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Ila Kumar: Innovating with communities

Ila Kumar, a PhD candidate at MIT, champions a community-based approach to technology innovation, believing that those who will benefit from technology must be involved in its creation from the outset. Her work focuses on developing technologies that support healing, connection, and independence for young people, particularly those who have experienced trauma or are involved in the child welfare system.

Kumar's philosophy stems from her observation that many "tech for good" projects lacked sustained impact. She posits that by designing technology in community-based ways and considering holistic well-being, more impactful solutions can be created. This conviction guides her doctoral research, where she increasingly collaborates with communities rather than just studying them.

She highlights the dual potential of digital platforms to harm or help young people's mental health, depending on thoughtful design and integration into existing support systems. Her projects aim to explore this potential.

One project, developed with Stepping Forward LA and input from young users, uses a visual collage system instead of text to help trauma-impacted youth express emotions and build connections. Another ongoing collaboration with the Justice Resource Institute is designing a mobile app to empower youth in their treatment planning and goal setting, involving both clinicians and youth in the design and evaluation process.

Kumar emphasizes that her team is not designing tools in isolation but collaboratively, ensuring relevant care providers are involved. This approach was further solidified through a technology leadership circle with Foster America, which brought together individuals with lived experience in foster care and technology experts to identify digital technology gaps in care for young people in the child welfare system.

Her work also extends to artificial intelligence, where she is supporting care providers in discussing AI with young people, recognizing that youth are already using AI for life decisions without caregiver awareness. She has led workshops to facilitate these conversations.

Beyond her research, Kumar volunteers as a court-appointed special advocate, providing direct support to a young person in the child welfare system, which deepens her understanding of their challenges and the importance of relationships for lasting change.

She has also worked to address isolation among students interested in community-engaged work by co-teaching a course on community-driven innovation and establishing a community of practice for researchers at MIT and Harvard who are navigating research alongside communities.

Kumar's ultimate goal is for technological innovation to move beyond the lab and into the communities it aims to serve, stating that impactful technologies arise when researchers make decisions with communities, not for them.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.