“It was a Close Protection Officer...who heard me. Had I not decided to knock exactly at that point in time, they would have repaired the backhoe [and] started to dig. They would’ve destabilised the area over which I was lying and I would not be sitting here today.”

It’s been over ten years since Senior Civil Affairs Officer, Jens Kristensen found himself trapped in the earthquake that hit Haiti’s Hotel Christopher. Jens recounts his harrowing experience of being confined in a dark coffin-like space for five days with no water or drink, not knowing when, or if, he would be rescued. He also explains his remarkable decision to return to work after just two days following the rescue knowing that “mentally and physically I was capable and still able to help.” 

“It was a terrible, terrible disaster for the UN. For Haiti. For the world...I think that finding me as a survivor gave people hope. It was a light in the darkness. People were there. People were cheering. It was a new birthday.”

S3-Episode 22: Light in the Darkness - Jens Kristensen (Haiti)

As the world faces simultaneous disasters and burgeoning risks, humanitarian actors need to develop more efficient ways of delivering aid to vulnerable populations. One current trend involves the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to process large amounts of data quickly to inform – and even autonomously undertake – decision-making processes. While these processes have the potential to facilitate faster and better anticipatory humanitarian action, they can pose unforeseen challenges if left unregulated and unchecked.

In this post, Christopher Chen, Associate Research Fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, explores the promise and perils of using artificial intelligence and machine learning in the context of anticipatory humanitarian action. Building on insights gleaned from a data governance and protection workshop co-hosted by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the ICRC, he highlights some of the implications of the use of new technologies in humanitarian action and how the principle of ‘do no harm’ can be applied in a digital age.

The future is now: artificial intelligence and anticipatory humanitarian action

Joanna van der Merwe, a Defense Tech Fellow from The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) speaks with Sarah Spencer about the war and escalating humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, hybrid warfare and the challenges and threats humanitarian actors face in the age of AI.

Joanna van der Merwe from The Center for European Policy Analysis

Over the past decade, discussions surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) in the military domain have largely focused on autonomous weapon systems. This is partially due to the ongoing debates of the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. While autonomous weapon systems are indeed a pressing concern, the critical reality is that AI is hastily deployed to gather intelligence and, even more worrisome, to support militaries to select and engage targets.

As AI-based decision support systems (AI DSS) are increasingly used in contemporary battlefields, Jimena Sofía Viveros Álvarez, member of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Advisory Body on AI, REAIM Commissioner and OECD.AI Expert, advocates against the reliance on these technologies in supporting the target identification, selection and engagement cycle as their risks and inefficacies are a permanent fact which cannot be ignored, for they actually risk exacerbating civilian suffering.

The risks and inefficacies of AI systems in military targeting support

Members of armed forces receive international humanitarian law (IHL) training as a matter of course, but they are not the only actors who must apply this body of law; lawyers within governments, international organizations, and NGOs all have roles in this regard. Did they have the opportunity to study IHL? And contemporary armed conflicts have made IHL compliance an issue on university campuses around the world. But do students have access to IHL courses?

In this post, international law professor Marina Sharpe answers these questions in relation to Canadian law schools, finding that while IHL is not widely offered, student interest in the subject is strong. 

If you teach it, they’ll enroll: IHL education in Canadian law schools

Welcome to the first episode of ITU Tech Monthly, brought to you by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Agency for Digital Technologies. In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of quantum technology and explore its potential to revolutionize our lives.

Join host Maximillian Jacobson-Gonzalez and special guest Gillian Makamara from ITU as they discuss:

- The basics of quantum technology and its core principles like superposition and entanglement.
- The significance of the International Year of Quantum Science in 2025.
- The parallels between the evolution of AI and quantum technology.
- The role of ITU in setting standards for quantum communications.
- Real-world applications of quantum technology in fields like healthcare and communications.
- The challenges and opportunities in making quantum technology accessible and inclusive.

Don't miss this insightful conversation on how quantum technology can shape a better future for all. Subscribe to ITU Tech Monthly for more exciting discussions on the latest technological advancements!

🔗 Visit our website: www.itu.int 

📅 AI for Good Summit: July 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland

#QuantumTechnology #TechPodcast #ITU #Innovation #DigitalFuture #AIforGood #QuantumComputing #TechMonthly #Podcast

ITU Tech Monthly | Advancing Quantum Technology for Good

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to humanitarian experts and technology pioneers, to hear about new projects, events, and perspectives on topics of importance to the humanitarian community.

In this flashpod, Lindsey Moore, Founder and CEO of DevelopMetrics, joins Humanitarian AI Today producer Brent Phillips to talk about agentic AI and bold new funding initiatives like Humanity AI. According to Humanity AI’s website, the coalition is co-chaired by Omidyar Network and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Its founding members include the Doris Duke Foundation, Ford Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Kapor Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Siegel Family Endowment, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Over five-years, the coalition plans to dedicate $500M towards making sure people and communities beyond Silicon Valley have a stake in the future of artificial intelligence establishing an AI future where people and communities can flourish.

Lindsey Moore offers a grounded perspective on the current state of AI in the humanitarian sector. She observes that despite industry buzz, most organizations are not yet experimenting with agentic AI. Instead, they are focusing on more foundational challenges, such as organizing their data and building domain-specific large language models that can grasp the unique context and terminology of their work. Discussing the Humanity AI initiative, Lindsey and Brent express hope that such bold new funding can, with an informed understanding of the sector, help offset the destructive impact of recent aid funding cuts. These cuts disrupted foundational AI capacity-building that was being carried out by established organizations with deep domain experience, destroying numerous projects and dismantling teams behind them. They make a compelling case for funders to reinvest in these organizations and their important work to prevent hard-won gains from being lost and to scale their forward momentum.

The conversation serves as a call to action, emphasizing that for initiatives like Humanity AI to be truly transformative, they must go beyond traditional philanthropy. This means proactively identifying and engaging with the humanitarian community's own AI leaders, reforming conventional cyclic grant solicitation and grant-making processes that too often overlook real sector innovators and builders, and boldly forming new partnerships that make them accessible and open to input, rather than insulated behind institutional firewalls.

Substack notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/lindsey-moore-from-developmetrics


Lindsey Moore on Agentic AI, Transformative Philanthropy and Investing in Humanitarian AI

When first ever World Humanitarian Summit got underway, one of the world’s most respected humanitarian organizations wasn't there. Doctors Without Borders decided to pull out.  The organization acknowledged that the gathering has “never been more needed,” but also noted that shocking violations of international humanitarian law and refugee rights continue daily. They say the summit has become a “fig leaf of good intentions." We speak to Sandrine Tiller from Doctors Without Borders UK.

Doctors Without Borders Explains Decision to Pull Out of World Humanitarian Summit

Humanitarian AI Today's host Mia Kossiavelou speaks with Kate Dodgson and Robert Trigwell about the Humanitarian Data Science and Ethics Group and DSEG’s new Framework for the Ethical Use of Advanced Data Science Methods in the Humanitarian Sector. Kate is a consultant with the Data Science Initiative in the Hague and Rob is an Analytical, Knowledge and Output (AKO) Unit Lead at the United Nations International Organization for Migration.

Robert Trigwell from IOM and Kate Dodgson from the Data Science Initiative

Humanitarian AI Today's host Mia Kossiavelou speaks with Sarah Spencer, an independent consultant and Civil Servant with the UK Department for International Development, specializing in social development, conflict related programing and providing guidance on incorporating frontier technologies, AI and machine learning into existing and planned humanitarian programming.

Sarah Spencer, Independent Consultant and DFID Civil Servant

Humanitarian AI Today is the leading AI for Good podcast series focusing on humanitarian applications of artificial intelligence. We interview leaders, developers and innovators advancing humanitarian applications of AI from across the tech and humanitarian communities. The series is produced by the Humanitarian AI meetup.com community, linking local groups in Cambridge, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Toronto, Montreal, London, Paris, Berlin, Oslo, Geneva, Zurich, Bangalore, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.

Lindsey Moore on Agentic AI, Transformative Philanthropy and Investing in Humanitarian AI

Humanitarian AI Today

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