In today’s data-driven world, the promise of artificial intelligence for the public good depends not just on algorithms, but on the quality and governance of the data they rely upon. For communities facing crises—whether for disaster response, public health, or local planning—the right data can enable faster, fairer, and more accountable decision-making. 

Yet too often, this information remains siloed, fragmented, or inaccessible. The idea of data commons offers a way forward: Pooling datasets under shared governance to ensure that AI innovation is not only technically sound, but also trustworthy, equitable, and aligned with community needs.

On September 25th, 2025—at an event in New York City—the Open Data Policy Lab, in collaboration with Microsoft and in partnership with Direct Relief/CrisisReady and the Institutional Data Initiative at the Harvard Law School Library, with serving UNESCO as an international observer, announced the winners of the 2025 New Commons Challenge. The initiative awarded two projects $100,000 each to advance the creation of data commons that accelerate responsible AI innovation in disaster response and localized decision-making.

The event convened global leaders, policymakers, technologists, and community practitioners to explore how data sharing can unlock new opportunities for AI in the public interest. In what follows, we provide a summary of the winners and the discussions that took place during the event.

Opening Remarks: Building Data Commons for the Public Good

Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Trusted Technology Group, opened the event by underscoring the importance of diverse, high-quality data for responsible AI innovation. She noted that data is not inherently valuable on its own, it becomes impactful when responsibly shared and reused. Highlighting Microsoft’s Open Data campaign and collaborations with The GovLab, Harvard’s Institutional Data Initiative, and European-led projects, she emphasized the need to expand access to datasets that reflect cultural and linguistic diversity.

Despite this progress, Hutson cautioned that many AI models remain limited by biased or fragmented data, particularly in under-resourced languages and regions. She argued that the solution lies in developing data commons—shared pools of data governed for reuse, interoperability, and accountability. 

Framing the New Commons Challenge as a step forward, she invited participants to see themselves as stewards of data that can fuel AI solutions for disaster response, localized decision-making, and the broader public good.

Framing the Challenge: Data Commons as Missing Infrastructure

Stefaan Verhulst, Co-Founder and Chief Research and Development Officer of The GovLab, followed by setting the stage for the New Commons Challenge. He described data commons as the “missing infrastructure” for Public Interest AI—essential to scaling solutions for humanitarian response, local decision-making, and other pressing societal needs. 

While the world is awash in data, much of it remains inaccessible or unusable for the public good. Data commons, he argued, provides both the governance and technical frameworks to make high-quality, context-specific data available in ways that respect community expectations. Without such commons, the promise of “AI for good” risks being limited or unsustainable.

He went on to explain how this realization led The GovLab, in partnership with Microsoft, Direct Relief/CrisisReady, Harvard’s Institutional Data Initiative, and UNESCO, to launch the first-ever New Commons Challenge six months earlier. The goal was to identify and support pioneers advancing data commons in practice. 

The response, he noted, was overwhelming: 170 applications from 51 countries, with more than 150 reviewed in detail and 44 invited for further consideration. From this process, two winners and several honorary mentions emerged—demonstrating that the idea of data commons is not abstract but already being built by a growing global community.

The Award Ceremony

Following these remarks, Teresa and Stefaan announced the winners of the New Commons Challenge.

CERTI Amazônia Institute received the award for Enhancement of a Data Commons. Their Amazon Rainforest Evolution Index transforms environmental data into AI-ready tools to track deforestation and land-use change in Brazil’s Legal Amazon—a region covering nine states and roughly 61% of Brazil’s territory, empowering sustainable development decisions.

NYU Peace Research and Education Program is the award winner of the Development of a Data Commons category. Their initiative, Malawi Voice Data Commons, developed in collaboration with Ushahidi, UNDP, and Mozilla Foundation, enables rural Malawians to report emergencies in native languages, creating multilingual, AI-ready datasets for humanitarian response and language preservation. The pilot will take place in Malawi with plans to scale across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The two teams presented on their winning proposals and discussed how they would use the funding to support their data commons initiatives.

The Challenge also announced several honorable distinctions, including:

• Open Knowledge Brazil’s Querido Diário: Open Knowledge Brasil’s initiative converts municipal gazettes into AI-readable datasets, advancing transparency, civic oversight, and inclusive governance across Brazil.

• Slum Dwellers International’s Know Your City Academy: Slum Dwellers International and Arkology Studio are building a data commons for 5,000+ informal settlements in 18 African countries, integrating oral histories and structured data to promote peer learning and inclusive data practices.

• PLACE Foundation’s PLACE Hub in Nigeria: Funded by ThisisPLACE, PLACE is replicating its proven model in other regions to Abuja, Nigeria to expand its community-driven spatial data infrastructure to enable responsible AI for urban planning, disaster response, and infrastructure development in Nigeria.   

• Global Strategic Litigation Council’s Advancing Climate Justice: The Climate Mobility Case Database: Tens of millions are displaced annually by the climate crisis. The Climate Mobility Case Database uses AI to distill complex global case law on climate displacement into accessible, multilingual knowledge. By distilling lessons learned from courts across the world, this open platform equips communities, practitioners, and policymakers with the tools to defend rights, strengthen advocacy, and drive policy reform for at-risk and climate-displaced people worldwide. Developed by the Global Strategic Litigation Council, in collaboration with Earth Refuge, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, and the Zolberg Institute.

More information on each awardee and honored participant can be found here.

Fireside Chat: Data Commons for AI Innovation and Global Impact

The award ceremony was then followed by a fireside chat between Stefaan G. Verhulst, Co-Founder and Chief Research and Development Officer of The GovLab, and Isabel De Sola Criado, Head of the Coordination Unit at the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies. Their conversation explored how data commons can accelerate AI innovation, scale public-interest impact, and support global digital strategies. 

Below is a summary of the main themes discussed.

(1) Data Commons as Global Infrastructure

Verhulst opened the discussion by positioning data commons as the “missing infrastructure” for public interest AI. He emphasized their role in making high-quality, context-specific data accessible in ways that respect community expectations. Criado agreed, situating data commons within the broader framework of the UN’s Global Digital Compact (GDC), which she described as a milestone in renewing the global digital agenda. She highlighted that data governance—one of the GDC’s five pillars—explicitly references data commons as a tool for closing digital divides and preventing a future AI divide.

(2) The Global Digital Compact and Data Governance

Criado explained that the GDC sets out interlocking priorities: bridging digital divides, strengthening the digital economy, promoting a safe and open online space, advancing data governance, and ensuring responsible AI. Data commons, she argued, are a concrete way to deliver on these goals, especially the fourth pillar on data governance. She noted that building ethical AI requires ethical data governance and that commons provide an example of how to manage data responsibly while creating broad societal value.

(3) Diverse Needs Across Member States

Verhulst invited Criado to share what she hears from UN member states and civil society about the challenges of advancing data governance. She explained that needs vary widely depending on political, economic, and development contexts. Some countries focus on strengthening basic data infrastructure or passing privacy laws, while others grapple with capacity-building and accountability. Many developing states, she noted, feel overwhelmed by competing digital priorities, from connectivity to skills development, making the case for starting with strong data governance as a foundation for broader digital transformation.

(4) Aligning Data and AI Governance

The discussion also highlighted the deep interconnection between data governance and AI governance. Verhulst stressed that AI governance cannot advance without solid systems for data access and oversight. Criado echoed this point, noting ongoing UN initiatives such as the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on AI. Both efforts recognize data commons as essential to ensuring that AI systems are equitable, transparent, and accountable.

(5) Incentives, Trust, and the Role of Intermediaries

Criado concluded by underscoring the importance of incentives and trust in building sustainable data commons. She observed that organizations and governments often ask, “What’s in it for me?”—making it critical to clearly articulate the benefits of sharing data. Trusted intermediaries, she argued, can play a vital role in bringing diverse stakeholders together, ensuring decisions are made transparently and equitably. She also highlighted the need for commons that address urgent issues such as human rights, online safety, and protecting women and girls, noting that these areas remain underdeveloped despite their importance.

Closing Remarks: Celebrating Digital Progress and Partnerships

The event concluded with reflections from Alex Wong, Senior Advisor for Strategic Engagement and Initiatives at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Robert Opp, Chief Digital Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Wong emphasized that amidst ongoing debates about governance risks, it is equally important to celebrate the power of digital innovation. 

He pointed to the breadth of initiatives showcased during UNGA’s “Digital at UNGA” program—spanning agriculture, healthcare, youth, and climate change—as evidence of how technology is reshaping societies. He highlighted the New Commons Challenge as part of this momentum, underscoring the role of companies like Microsoft in committing significant new investments to AI skills and education.

Opp built on these reflections by stressing that data is the fundamental foundation of digital transformation. He noted that as countries invest in digital infrastructure, interoperability and trusted data governance are what make it possible to deliver better public services, inform policymaking, and foster private-sector innovation. In the AI era, he argued, this becomes even more critical: data must be accurate, representative, and responsibly governed for models to advance sustainable development safely. Opp closed by emphasizing the importance of collaboration and partnerships, highlighting how ITU and UNDP’s joint efforts demonstrate the value of combining technical expertise with a human development lens. He situated this work within a broader year of milestones—including the anniversaries of ITU, the UN, UNDP, and the World Summit on the Information Society—reminding participants that collective efforts today will shape the digital future for decades to come.

***

Have any questions or are interested in collaborating? Reach out to us at [email protected]. 

Back to the Blog