AI’s impact on the practice of evaluation extends beyond the adoption of innovative tools and methodologies. It has the potential to fundamentally reshape the way interventions are designed and implemented, which, in turn, can significantly affect how these interventions are then evaluated. This evolving landscape prompts evaluators to reconsider their approaches in the era of AI-driven interventions. As AI increasingly takes a central role in shaping the entire lifecycle of interventions, from conception to execution, understanding its implications on the practice of evaluation becomes an urgent and complex concern.
In this rapidly evolving context, evaluators and evaluation commissioners are faced with fundamental questions. Will the growing adoption of AI affect the role of evaluators and, if so, how? Should evaluators hold policymakers and development actors accountable against the OECD AI Principles, defined in May 2019, for their use of AI in policy and interventions? What skills will evaluators need to evaluate interventions relying on AI?
This panel event will bring together actors from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to explore these critical questions and their implications for the practice of evaluation.
The panel will firstly delve into the current and prospective uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in intervention design and implementation through the presentations of the different panellists. Secondly, the ensuing panel discussion will comprehensively examine the implications of these uses on various facets of evaluation practice, including the evolving roles of evaluators and the timing of evaluations, among other dimensions. Finally, the panel will explore the practical implications of AI integration and assess how organisations and evaluation functions can prepare themselves for these upcoming changes.
Overall, the panel event seeks to aim to equip attendees with insights and strategies to effectively navigate and prepare for evaluating in an AI-driven world.
Speakers
Alejandro Guerrero-Ruiz, Lead of the OECD/DAC Results Community
Rob Lloyd, Managing Partner at Itad.
Alessandra Garbero, Lead regional economist at IFAD
Miki Tsukamoto, Coordinator for Evaluation at IFRC’s Strategic Planning Department
Chair
Emmanuel Pondard, Head of the Evaluation function within the EIB Group
Moderator
Pauline Mauclet, evaluator at the European Investment Bank’s evaluation division and leading the evaluation division’s AI Working Group
Discussant
Harsh Anuj, Data Scientist at the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), will take part in the panel session as a discussant, contributing his technical expertise and extensive experience with various AI applications within the realm of IEG evaluations and World Bank operations
See the European Evaluation Society Conference website for more information, including how to register.
