The Hero Awards has introduced a new protocol that enables everyday individuals to develop credible action plans for all 169 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal targets using a guided workflow combining multiple AI systems. According to CIO John Toomey, the system allows participants to produce outsized impact in approximately three hours by harnessing complementary AI strengths to convert SDG targets into practical solutions.
Since 2019, The Hero Awards has recognized progress toward the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but with the rise of generative AI, the organization developed a methodology to make heroism practical and predictable. Education Director Amy Chang explained that outputs include a GPT listed on OpenAI's GPT store, a continuously refreshed Innovation Engine built with Google's NotebookLM, and starting in 2026, a collaboration tool based in Microsoft Loop. These create 169 solution-evolvers that keep generating new approaches alongside human judgment.
"There hasn't been an obvious route for everyday 'heroes' to earn recognition for sustained work on planetary challenges," said Sustainability Director Savithri Patel. The process blends human judgment with AI, moving ideas across multiple models to make them more grounded and practical while reducing vulnerabilities to hallucinations. Patel described this as helping participants "Be the Singularity"—epitomizing when AI begins to outperform human intelligence.
The workflow begins by priming each AI system with tested prompts to maintain focus on actionable solutions. Each model then extends and refines prior work, adding specificity and verification. The current highest-performing sequence includes Meta.ai, Claude, CodeCopilot.microsoft.com, Gemini.google.com v.3, Perplexity.ai, Deepseek.com, and ChatGPT (v.5.2). One SDG target progresses through all seven systems, with each strengthening and stress-testing the plan.
Completed solutions are archived on The Hero Awards' Academia.edu page for review and improvement. Winners receive recognition across the organization's channels and gain the ability to confer the honor upon others who complete the protocol. The organization maintains multiple platforms for engagement, including theheroaward.substack.com and theheroaward.net.
The workflow develops participants alongside improving deliverables. "Each AI has its own 'personality,' with different strengths and blind spots," Patel noted. Iterating across all seven models accelerates participants' analytical and creative abilities. In a 2022 preliminary project, the organization found that for every 100 completed procedures, 29 participants produced content gaining traditional media traction, 14 were quoted in academic or professional journals, 7 launched NGOs connected to their chosen Target, and 5 founded startups. The largest source of new participants in 2025 was Substack creators.
"We see this as a way to democratize planetary stewardship and human flourishing," Chang added. The work uses familiar AI tools to help people develop a global mindset that makes change feel achievable and personally meaningful. The initiative connects to broader frameworks, including the UN Global Indicator Framework, providing measurable standards for sustainability progress.
