Organization to complete the RAM and multistakeholder consultation, and preparation of ‎AI readiness country report. Beneficiary Country: Georgia

Terms of Reference

Organization to complete the RAM and multistakeholder consultation, and preparation of AI readiness country report

Beneficiary Country: Georgia

1. Background

In November 2021, 193 Member States of UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (the Recommendation). Countries around the world are now in the process of implementing the Recommendation, with UNESCO supporting them through various capacity-building efforts. UNESCO is partnering with the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) on Supporting Member States in Implementing UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI through Innovative Tools initiative, to assist UNESCO’s Member States in implementing UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (UNESCO Recommendation) by deploying the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM).  

UNESCO is seeking to contract an organization that will bring senior expertise to oversee the implementation of the project in Georgia, including all research and analytical components, and to lead the preparation of a policy-oriented country report. This report will build on the results derived from UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and reflect the outcomes of the multi-stakeholder national consultations to be organized in the framework of this report. The aim of the report will be to inform the country’s comprehensive national AI strategy and to provide an evidence-based framework on the ethical governance of AI, with short-and long-term priorities identified, and using the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI as a blueprint.  

The organization will work under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences Sector (ADG/SHS), and direct supervision of the Head of the Ethics of AI Unit and the Programme Specialist/Project Officer at UNESCO Headquarters.

Please note that this call is open to legal entities, including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. It is not available to individual contractors working outside of such a legal entity.

2.  Scope of the Work

The aim of this consultancy is to lead the development of research and analytical outputs towards the production of a policy-oriented country report. The Report will be based on the evidence gained through the deployment of UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and the key outcomes of the broad national consultations. More specifically, the organization will be responsible for:

1. Convening a multidisciplinary national steering committee that will oversee the project implementation. This should include identification of the key stakeholders to be engaged for data collection purposes.
2. Gathering quantitative and qualitative data to answer the RAM questionnaire, to gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the state of the art in the country in terms of AI readiness. To this end, lead in data collection, data curation and analysis, ensuring a high level of quality, and inputting answers to the questionnaire in a digital platform provided by UNESCO. The organization will proactively identify and engage with key stakeholders for data collection purposes, and work with the UNESCO Project Officer to ensure alignment with the global RAM implementation by UNESCO.
3. Organising and carrying out broad-based national multistakeholder consultations, leading discussions leading to the identification of needs, concerns, and policy priorities in relation to AI ethics and governance for civil society, academia and the private sector, and to present the initial results of the readiness assessment. At least three consultations should be held in person, and the expert will be responsible for all logistics associated with these events.
4. Drafting the final policy-oriented country report presenting the findings of the RAM questionnaire and multistakeholder consultation, as well as targeted policy recommendations, to inform national AI strategy. Depending on the country context, this report may be complementary to the existing national AI strategy or serve as the blueprint for establishing such a strategy/roadmap where one does not exist or updating it, and will feature recommendations concerning the regulatory and other policy reforms, institutional design, and capacity-building programmes needed for effective and responsible governance of AI in the country, based on the short- and long-term priorities identified, and using the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence as an overall framework. The report should follow the format which will be provided by UNESCO, and should include a detailed summary of the data gathered for the RAM questionnaire and multistakeholder consultations, relevant data visualisations, examples of good practices, highlights, etc. 
5. Ensuring overall coordination with the UNESCO Headquarters, the national stakeholders, and other relevant stakeholders involved throughout the RAM processes.  Facilitating and aligning the project activities with the broader adoption of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI to ensure coherence and integration with UNESCO’s work.
6. Organising and participating in a high-level National Forum on AI event to showcase the outcome of the project.

3. Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM)

A critical initial stage in the implementation of the Recommendation is the deployment of RAM, as mandated by the Recommendation, to assist Member States in identifying their status at specific moments of their readiness trajectory along a continuum of dimensions (legal/regulatory, social/cultural, technical/infrastructural, economic and scientific/educational).

The RAM is a macro level instrument that will help countries understand where they stand on the scale of preparedness to implement AI ethically and responsibly for all their citizens, highlighting what institutional and regulatory changes will be needed. Furthermore, the output of the RAM will also help UNESCO tailor the policy reform and institutional capacity building efforts to the needs of different countries. This will ensure that the country has in place human capacity, policies, and regulations to address the challenges brought by AI such as reinforcing traditional biases and ensure that people and their interest are always at the centre of AI development.

4. Deliverables and timeframe:

1. By the end of 2nd Month:
   • Diagnostic Report of the Country’s readiness, presenting and contextualising the data gathered from conducting UNESCO’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology questionnaire.
   • Coordinate logistics with UNESCO field office and UNESCO HQ contacts for the kick-off event.
   • Material for the kick-off event (speeches, TPs, social network posts, etc.).
2. By the end of 3rd Month:
   • Synthesis report, adding the key outputs from the multi-stakeholder national consultations to the diagnostic report.
3. By the end of 4th Month:
   • Policy-oriented Country Report, adding key policy recommendations to the synthesis report and paving the way for policy reform in the country on the ethical governance of AI.
4. By the end of 5th Month:
   • Coordinate logistics with UNESCO HQ for the RAM country report launch event.
   • Material for the country report launch event (speeches, TPs, social network posts, etc.).
5. By the end of 6th Month:
   • Provide short summary of key insights and data about the country for the UNESCO Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory country page.
   • Project closure document and discussion meeting with UNESCO HQ team for next steps identifying future potential engagement on RAM.

5. Duty Station

The organization is expected to be based in the implementation country, or to travel to the country during the project period as required for the full engagement in the national processes.

6. Qualification Requirements

The main expert in the organization leading this project should fulfil the following requirements:

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in governance of artificial intelligence, ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence or digital technologies, law and technology, or other related fields.

Work experience

• A minimum of five years of professional experience on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies, at national and/or international level. Experiences with the relevant government agency in the implementing country is a plus.
• Proven experience in conducting research and analysis and/or implementing programmes/projects on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies, as well as standards related to these issues. Experiences in producing policy-oriented report or recommendations are strongly desirable.

Skills/Competencies

• Very good understanding of the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies.
• Excellent knowledge about the dynamics of governance of AI in the implementing country, including policies, legislative and regulatory frameworks, institutional mechanisms, organizational structures and processes, and initiatives by different stakeholders in this field.
• Experiences in undertaking policy review and assessments both qualitatively and quantitatively on topics related to governance of AI or related digital technologies.
• Proven ability to draft clearly and concisely and to produce high quality policy-oriented analysis and synthesis documents.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of Georgian and English.

Procurement process:  

Please submit your technical and financial proposal (quated in USD Dollars) via email to shs.procurement@unesco.org, referencing "Call for Proposal: RAM and Multistakeholder Consultation, and Preparation of AI Readiness Country Report for Georgia."

Your submission should also include:

1. A statement detailing how your organization's qualifications and experience make a proposal suitable for this assignment.
2. An approach and methodology for the assignment, aligned with the terms of reference.