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As AI’s capabilities continue to expand into more human-centered domains, EUDiF Grants Officer Acacia Polatian explores how diaspora communities are reimagining engagement, driving innovation, and shaping inclusive and ethical AI futures across borders.
What if your homeland could speak to you – wherever you are? Imagine an assistant who speaks your language, knows your home away from home, and helps you stay connected to your roots, anywhere and anytime all just a tap away. In today’s AI-powered world, diaspora communities are no longer defined by distance; they are digitally connected, empowered, and shaping innovation like never before.
Take Greece, for example, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched an AI-powered virtual assistant integrated into the websites of all embassies and consulates. This assistant helps members of the Greek diaspora stay informed and access consular information, education resources, and updates on government services; and all through a personalized, multilingual interface.
This single example illustrates how leveraging AI technologies can streamline access to services, making them more efficient and convenient for citizens and Diaspora communities abroad. As AI reshapes global systems, diaspora communities and organizations cannot avoid its impact and magnitude, but instead, they are increasingly exploring its potential to deepen engagement, foster dialogue and drive sustainable development.
AI presents both new opportunities and new challenges, from changing the way institutions engage with transnational communities to giving diasporas the ability to map talents, share stories, and shape AI policy in their countries of heritage.
At the intersection of AI and diaspora, EUDiF has mapped a series of innovative practices across the globe, focusing on utilizing diaspora expertise for AI development, enhancing engagement effectiveness through AI-powered platforms, and facilitating discussions on the moral and inclusive application of AI in diaspora-related contexts.
Reimagining diaspora engagement with AI
The European Commission defines Artificial Intelligence as “systems that display intelligent behaviour by analysing their environment and taking actions – with some degree of autonomy – to achieve specific goals”. Governments and organizations are now increasingly directing AI-powered technology and tools towards enhancing the effectiveness of diaspora engagement, including information dissemination, diaspora profiling, and research facilitation.
AI-driven analytics, in particular, are helping decision-makers gain deeper insights into diaspora demographics, interests, and skills to strengthen their engagement strategies and inform policymaking. An interesting and innovative initiative emerged from the partnership between the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and the Government of Armenia, which leveraged AI tools, digital mapping and big data to map the Armenian diaspora worldwide with a special focus on the United States and France.
Central to this effort was the use of NamSor, an AI-based tool, which specializes in the study of names, analysing and categorizing them according to gender, ethnicity and place of origin. Through this technology, the Armenian government was able to identify thousands of professionals of Armenian origin and create a skill heatmap for targeted diaspora engagement policies and return programming.
These cases demonstrate how even relatively simple AI tools can improve access to services and information and yield valuable insights into diaspora communities, enabling evidence-based policy development and more targeted outreach and engagement.
Diaspora minds fuel AI for development
With the growing use of AI and machine learning tools, diaspora communities are taking the lead in innovation—reshaping the landscape of diaspora engagement in powerful new ways. From preserving digital heritage to influencing national AI strategies, diaspora communities and experts around the globe are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI policy and research in their countries of origin. Through strategic input, knowledge transfer and capacity building efforts, diasporas are laying the foundation for inclusive and forward-thinking AI ecosystems.
The Nigerian Diaspora is a great example of diaspora-driven innovation, bringing its expertise and global practices in service to national priorities and ambitions. In 2024, over 120 Nigerian AI researchers and practitioners came together to co-create the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS 2024), which is designed as a roadmap to leverage AI for sustainable development and shift the country towards an AI-driven economy.
Diaspora organizations are also using AI to safeguard and promote cultural heritage. Take for instance the Centre for Digitization of Indigenous African Languages (CDIAL), which has developed a multilingual AI-powered keyboard like Indigenius. It supports over 180 African languages and helps digitize and translate modern terminology into various African native dialects hence preserving linguistic diversity and strengthening intergenerational cultural identity.
Beyond shaping national strategies and preserving cultural identity through AI powered technologies and digital innovation, diaspora members are engaged in bringing their expertise to benefit local capacities in the countries of heritage.
Organizations like the diaspora-led Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), has been instrumental in engaging diaspora experts and building the next generation of AI talent. Through its ADVANCE Research Grants, prominent Armenian Scientists have spearheaded local research teams and strengthened research in AI applications across disciplines such as biotechnology, machine learning and data science.
Another initiative from FAST, Generation AI, has engaged diaspora experts to bring their global expertise to build a local talent pipeline of youth through the establishment of a new AI curriculum, mentorship programmes and resource mobilization.
Whether through policy, education, or technological innovation, the diaspora has become a key player in the global AI ecosystem. Their ability to transcend borders, knowledge systems and experiences can bring a more inclusive and globally informed perspective to the development and governance of AI.
Diaspora dialogues in the age of AI
At the intersection of diaspora, data, and development, a growing number of forums and networks are emerging to convene experts, practitioners, and policymakers around the future of AI. These platforms not only facilitate discussions around technological innovations and development but give diaspora voices in the global AI conversation.
One such space is the African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS), an annual symposium that brings together investors, entrepreneurs and academics from the African diaspora to explore collaborative opportunities across tech sectors, including the role of AI in solving development challenges on the African continent. Similarly, initiatives like Black in AI offer platforms for diaspora-led working groups to collaborate and increase the presence of AI professionals of African descent to contribute to the development and regulation of artificial intelligence.
These convenings, consortiums and networks are contributing to a more inclusive and diverse ecosystem where ethical AI governance, data privacy and informed AI policies are discussed, peer learning is encouraged, and diaspora actors and underrepresented voices can influence the global AI discourse.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape our societies, diaspora communities emerge as influential actors, leveraging the power of AI to enable a more effective diaspora engagement, support informed decision-making, foster inclusive dialogue and strengthen local capacities.
At EUDiF, we have seen this momentum first-hand and learned that when AI and diaspora engagement intersect, the results can be transformative: smarter policymaking, deeper inclusion, and more agile responses to development challenges.
Special thanks to Nicha Phannajit for the initial research on the evolving role of diaspora communities in the AI space whilst participating in the Diaspora youth internship.