Ideas
Purpose-designed AI agents with a focus on safety can provide critical assistance to vulnerable populations.
Andre Heller is the director of Signpost at the International Rescue Committee.
As rising conflict and forced displacement drive unprecedented humanitarian needs, adoption of artificial intelligence in humanitarian work has the potential to scale services for some of the most vulnerable populations in the world.
Since 2015, Signpost — a program founded by the International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps, which creates digital help centers to aid people affected by conflict, disasters, poverty, and violence — has provided verified, localized information to more than 20 million people in 30 countries. Through websites, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other widely used platforms, it answers questions about aid access, health services, legal rights, and documentation, and connects users to human caseworkers when needed.
