Women's World Banking 83d ago

AI is reshaping digital finance, but trust will determine whether it expands or limits opportunity. In this episode, AI and Deepfake Cartographer Henry Ajder joins us to unpack what rapid advances in AI mean for trust, safety, and financial inclusion. As tools like deepfakes and voice cloning become more sophisticated, synthetic identity fraud and impersonation scams are becoming easier to scale and harder to detect. These risks are especially significant for people entering the financial system for the first time. When trust breaks early, adoption slows, and progress toward financial inclusion can reverse. We also explore how technology-enabled gender-based harm, including harassment and impersonation, is shaping how women participate online, and why the pace of innovation is outstripping the pace of consumer protection. At the same time, we discuss how AI presents real opportunity. Used responsibly, it can help financial institutions better understand customers and design services that reflect women’s financial lives. The question now is whether safeguards, accountability, and transparency will evolve quickly enough to ensure AI strengthens trust and helps finance work better for women. Guest: Henry Ajder, AI and Deepfake Cartographer Henry Ajder is a leading expert on AI, deepfakes, and the fast-evolving synthetic media landscape. Recognized as a “Generative AI Power Player” by Financial Times’ Sifted and named one of the world’s top AI speakers, he has helped shape global understanding of how generative technologies are transforming business, policy, and society—including through his BBC documentary series The Future Will Be Synthesised. Since publishing his landmark 2019 report The State of Deepfakes, the first to map the real-world impact of synthetic media, Henry’s work has informed legislation and corporate AI strategy worldwide. He advises organizations including Meta, World Economic Forum, Adobe, EY, the European Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and leads the Generative AI in Business program at the University of Cambridge. He is the founder of Latent Space Advisory and a frequent contributor to major outlets including CNN, Bloomberg, and BBC News. Host: Dr. Sonja Kelly, Global Head, Women’s World Banking Institute Sonja is the global lead for Women’s World Banking research and learning. Through research on the financial sector, policy trends, financial services providers, and end users, Sonja and her team advocate for women’s financial inclusion. Before joining Women’s World Banking, she advised the U.S. Department of State on strategy for U.S. Embassy engagement in digital finance around the world. She has served as the director of research at the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion, has held consulting roles at the World Bank and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), and has worked in microfinance at Opportunity International. Sonja holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from American University where she researched financial inclusion policy and regulation