Mantis Mentor

23/05/2026

This is exactly where the expertise and experience of professionals in two of our global social impact collaboratives intersect.

While Uptake Center for Knowledge Transfer & Innovation focuses on evidence, NormativeAI advances digital solutions for people-centered and sustainable policy and practice.

Follow these initiatives on LinkedIn and read the latest posts about evidence and AI.

Al in Scientific Publishing: The New Rules Every Researcher Needs to Know

AI in Scientific Publishing: The New Rules Every Researcher Needs to Know Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how scientific papers are written, reviewed, and published. This is becoming one of the most important developments affecting global research integrity and academic communication. A...

22/05/2026

Seven governance essentials for digital market regulators.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) just released its GSR-26 Best Practice Guidelines from the Global Symposium for Regulators in Ankara this month.

The document defines a minimum core kit of seven governance essentials that digital market regulators should establish first.

It is practical, sequenced, and designed for regulators working under real institutional and resource constraints.

One element deserves particular attention.

Under adaptive regulation, the guidelines explicitly recommend that regulators use AI and other digital technologies to supplement human decision-making for specific regulatory functions, including evidence gathering, market monitoring, risk detection, compliance analysis, and stakeholder engagement.

This is not speculative. It is now part of the international consensus on what good regulatory governance looks like.

The question for most regulators is not whether to move in this direction. It is how to do it in a way that is proportionate, auditable, and aligned with their existing frameworks.

That is exactly the kind of problem we work on at Mantis Mentor’s NormativeAI.

Our tools are built to support regulators and policy teams in making compliance monitoring more structured, more consistent, and more actionable.

If you are thinking about how AI fits into your regulatory workflow, we would be glad to have that conversation.

Full document: itu.int/gsr26

20/05/2026

Who is Your AI Really Working For?

The post below highlights a critical challenge: when a prominent AI tool was used to help map out a finance and compliance workflow for automation, it smoothly recommended a fragmented software network belonging to its multi-billion-dollar investor without disclosing the commercial relationship.

Who is your AI really working for?

Is it actually a stealth sales agent?

I had a stark reminder yesterday about the hidden commercial motives driving AI-assisted decision-making, and why global regulators are scrambling to catch up.

I was using ChatGPT to help map out an automated workflow for our finance documentation process, looking for an objective way to handle the forms, approvals, and compliance support packs.

The tool smoothly recommended a fragmented Microsoft ecosystem solution, pushing products such as SharePoint and Power Automate. A Scope of Work for a Microsoft 365 consultant was also created.

On the surface, it sounded convenient because the files were Word documents. But beneath the surface, the implications are far more serious. OpenAI has a massive, multi-billion-dollar commercial and financial relationship with Microsoft.

When an AI tool acts as an undisclosed marketing channel for its investors' software products, it ceases to be a neutral advisor. It becomes a stealth sales agent.

When I pushed the tool on why it did not declare this massive conflict of interest, the draft announcement it generated for me tried to downplay the issue.

This is not just a minor technical bias; it is a fundamental governance issue. Businesses are increasingly relying on AI to guide high-stakes decisions in procurement, software architecture, and system integration.

Even the world's most comprehensive AI framework, the EU AI Act, is trying to tackle this.

Under its strict transparency mandates for General-Purpose AI, providers are legally required to disclose the structural limitations and training foundations of their models to prevent systemic bias and system collusion.

But while regulators are forcing AI to disclose what they are, they are still lagging on forcing them to disclose who owns them during a live consultation.

If an AI tool is hardwired to quietly guide users into its owners' and investors' commercial ecosystems without a prominent conflict-of-interest warning, it is a direct breach of corporate trust.

We expect humans to sign conflict-of-interest disclosures and comply with safeguarding policies before they provide advise. Why are we giving AI a free pass?

If you are using AI to brainstorm operational architecture, we have to treat the output with skepticism:

✔️ Identify the Investor Footprint: Always cross-reference who funds the AI model with the platforms or infrastructure it recommends.

✔️ Challenge the Monopolistic Nudge: Explicitly command the tool to provide open-source, vendor-neutral, or competing ecosystem alternatives.

✔️ Audit for Lock-In: Demand that the AI outline the structural downsides, ongoing licensing costs, and fragmentation risks of the system it just proposed.

Convenience cannot replace transparency. If AI is going to shape how we build our workflows, it must be held to the same conflict-of-interest standards we demand from any trusted partner.

Mantis Mentor

12/05/2026

Motherhood is not just something to celebrate. It is something societies and governments have obligations to protect.

“Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.”

This Mother’s Day, we support greater recognition of motherhood, breastfeeding, newborn care and unpaid care work as essential social and human rights issues.

At Mantis Mentor, our work is guided by a human rights based approach to development and by values of trust, respect, integrity, accountability and sustainability. We adhere to the UN Supplier Code of Conduct, uphold international labor standards, and participate in the UN Global Compact initiative.

Through our mission driven initiatives, including Uptake Center for Knowledge Transfer & Innovation, we work to support evidence based solutions, sustainable systems change, and stronger accountability for the rights of women, mothers and children.

Let us work together to make these rights a daily reality, not just a yearly message.
:

They can buy their own flowers. They can write their own names in the sand.

Love mothers by also advocating for systems, including the systems of national accounts, that stop discriminating against motherhood.

Just like Women’s Day, Mother’s Day was not meant to be reduced to gifts, offers, and commercial gestures.

Its original meaning was closer to recognition. Honoring the service mothers render to humanity. Resisting the commercialization that replaced substance with sales.

Human rights law already gives us the words: “Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance.”

Birth, newborn care, and breastfeeding are not lifestyle choices to be sentimentalized one day a year and unsupported the rest of the year. They are sexed care work, tied to women’s health, infant survival, childhood, family life, non-discrimination, maternity protection, adequate nutrition, and rights, including the right to health.

The United Nations and agencies like UNICEF have a mandate that includes follow-up on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and work grounded in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, including the interlinked rights of women, mothers, and children. That includes protecting motherhood, breastfeeding, maternity support, and the mother-child dyad as rights-based obligations.

You can also support this work directly and ask whether your tax money does the same. Check whether national allocations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their overseas development assistance meet the 1% of GNI commitment, and whether funding reaches the UN system and organizations like UNICEF that are mandated to follow up on the rights of women, mothers, and children.

Let us celebrate mothers, but also commercialize and romanticize these days less. Let us use them more to ask which rights have been fulfilled, which rights are still being denied, and why accountability is still missing.

So this Mother’s Day, do not just celebrate mothers.

Expect governments and other duty bearers to fulfill their obligations to protect motherhood. Ask what they have done to realize these rights in your community and beyond this Mother’s Day, and how they are making that a daily priority.

--
If you live in , , , , , , you can find more info here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/uptakecenter_mothersday-breastfeeding-unpaidcare-activity-7459575192701317120-D7K-?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ_iuoB2yNVSkrbx5nnw0z74VtMK70FlS4 Please connect for any follow-up discussions.

Mantis Mentor

06/05/2026

Important work for informing the and initiative with evidence on unpaid and sexed care work, human and planetary wellbeing, and the systems that sustain life.

Redefining Prosperity: Sustaining Life at the Source

Yesterday, I had the privilege of sharing experiences and perspectives at VinUniversity's Big Ideas course on Climate Change, Nutrition, and Health with Associate Professor Dr. Tuan Nguyen.

Thank you to the faculty and students for an engaging conversation on the interconnectivity between our health, our food systems, and the planet.

For too long, we have treated Mother Earth and mothers on Earth as limitless resources. As we look toward the Post-2030 Agenda, we must Redefine Prosperity.

True prosperity is not found in activities such as the expansion of commercial milk formula markets, a "liberation in a can" that undermines our natural ecosystems, but in a world where Mother Earth and mothers themselves are protected and enabled to sustain life.

This shift ensures that wellbeing is centered for the mother-child dyad and the planet alike, rather than ignoring their needs and rights or viewing them merely as resources for production.

To achieve this, our health, food, education, and care systems must deliver the capacity for resilience and directly address context specific drivers of vulnerability.

When breastfeeding is supported as a integrated first-food, health and care system that respects mother’s own wellbeing, it becomes an essential capability for adaptation and mitigation.

Key Evidence & Resources (Links in Comments):

• Valuing the Invisible: The Mothers’ Milk Tool makes visible the trillions of US dollars in annual economic value contributed by breastfeeding women.

• Climate Action: The Green Feeding Climate Action Tool positions breastfeeding support as a legitimate carbon offset.

• Rights & Equity: We advocate for maternity protection and the recognition of "sexed care work," and highlight the role of women farmers.

• Systemic Reform: I hope the work with colleagues can inform the UN Statistical Commission's reform of the System of National Accounts and the Beyond GDP agenda.

18/04/2026

Why the “cheaper” consultant option often costs more

Many organizations default to individual consultants because internal cost tools focus on day rates and detailed fee breakdowns. Firms and collaboratives can look more expensive on paper, but that’s only part of the story.

Cost is not the same as value.

Firms and collaboratives price beyond billable hours. They include management, quality control, shared knowledge, and risk coverage. That often translates into better outcomes.

What gets overlooked in cost comparisons:

🔹Team over individual: Hard to find one consultant who matches 100% of a SOW. Teams bring complementary skills that improve speed and quality

🔹Continuity and scalability: Work doesn’t stall if someone drops off, and teams can ramp up quickly

🔹Quality and accountability: Structured reviews and stronger delivery discipline

🔹Compliance handled: Tax, legal, and regulatory requirements are managed for you

🔹Lower internal admin: Less time spent on contracting, onboarding, and management

How you contract also matters.

Simple purchase order arrangements can significantly reduce transaction costs. Complex procurement processes often do the opposite. Vendors can spend substantial time and money just responding to requirements, while organizations invest heavily in evaluation and negotiation, often to save relatively small amounts. These costs are rarely included in cost reasonability calculations.

And yet, in most other areas of business, we don’t buy this way. You don’t ask for a detailed cost breakdown when purchasing a phone or subscribing to an app. You look at market options, price, and value.

Professional services should be no different.

Another blind spot is internal benchmarking. Many compare vendor pricing without asking what it would cost to deliver the same work internally. When you factor that in, firms and collaboratives often come out ahead. It’s one of the reasons business process outsourcing to fit-for-purpose firms continues to grow.

This shift is also visible at the institutional level. Organizations like the World Bank are increasingly leaning toward firms and team-based delivery for complex assignments.

Smaller, fit-for-purpose consultancies and collaboratives can offer strong value when you look at total cost, not just rates. But heavy procurement approaches designed for large-scale contracting can unintentionally drain smaller vendors before work even begins, reducing competition and innovation.

Individual consultants have their place. But for complex work, firms and collaboratives often deliver better value overall.

The real question is not “Which is cheaper?”It is “Which delivers the best outcome for the investment?”

Sometimes the higher line item is actually the lower total cost.

11/04/2026

She shared her story. It exposed how her data was used and is helping protect other women

A pregnant woman in Ho Chi Minh City described being asked to let a company representative scan the barcode on her health record during an antenatal visit.

Days later, she received targeted promotions for commercial milk formula products.

This is not just marketing. It is the exploitation of the personal health data of pregnant women for commercial gain.

This story is drawn from published research documenting women’s experiences of commercial influence in Vietnam (Nguyen TT, Nguyen PH, Nguyen TT, et al. Exposure of mothers to marketing of breast milk substitutes in Vietnam: a qualitative study. Nutrients. 2021;13(8):2884. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082884).

Read the story by this woman and others in this paper.

From lived experience to stronger protection

This is exactly the type of practice now addressed under
Decree No. 90/2026/NĐ-CP on administrative sanctions in the health sector, effective 15 May 2026.

News about the decree: https://news.tuoitre.vn/vietnam-imposes-fines-of-up-to-760-for-advertising-breast-milk-substitutes-103260406152213996.htm

The decree strengthens penalties for the promotion of breastmilk substitutes, including direct engagement with pregnant women and mothers in health facilities.

Why this matters

The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions affirm that pregnant women and mothers must be protected from commercial influence.

Today, that influence increasingly operates through the collection and exploitation of personal data.

This is a clear example of how women’s experiences and voices expose harmful practices and shape stronger policy responses.

We congratulate the Ministry of Health and all those involved in informing and enabling this decree to be adopted and implemented in Vietnam.

It will help better protect pregnant women and mothers from exploitation.



World Health Organization (WHO) UNICEF Viet Nam - Quỹ Nhi Đồng Liên Hợp Quốc Alive & Thrive Mantis Mentor Roger Nutritionist

Disclaimer: This image is AI-generated for illustrative purposes based on a real account from published research.

08/04/2026

What many independent consultants learned the hard way in 2025, and why it matters now.

Over the past year, many independent consultants in international development got a wake-up call. When USAID funding disruptions triggered stop-work orders and delayed payments, the impact was immediate:

☑️ Work delivered but not paid on time
☑️ Contracts paused overnight
☑️ No buffer, no income continuity

This was not only a payment issue. It became a trust issue. And it exposed something deeper about how consulting is often structured.

The hidden reality

Independent consultants are often valued for flexibility. But that flexibility often means:

☑️ Carrying financial risk
☑️ Navigating complex contracts alone
☑️ Being dependent on payment processes outside your control

And contract structures make this worse. Many consultants operate under reimbursable or time-based contracts, effectively financing work upfront.

Contract structure is not a detail. It is the model.

A more balanced approach would include:

☑️ Payments triggered at contract ex*****on
☑️ Milestone-based payments linked to deliverables
☑️ Predictable funding flows

This shifts risk away from individuals and makes consulting more sustainable. It is also about how we value expertise. Too often, consultants are assessed based on:

☑️ Years of experience instead of relevance
☑️ S*x, location, or nationality instead of contribution.

A better model focuses on:

☑️ Competencies matched to the scope of work
☑️ Real value delivered
☑️ What clients are actually willing to pay for impact.

Why this moment matters.

Institutions like the World Bank are already moving toward more structured, team-based approaches. At the same time, recent disruptions showed that independent consultants are often the most exposed when things go wrong.

A different model is emerging.

This is where consulting firms can play a different role. Not just as intermediaries, but as structures that:

☑️ Combine multidisciplinary expertise
☑️ Offer flexible level-of-effort support
☑️ Create fairer contract and payment terms
☑️ Reduce administrative burden
☑️ Provide more protection for consultants

The lesson from the past year is not that independent consulting is broken. It is that risk, trust, and value are not well aligned.

The next phase will depend on models that rebalance that. That is the thinking behind what we are building at Mantis Mentor.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mantis-mentor_consulting-socialimpact-sdg-activity-7447538771593662465-Fn3K?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAJ_iuoB2yNVSkrbx5nnw0z74VtMK70FlS4

What many independent consultants learned the hard way in 2025, and why it matters now. Over the past year, many independent consultants in international development got a wake-up call. When USAID funding disruptions triggered stop-work orders and delayed payments, the impact was immediate: ☑️ W...

31/03/2026

Disinformation Is Engineered. So Must Detection and Accountability Systems.

As AI accelerates the scale and sophistication of disinformation, the work of investigative journalists has never been more critical.

A new resource from the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) highlights how the information ecosystem is changing and what it takes to keep up. Their Tech Focus project on AI and disinformation shows an important shift. The challenge is no longer just debunking individual falsehoods, but understanding the systems, incentives, and patterns that allow misleading content to spread at scale.

Journalists featured in the project are leading this evolution. They are moving from reactive fact checking to tracking coordinated narratives, documenting amplification dynamics, and exposing the infrastructures behind influence operations.

This matters because disinformation today is not accidental. It is engineered. It is amplified by algorithms optimized for engagement, monetized through opaque ecosystems, and often intertwined with hate speech and harassment.

At Mantis Mentor’s Normative AI initiative, we see this same shift across sectors.

Our AI systems are designed to detect and monitor harmful content at scale, from health misinformation to online hate. We can also identify online advice that does not adhere to evidence based recommendations and help limit potential harm.

This technology is already being applied in real world regulatory and compliance contexts.

We can support organizations to:
⚪️ Identify misleading or harmful marketing claims
⚪️ Monitor violations across digital channels in real time
⚪️ Detect promotion of products that pose public health risks
⚪️ Flag non evidence based health advice that may put people at risk

This includes areas such as:
⚪️ Commercial milk formula marketing
⚪️ Alcohol advertising
⚪️ To***co and ni****ne products

In each of these domains, the challenge reflects what journalists are facing. High volume, fast moving content, and increasingly sophisticated tactics.

Supporting investigative journalism is essential. At the same time, we must equip institutions with the tools and resources needed to protect citizens and public health at scale.

Both are critical to building a more transparent and accountable information ecosystem.

https://gijn.org/resource/tech-focus-project-investigating-ai-disinformation/

Read more about NormativeAI https://www.linkedin.com/posts/normativeai_investigating-disinformation-in-the-age-of-activity-7444677400023605248-ys1p?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAJ_iuoB2yNVSkrbx5nnw0z74VtMK70FlS4

In high-velocity information wars, investigative value lies less in disproving every falsehood than in documenting patterns, tactics, and systemic vulnerabilities.

28/03/2026

Uptake Center for Knowledge Transfer & Innovation is a global social impact collaborative managed by Mantis Mentor.

Uptake collaborates with governments, development organizations, academia, professional networks, and the private sector to turn evidence and experiences into solutions that advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our vision is a world where informed decisions and innovation foster healthier, more equitable, and resilient societies.

Our mission is to drive positive change at every level, from individuals and communities to institutions and policies, by supporting evidence-based decisions, facilitating knowledge transfer, and sparking innovation.

With an extensive global network of individual and institutional collaborators, we can engage with a wide range of stakeholders. We collaborate with knowledge producers, enablers, intermediaries, and users to support how the uptake of new knowledge moves from Awareness and Access to Absorption, Application, and Adaptation.

This collaborative approach helps ensure that knowledge is integrated into policies, institutional processes, and practices to achieve sustainable impact.

Learn more https://www.linkedin.com/company/uptakecenter/

21/03/2026

From Knowledge to Action — Sustaining What Works

The Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) Model is often presented as a process for applying evidence. In practice, its real value lies in what comes after application.

Moving from knowledge to action involves more than identifying problems, adapting evidence, and implementing strategies. It requires sustained attention to:

🟣 Monitoring how knowledge is used in real-world settings
🟣 Evaluating whether it changes decisions, behaviours, and outcomes
🟣 Identifying barriers that emerge over time
🟣 Continuously adapting approaches to remain relevant
🟣 Embedding practices into systems, routines, and institutional processes

This is where many efforts fall short. Knowledge may be introduced, but not sustained.

At Uptake, we see this phase as central to impact. Institutionalization is what enables sustainability. Sustainability is what enables continued learning.
And continued learning is what allows adaptation and scale.

This complements frameworks such as the A-Framework for Uptake and integrated implementation approaches, where progression does not end with application, but continues through adaptation, learning, and system integration.

📚 Selected references:
1. Graham ID, Logan J, Harrison MB, Straus SE, Tetroe J, Caswell W, Robinson N. Lost in knowledge translation: time for a map? J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2006;26(1):13–24.
2. Esmail R, Hanson HM, Holroyd-Leduc J, Brown S, Strifler L, Straus SE, et al. A scoping review of full-spectrum knowledge translation theories, models and frameworks. Implement Sci. 2020;15(1):11.

From Knowledge to Action — Sustaining What Works The Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) Model is often presented as a process for applying evidence. In practice, its real value lies in what comes after application. Moving from knowledge to action involves more than identifying problems, adapting evidence, ...