Afghan women use AI and secret networks to bypass education bans

Afghan women are utilizing clandestine networks, mobile technology, and artificial intelligence to bypass Taliban prohibitions on female education. Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, Afghanistan has become the only country in the world where girls and women are banned from secondary and higher education, according to UNESCO.

Human rights lawyer Wazhma Frogh, who manages a support network of approximately 2,750 women across 34 provinces from abroad, reports that younger women are finding innovative ways to learn. These methods include using Instagram and AI tools like ChatGPT to study subjects such as mathematics.

Support systems facilitate learning by providing funds, inexpensive mobile phones, tablets, and computers to connect students to online classes. In some instances, small amounts of phone credit are sufficient to connect a young person to an internet-based school. Additionally, a “sisterhood” system has been established to connect Afghan women living abroad with girls inside the country to teach English and other essential skills.