PyCon DE & PyData 2025

Rahkakavee Baskaran

Rahkakavee Baskaran studied Political Science and Social and Economic Data Science at the University of Konstanz. At &effect, she works as a Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, and Backend Developer, with over four years of experience in Natural Language Processing (NLP).
Her work focuses on leveraging data science and software development to create social impact, particularly in projects related to social sciences and the public sector.


LinkedIn

https://de.linkedin.com/in/rahkakavee-baskaran-b88b00184


Session

04-25
15:35
30min
Building an Open Source RAG System for the United Nations Negotiations on Global Plastic Pollution
Rahkakavee Baskaran, Teresa Kroesen

Plastic pollution is a significant global challenge. Every year, millions of tons of plastic enter the oceans, impacting marine ecosystems and human health. To address this issue, the United Nations is negotiating a legally binding treaty with representatives from 180 countries, aiming to reduce plastic pollution and promote sustainable practices.

We have developed NegotiateAI, an open-source chat application that supports delegations during the UN negotiations on a legally binding agreement to combat plastic pollution. The tool demonstrates how generative AI and Retrieval Augmented Systems (RAG) can address complex global challenges. Built with Haystack 2.0, Qdrant, HuggingFace Spaces, and Streamlit, it showcases the potential of open-source technologies in tackling issues of global relevance.

As a beginner or advanced developer, this talk will give you valuable insights into developing impactful AI applications with open source tools in the public sector.

PyData: Natural Language Processing & Audio (incl. Generative AI NLP)
Platinum3