting (even anecdotal); (c) stronger funding proposals and safer digital practices; (d) ongoing use of tools after formal engagements end; and (e) sustained use signals real impact.

4. Do you consider your projects sustainable?

Yes. Sustainability is a core design principle. My work emphasizes:

• Internal capability building rather than consultant dependence
• Low-cost, mobile-friendly solutions
• Integration into existing workflows
• Even after funding or formal programs conclude, the knowledge and tools remain usable

5. How are your projects impacted by local and national governments?

Government priorities shape my work, particularly in:

• Digital transformation and education
• Cybersecurity and online fraud prevention
• Social enterprise and MSME development
• Alignment with national policies and UN SDGs ensures relevance for public institutions and donors, even when projects are independently implemented.

Closing Statement

My work sits at the intersection of OD, AI, and social impact — focused on practical capability building that continues to deliver value long after formal projects end.

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Nadiita Soninke is a technology champion and social entrepreneur using digital innovation to drive inclusive growth in marginalized communities. As Operational Manager of Lodwar Tech Hub II and Co-Founder of Lodu Tech Agency, he leads initiatives that bridge the digital divide through training, mentorship, and sustainable tech solutions. He is also a digital consultant and Co-Founder of Turkana Leo Magazine, a platform amplifying local voices and celebrating cultural identity through storytelling.

In this interview, Nadiita shares where his inspiration comes from, his biggest challenges and his current project.

1. What inspired you on inclusive technology projects?

My inspiration came from witnessing how limited access to technology deepens inequality in remote regions like Turkana. I saw talented youth with great potential but no digital tools, training, or connectivity. That motivated me to create opportunities that bridge this gap empowering them with digital skills, online work, and access to global platforms.

2. What are some of the biggest challenges you have with your project?

The main challenges include poor internet infrastructure, limited access to computers or smart devices, and financial constraints for scaling the initiatives. Additionally, many rural areas still lack awareness of the value of digital literacy, so part of our effort involves sensitizing communities and inspiring trust in technology.

3. How do you usually find support for your idea?

I find support through partnerships and collaborations with organizations that share similar goals, such as Learning Lions, Startuplions, and local schools. I also engage well-wishers, digital inclusion advocates, and online communities who believe in empowering marginalized youth through technology and education.

4. What do you hope to achieve overall?

My goal is to build a self-sustaining digital ecosystem in Turkana, where youth and women can access training, mentorship, and employment through technology. I hope to see every learner equipped with digital tools and confidence to compete globally while contributing locally to community growth and innovation.

5. What does your project look like currently?

Currently, Turkana Leo Magazine serves as a digital and community empowerment platform that highlights innovation, education, and impact across Turkana. We focus on promoting digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment by sharing real stories from marginalized and refugee communities.

The magazine also integrates community training sessions and awareness programs to help locals use technology for education, online work, and digital business growth. However, due to limited funds and support, we are still in an early phase of development. With adequate funding, we aim to expand our operations, strengthen digital infrastructure, and make the platform fully functional and sustainable, turning it into a true hub for local voices and digital inclusion.

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Ernestina Edem Appiah is the founder of the Ghana Code Club, an education-focused social enterprise that has spent over a decade working at the intersection of technology, education, and access in Ghana. For more than 10 years, Ernestina and her team have taught coding and digital skills in environments with limited devices, shared computers, and unreliable internet — conditions that reflect the reality of many schools across the country.

That experience led to a strategic shift. Rather than allowing infrastructure gaps to slow learning, Ghana Code Club intentionally redesigned its approach. Today, the organization operates a blended model that combines device-based learning with unplugged coding and AI education, ensuring that learning never pauses because of missing technology.

This model allows Ghana Code Club to reach learners everywhere — from fully equipped labs to classrooms with no devices at all — while still teaching deep, relevant digital skills.

1. How would you describe access to technology and digital education for young people in Ghana right now?

Access to technology in Ghana has improved, but it remains uneven — and in many cases, fragile.

After teaching for over a decade in public schools, community centers, and rural areas, we’ve learned that access can change overnight. Devices break, labs close, connectivity drops, or classes become too large to share limited computers. Waiting for perfect infrastructure simply means too many children are left behind.

That reality is why Ghana Code Club changed its strategy. We no longer treat devices as the starting point for learning. Through our unplugged coding and AI books, children learn core programming and computational thinking principles using games, paper blocks, storytelling, movement, and real-life problem-solving. When devices are available, we seamlessly transition learners to screens. When they’re not, learning continues.

This flexibility has made our programs more resilient, scalable, and inclusive.

2. What tools or methods work best when teaching kids and especially girls, how to code?

The most effective method is a mix of device and non-device learning, designed intentionally rather than as a fallback.

When infrastructure allows, we teach using Scratch, robotics kits, and web-based tools. But alongside this, we use unplugged activities to introduce and reinforce concepts behind real-world programming languages.

Even without computers, learners explore:

• How HTML structures information
• How CSS controls visual design
• How JavaScript creates interaction and logic
• How Python uses patterns, conditions, and commands to solve problems

These ideas are taught playfully — through cards, role-play, drawing, sequencing games, and storytelling— so learners understand how code works before they write it.

For girls, this blended approach is especially powerful. It removes fear, reduces screen intimidation, and builds confidence early. Learning becomes collaborative, creative, and human — long before it becomes technical.

3. What do you think would make the biggest difference for improving digital skills in the future?

The biggest difference will come from rethinking digital education policy and delivery models.

Digital skills should not depend solely on infrastructure. Teacher training, curriculum design, and national strategies must include low-tech, high-impact approaches that work in real classrooms — not just ideal ones.

Our experience shows that when children first learn how technology thinks, they adapt easily to any tool later. By mixing unplugged learning with gradual access to devices, and by equipping teachers with flexible resources, countries can build strong digital foundations at scale.

If we want a future where African children are creators of technology, we must design systems that work with the realities on the ground, not against them.

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Around the world, social entrepreneurs are developing innovative responses to some of today’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. They operate at the intersection of purpose and practice, often with limited resources, complex local realities, and a deep commitment to creating positive impact.

At ICT4D.at, we believe that learning from these real-world experiences is essential if digital innovation is to truly contribute to equal opportunities for all. That belief is what inspired this interview series. Over the coming days, we will be sharing a selection of interviews exploring how change makers turn ideas into impact.

In collaboration with students from Salzburg College, we set out to explore social entrepreneurship across different regions and contexts by listening to those who are actively shaping change.

Why this interview series?

Social entrepreneurship is often discussed in abstract terms. But behind every initiative are people navigating uncertainty, learning through trial and error, and adapting ideas to real needs on the ground.

Through this interview series, we aim to explore questions such as:

• What motivates social entrepreneurs to start their initiatives?
• Which challenges do they face when building and scaling their projects?
• How do digital tools support their work and where do they fall short?
• What lessons can others learn from their experiences?

By sharing these stories, we want to make social entrepreneurship more tangible and accessible: as lived practice shaped by local realities, experimentation, and perseverance.

From inspiration to action

The stories in this series are meant as an inspiration and an invitation.

If you find yourself thinking “I have an idea too” or “I’d like to use digital tools to address a social challenge”, we encourage you to take the next step(s)!

Our global idea contest “Opening Opportunities: Digital Tech for All!” is currently open.
We are looking for feasible ideas on how digital technologies can empower people and create more equal opportunities.

Sometimes, meaningful change starts with listening and learning and then daring to try!

We hope this interview series offers you insights, motivation, and maybe even the spark for your own idea.

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Sadly, we had to forgo the ICT4D lecture of our members Paul and Anne in Vienna to join this event. Read up on that in a previous blog post.

It’s a yearly conference in Graz, one of the nicest and most innovative cities in Austria. The event focuses on European young innovators who try to make a meaningful business based on addressing the needs of their with a digital solution. This time around the hot topic was AI, so most of the teams used it to some degree at least. At least it seems like a more useful approach this time compared to the recent Blockchain hype that caused everyone to try to save the world using Blockchain technology…

It’s rare to find yourself in a space filled with so many smart, brave, and genuinely kind young people all at once. Every presentation felt like a small but powerful reminder of why impact-driven work brings so much joy—and how much of the future is already taking shape in these early-stage ideas.

Just as inspiring were the conversations beyond the stage. Connecting with fellow jury members and social innovators from across Europe brought together a rich mix of perspectives, thoughtful debates, and a shared sense of purpose.

It was energising to be among people who, in very different ways, are all working toward something that truly matters.

The projects ranged from helping blind people navigate the city, deaf people feeling music on festivals, a government chatbot to help people with questions about rules and regulations in and around their (new) city, niche businesses like a Uber-analogue for commercial vessel chartering, E-reading and AI audiobooks to get Macedonian kids connected to local language books, a Finnish “Tinder” for doing social good, a German based platform that helps young voters to navigate the political landscape and find candidates who align with their values and last but not least a Czech group who wants to use European space lasers to clean debris from orbit. They might have expected Paul Spiesberger to be there on the Jury, he would have waved a big Europe flag and given them some extra points.

The attendees were various, among them a big group of mostly international students from the FH Joanneum, many from Pakistan. The FH is doing a collaboration with the WSA on their university courses to integrate the students into real life business and startup culture early on. The student teams also had the task to analyze a chosen project and present their improvement ideas in a poster session workshop.
Other workshops included a breathing session to start the morning, a session on how to build your brand from the brand manager of the fairtrade chocolate company, Tony’s Chocolonely, and building your startup by playing with lego blocks.

The program ended as always with the gala being held inside the mountain below the castle of Graz. Things to expect: Speeches, Jazz music, beatboxing, and people having fun on the dancefloor.

My personal take is that one of the biggest and hardest to define factors in the social startup environment (or really any social club / NGO) is morale and the feeling of belonging to a community. You need a shared purpose, a common goal. You need to know that you’re not alone in the metaphorical boat far out at sea, struggling to make ends meet and get your business idea to a point where it’s profitable enough to support itself. Even if it’s just patting each other on the back sometimes, have fun and eat some good food with your group and say “well done” and “let’s go and f-ing do it” – that can have lasting positive effects when purpose and endurance are keys to success. And to end the post (and year of 2025), let’s just copy the Finnish guy from the “Tinder for good” app Commu: Try to end the year with a good deed, be it with or without the app. Cheers

The complete summary, photos, program, notable jury members, and all participant projects are linked to the WSA website.

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Hurray – it’s time to get creative again!

Our next Open Innovation Idea Contest is live, and we’re looking for your ideas on how digital technology can open doors for everyone.

How can we make sure digital tools empower people instead of excluding them?
How can we use tech to create equal opportunities, bridge divides, and make the digital future more human?

If you’ve got an idea — big or small — that tackles these questions, we want to hear from you!

Who can join?

Everyone with a spark for change:

• Students & young innovators
• NGOs & social entrepreneurs
• Tech tinkerers & community builders
• Anyone who believes digital tech should serve all of us

Why join?

Because your idea can make a difference — and we’ll help you make it real:
Submission period: November 10, 2025 – January 7, 2026
Awards: up to €500
Mentorship Program (optional): January–March 2026
Project Forge (online): February 2026
Project funding: up to €5,000

Let’s co-create a digital future where no one is left behind — where innovation means inclusion.

Submit your idea now via the IdeaSpace Plattform

The post 🌍 Open Innovation Idea Contest 2025: Opening Opportunities – Digital Tech for All appeared first on ICT4D.at.

I am especially thrilled that Anne from Nairobi will join us and present her applied ICT4D work, don’t miss this one out! You can attend by just showing up, you do not need to be a student nor register (if you do not want a certificate).

When: 26.11.2025, 18:00 – 20:00
Where: FH Hörsaal 3 – MATH
Language: English, all further information can be found here

I highly recommend that you also visit the other presentations.

The slides can be downloaded here.

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