Our story
A new type of organisation helping young changemakers in the data economy find their voice and seat at the table.
The data economy is changing everything…
The 1990s internet revolution has fundamentally transformed our lives. Today, we live in a world where anyone with a smartphone has access to 1,000,000 times more computing power than Apollo 11, the rocket that put the first human on the moon. Smartphone users can further freely visit the World Wide Web, which hosts more information than any president had access to only a few decades ago.
This revolution is accelerating. Today, for every person on earth, roughly 146 gigabytes of data are produced. This opens up entirely new ways of solving problems, delivering solutions, and organising our lives.
…but solutions are built in siloes.
This incredible pace and scale of change offers tremendous opportunities, but also brings its perils. Concerningly, many of the technologies already governing our lives today have been constructed in siloes — i.e., built by a small number of businesses and engineers with little input from ethicists, policy makers, or experts from other disciplines. And no wonder: These disciplines often lack a common language and platform to effectively communicate with each other.
As we increasingly hand over key processes and decisions to algorithms, we believe that an ongoing, interdisciplinary debate is necessary to ensure fair technologies and truly positive change. By bringing together changemakers from all disciplines and engaging with the wider public and data users alike, we at GDI want to connect bytes with the bigger picture and improve the changes these technologies will bring.
A new type of organisation…
GDI emerged as a response to the struggles we saw bright, motivated students going through as they searched for meaningful opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. As internships got cancelled, job markets tightened up, and organisations shifted to remote work, we realised that there are limited alternatives for ambitious, curious young minds to gain meaningful early professional experience, upskill themselves, and truly stand out.
GDI aims to fill this gap. We draw from best practices established by leading management consultancies, technology companies, and top research institutions to create a truly unique learning environment. We achieve this by offering structured project management systems; a strong community of like-minded peers; and a unique mentoring network.
…helping young leaders find their voice and seat at the table.
When we first started at the University of Cambridge, we simply wanted to change the conversation happening in the local communities around us. But as word got around and interest (and, our inbox) grew exponentially, we realized this was bigger than Cambridge: GDI could offer young leaders around the world the platform and upskilling opportunities to find their voice and a seat at the table.
Want to join our mission?
There are many ways to engage with us.