Digital ecosystem

Find out whether the intended users can get online where and when they would use the tool, and at the speed it needs. Connectivity means a person's own access to a mobile network or the internet. It has three parts: a network signal, a type of network fast enough for the use case (for example 2G, 3G or 4G), and a SIM card that still works. Coverage varies between countries, between towns and rural areas, and between groups such as women and men. Access can also fall as well as rise, with the seasons, after a drought or during political unrest.

Find out whether the intended users can pay for what the tool needs: the phone, its repairs, and the airtime, SMS or data to keep using it. For many people, and for women and girls in particular, the running cost of data can matter more than the price of the phone. A person may own a phone and a SIM and still be unable to use it because there is no credit on it. Cost is tied to who holds the money: women often have less money of their own, so others often pay for their phone and top-ups. Ask, too, what makes the tool cheaper or free to use, such as toll-free numbers or free short codes.

Find out whether using the tool could expose people to state or non-state control of the internet, or to abuse online. This covers three things. First, whether governments or armed groups cut off networks or power, and when. Second, censorship and surveillance: who owns the networks and who can read what passes over them. Third, online abuse, especially technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV): harm done or made worse through digital tools, which falls mostly on women and girls. Laws on free speech and privacy matter, but they may not be upheld in practice.

Find out which laws, rules and policies apply to the AI tool in each country where it will be used. The main ones are data protection law, any AI-specific law or strategy, and sector rules such as those for health data or bulk messaging. Check national law, not only international frameworks such as the EU AI Act or GDPR (the EU's General Data Protection Regulation). These rules change quickly, so the answer needs checking again during the project.