The Hidden Cost of Cocoa - Can AI Save It? | Alejandro Soumah | TEDxSanDiego
Imagine biting into a piece of chocolate, unaware of the hidden cost—child labor, unfair wages, and a system built to keep producers powerless. But what happens when AI tracks every transaction, verifies wages, and gives farmers ways to improve yields? AI startups are proving the cocoa trade doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game.www.alejandrosoumah.com
www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-soumah Alejandro Soumah leads RISO DATA, transforming West African cocoa through innovative supply chain modeling for transparency and sustainability. Raised on four continents by developmental economist parents, his multicultural background fuels a passion for equitable trade. Alejandro also founded COMPASS Institution, a nonprofit tackling global challenges like food insecurity with data-driven solutions.His work unites data science, agriculture, and sustainability, with research featured at the UCLA AI Conference and in publications on rice auto-sufficiency in Senegal and cocoa transparency in Ivory Coast. A former Quantitative Analyst at Goldman Sachs (FICC), he’s a vocal advocate for ethical supply chains, delivering talks on cocoa trade, data colonialism, and sustainability. Fluent in English, French, and Spanish, Alejandro is completing a Mathematics and Computer Science degree at UC San Diego. Learn more at alejandrosoumah.com. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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