Bringing the power of AI and advanced technology to the human rights movement.

Why We Exist

Human Rights First works to create a just world in which every person's intrinsic human rights are respected and protected. The Human Rights First Innovation Lab was founded in 2019 to ensure that mission endures in the age of automation.

New data-driven technologies, especially artificial intelligence and machine learning, are transforming societies on a global scale. They're also concentrating power in the hands of undemocratic actors and demanding we expand our very definition of human rights.

Yet civil society - the people, movements, and organizations dedicated to protecting democracy and human rights— has not kept pace with these advancements.

The Human Rights First Innovation Lab exists to level the playing field - arming our sector with the technology tools, talent and understanding needed to protect human rights, now and in the future.

Senior Director, Perris Richter speaking on a panel about AI and Immigration at the NIC.

What we do

Prototype + Pilot

We build, test, and iterate technology solutions in pursuit of force-multiplying impact.

Sustain + Scale

We identify pathways to scale for the solutions that prove successful.

Influence + Field-Build

We convene, capacity-build, and cultivate talent pipelines around rights-centered technology.

How we do it

We start with a problem statement and then move through a human-centered design process to arrive at a solution that is informed by evidence, multi-disciplinary expertise, and iterative rounds of user feedback.

A.K.A. Coming up with ideas

Brainstorming and sketching solutions to the opportunities identified in Synthesis.

A.K.A. Seeing what works

Testing ideas with users to validate assumptions and identify areas for improvement.

Discover

Define

Design

Prototype & Test

Plan & Implement

A.K.A. Initial Research

Gathering information and insights about users, contexts, and problems.

A.K.A. Synthesis

Analyzing research findings to identify patterns, opportunities, and design criteria.

A.K.A. Building

Developing the solution for deployment, ensuring quality and performance.

Our principle

We build with not for – co-designing solutions with advocates and impacted communities
We believe diversity is a key ingredient to innovation.
We believe play is a serious part of the design process.
We test ideas early and often. When we fail, we fail fast.
We are privacy and security obsessed (and you should be too!).
We partner to make the impossible, possible.