Projects · Ongoing projects
AI should not take decades to reach the last mile
SPARC-AI · current phase
SPARC-AI places young Fellows in parliamentary constituencies, working alongside Members of Parliament, supporting women in last mile communities, like women in Self-Help Groups, to use AI to run their businesses better. Fellows learn AI themselves, take it to the field, and document what works so it can spread.
At a glance
The problem
AI is a public good. It is not yet reaching the people who could gain most.
In mid-2026, 28.8% of working-age people in the Global North were using generative AI, against 16.2% in the Global South. The gap is widening: adoption in the North is growing more than twice as fast.
| Region | Share using generative AI |
|---|---|
| Global North | 28.8% |
| Global South | 16.2% |
Adoption in the North is growing more than twice as fast. Source: Microsoft AI Economy Institute, Global AI Diffusion, Q2 2026.
Built for someone else
Today's AI tools are designed around urban, English-speaking, formal-economy users.
A public good technology
Like electricity and the internet, AI can raise productivity for everyone. It should not take decades to reach villages.
The last mile is left out
Majority of the last mile communities, including women in Self-Help Groups, already run small businesses, but few have hands-on support to use AI for pricing, record-keeping and finding buyers.
AI is a public good technology and through this fellowship we aim to have last mile communities use the tool.
Where we work
The founding constituencies
The founding cohort is being confirmed with Members of Parliament. Each constituency is announced on the website once its partnership is signed.
What we intend to achieve
Every SHG moves forward, at its own pace.
We measure whether women actually use AI on their own, whether they know their real costs and profit, and what changes in their business, against a baseline taken before any training.
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Early group
Women taking first steps
First use of AI with support. The barriers they face, such as shared phones and lack of time, are documented for action by the district.
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Middle group
Women running smarter businesses
They keep monthly accounts and use task cards with the AI Saathi's help, and start changing prices and products.
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Highest uptake
Women earning more
They use AI on their own, know their real costs and profit, set better prices, find new buyers, and train others.
For each constituency: a trained local cadre of women trainers, evidence for district planning, and a model ready to scale across the state.
For Members of Parliament · Support requested from the MP's office
One Fellow, one constituency, twelve months.
The SPARC-AI Fellow works through the MP's office to reach SHG federations, district officials, bankers and buyers. The details of support and local requirements are agreed with each office.
From the SPARC archive.
Why it works through your office
A Member of Parliament represents, on average, 23 lakh people, and has the standing to make the district and the SHG system take a program seriously.
The Fellow works through your office to reach SHG federations, district officials, bankers and buyers. In return, you hold a constituency-level picture of how AI is being used, with evidence your office can present, including at the district DISHA meeting.