The Right Livelihood Award has been awarded to a female AI researcher and women fighting repression. The Sweden-based prize, often referred to as an 'alternative Nobel,' honors individuals and groups contributing to a more just and peaceful world.
On Wednesday, the award was presented to AI researcher Timnit Gebru, a lawyer from Pakistan named Jalila Haider, and two women-led rights groups. The Right Livelihood Award was established in 1980 by Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull to celebrate achievements in environmental and international development that are often overlooked by the Nobel Prizes. It is typically awarded a week prior to the Nobel Prizes.
This year’s winners were chosen from 200 nominations across 72 countries and were recognized for their efforts against systems that marginalize individuals, emphasizing the importance of placing people at the center of societal issues.
Timnit Gebru, founder of the Distributed AI Research Institute, received the award for her work on biases in artificial intelligence. The Right Livelihood organization stated that she was honored for 'challenging concentrated power in artificial intelligence and pioneering digital technology rooted in justice, lived experience and human agency.' Gebru, originally from Ethiopia, co-authored a paper in 2020 on the risks of biases in large language models while co-leading Google's Ethical AI team. The jury noted that Google dismissed her after she declined to retract the paper unless certain guarantees were provided.
Jalila Haider was recognized as the first female lawyer from her Hazara community in Pakistan, awarded for her efforts to challenge ethnic, state, and patriarchal persecution. The jury highlighted her work in defending vulnerable communities against state repression, discrimination, and ethnic violence, securing justice for thousands targeted by those in power.
The Rural Women's Assembly, which represents over 178,000 small-scale farmers across 11 Southern African countries, was also honored. The jury commended the group for creating a united force defending land, seed, and bodily autonomy against corporate and patriarchal dispossession, including efforts to preserve local seed varieties.
Additionally, the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA) received the award for its role in promoting and safeguarding democracy in Georgia amid autocratic challenges. Founded in 1994, GYLA was recognized as the 'moral compass of Georgian society' for its commitment to sustaining civic power.