How AI Can Aid the Dollar Scholars Mission

I have always believed that technology can help society. Not technology for its own sake, but technology as a way to turn a good idea into something real. I learned this lesson the hard way, and it shaped how Dr. Jeff and I built Dollar Scholars.

Why this matters to me

When I think back to the hackathons during my bachelor program I remember the feeling of having a good idea and not being able to make it real. Recently it has become more and more clear that the barrier towards developing an idea is much lower than it was at that, for volunteers, for small organizations, and for the communities we serve. Dollar Scholars is and can be an example of leveraging technology to provide financial education. The lesson of the hackathons

My original field of study during my bachelor program in Mexico City was computer engineering. I had written code for my algorithms classes, so when I joined a Startup Weekend, an intensive weekend where people pitch business ideas, I thought I was ready to compete. I soon found out I wasn't.

Many of the ideas other teams in the competition developed included an app or a website which required users accessing a secure database, as well as ways to engage with clients or customers. On the part of our team, we clearly had talent and expertise along with the free-flowing exchange of ideas would have had a much better chance of happening if we had arrived at a minimum working prototype. Unfortunately we were not able to get to a final product; we managed to develop some mockups, but our idea went no further.

Learning to build

Later I tried again. I joined a hackathon at the BBVA tower, this time to build digital products and services. Many of my teammates had technical knowledge, yet few of us knew how to build a website or run a fast development cycle to deliver something tangible. I contributed ideas to my team, but I felt the limit of not being able to help in a more technical way. A teammate managed to compose a website where we could translate our ideas into a working example.

From then on, one thing was clear to me, building websites was a skill that could turn an idea into something people can see, use, and share. So, over the years, I learned. One of my best discoveries was that GitHub lets you host a project and publish it as a simple website. Even better, you can buy your own domain and point it to that site.

For many organizations, having a website is on its own a real barrier. It is the place where you centralize your message and connect with people who would never have heard of you otherwise.

When Jeff and I sat down to plan and shape Dollar Scholars, we did not have to wait for a big budget or an agency. We looked for any way we could offer value without a great amount of cost. Using our programming, we launched a website and shared it with the world as fast as we could. Now, AI amplifies what we build

Today, artificial intelligence takes this idea further. I believe AI can expand our reach and reiterate our ideas. For a volunteer-powered organization, that matters. Still, every result needs a human expert to review it. Having an answer does not mean it is the right answer. Technology shall support the mission rather than become the mission.

Our website is now translated automatically into many languages, including some that are usually left out. Without AI, we would have to translate every page by hand and keep each version updated. Our site also includes lessons where users can practice and learn on their own anytime, anywhere. Just as the website is one example of how programming and AI can motivate Dollar Scholars advancements, building a chatbot to help people with financial literacy and financial education could boost their learning, and amplify the impact Dollar Scholars can have on adults seeking to learn. Internally, and with experts we are discussing ways this can benefit our activities at Dollar Scholars, and how we can use AI and other technologies to amplify what we are trying to accomplish, which is get more adults educated on financial literacy.

My vision for Dollar Scholars is simple. Everyone deserves access to simple, trustworthy information to understand and plan their financial goals, whatever language they speak and wherever they live. Technology, used with care, helps us reach them. If you have a skill to share, whether it is teaching, writing, translating, design, research, or code, there is a place for you here. Let's build it together.