From boardrooms to dinner tables, WhatsApp chats, and newsfeeds, AI is everywhere. The conversation has moved past what AI is and how it works, to more practical questions: Am I using it in the right way? What tools are out there? How do we use AI in ways to help, not harm?
The technology is evolving so fast, it’s a whirlwind. Every sector and sphere of policy is trying to keep up with the hype, backlash, excitement, and uncertainty. And the stakes are high. How AI is governed, by whom, and on what terms will shape global progress and inequality for years to come.
For our team in external relations, and for many of our partners, the need is practical. We often hear:
- Where can I find examples I can learn from or use to build my case?
- Who’s already tackling the same challenges I’m facing?
- How can I explain our data work in a way that resonates?
That’s why we’ve been experimenting with building AI-powered tools that are simple and practical, and able to meet these kinds of needs.
From hype to help: using AI for everyday work
Like many teams, we’ve been asking: What can AI do for us right now? How can it support colleagues in their day-to-day work?
The field of data for development is full of big questions - but also everyday, practical challenges: finding the right resources in an overwhelming landscape, figuring out who’s already solved the problem you’re stuck on, making data stories compelling and human, or trying to communicate clearly when the work is anything but simple.
Every day we work to make people see that data isn’t something technical and detached. It’s about people’s lives. It’s power. Telling the right story can shift priorities, unlock funding, and build trust.
So that’s where we want to bring some support using AI. We’ve built three simple tools, GPTs—a ChatGPT customized with instructions and relevant context—to support everyday tasks, tailored specifically for people working in data for development:
Data4Dev Resource Navigator - helps you find what’s out there
Find relevant, tailored materials across data for development.
Try it hereData4Dev AI Explorer - helps you understand what AI could mean for your work, in ways that are responsible and values based
Get practical, contextual guidance on how AI might fit into your work - ethically, responsibly, and in line with your goals. This GPT helps you reflect on your needs, build understanding, and explore possibilities without needing technical expertise.
Explore it hereData4Dev Talking About Your Data Work - helps you think through how to describe what you do, clearly and effectively
Support with thinking through how to describe your work clearly, meaningfully, and for different audiences.
Develop your narrative here
What AI can do for our community
At the Global Partnership, AI is core to our strategy, specifically in promoting inclusive governance, implementing ethical guardrails, and developing skills and abilities. If you want to talk to us about this, get in touch.
Experimenting with AI and using it in our daily work helps shape our understanding, and build practical skills. The first tool we developed was the Data4Dev Resource Navigator, which has been used internally and with a few external colleagues, and the feedback has been very positive. That success led to the creation of two more tools aimed at making AI genuinely helpful in our work, not in the abstract, but in the actual work of writing, planning, connecting, and communicating.
In our 2024-25 partner survey, many of our partners shared that they wanted support in navigating AI and emerging tech, practical tools that reduce friction, and more shared learning opportunities.
One of the most common conversations we have internally is how we translate complex ideas in ways that resonate. This is a space where AI can offer direct, hands-on support to empower colleagues across teams to develop their thinking, find clarity, and communicate more effectively.
Looking across the survey, anecdotal feedback, and internal conversations about what AI can help individuals with, it often boils down to:
- Finding good, useful resources
- Structuring thinking and surfacing ideas
- Communicating more clearly and compellingly
- Freeing up time for strategy, creativity, and exploring
Of course, AI can do much more. But we’re starting with what’s most widely useful and easy to apply.
In case it is of interest, here are the instructions each of our GPTs have so far, and we are keen to hear ideas to improve them.
Where this goes next
Where this goes next depends on feedback. We might tweak these tools, try other platforms, add more, or retire some. We’re approaching this as an opportunity to learn alongside our network, realizing ideas and experimenting to find useful solutions.
If you’re trying to figure out where AI fits into your work, have ideas for improvements, or want to build or adapt tools like these, I’d love to hear from you.
A note on the platform
These tools are built on OpenAI’s platform. Is that ideal? Not entirely. It’s not the most transparent or globally representative model, and like all large language models, it can hallucinate or get things wrong.
But it’s also one of the most widely used platforms, which means many of our partners are already using it. That made it a practical place to start: building quick, testable tools where people already are.
If you're new to ChatGPT and want to know about their data policy, you can find that here.
We are very interested in trying alternative platforms and welcome suggestions for other, open source solutions we can try.
The spirit behind this work is to let the machine work so you can focus. Critical thinking is still sorely required when using AI and these GPTs are not substitutes for good judgment, but they might act as a sounding board to your own good ideas and help free up some time.
