AI agents in humanitarian action: exploring new frontiers

In an increasingly complex global landscape, we face unprecedented challenges requiring innovative solutions. This hybrid workshop introduces participants to the emerging field of AI agents – sophisticated digital replicas that can simulate human perspectives and behaviors. It does so through three key use cases:

• Agent-based surveys that enable rapid data collection in high-risk environments
• Diplomatic simulations with realistic stakeholder replicas for enhanced negotiation preparation
• Community dialogue simulations that surface diverse perspectives and facilitate policy testing.

Through the case study report, "Ask Amina" and "Ask Abdalla" – experimental agents representing a refugee in Chad and a combatant in Sudan – participants will gain insights into how these technologies might transform field operations while navigating complex ethical terrain. The workshop will address critical questions about representation, power dynamics and data rights. Participants will:

• Understand the technical foundations of agents and their potential applications
• Participate in interactive demonstrations exploring agent capabilities
• Engage in discussions about ethical implementation
• Discuss frameworks for transparent, accountable, and inclusive adoption
• Network with peers navigating similar technological frontiers.

As international organizations seek innovative approaches to complex challenges, this workshop offers a timely exploration of AI agents as potential tools for amplifying marginalized voices, enhancing operational effectiveness and improving decision-making in humanitarian contexts.

This a hybrid event. In person space is limited. Register today to secure your place in this important conversation about the future of humanitarian technology.

Speakers will engage in critical examination of the technologies under discussion. Their participation should not be interpreted as endorsement of these technologies, but rather as contributing to a scholarly discourse that evaluates potential implications, limitations, and considerations from multiple perspectives that are essential for responsible advancement in the field.

Speakers:

• Eduardo Albrecht | Senior Fellow, UNU-CPR
• Eleonore Fournier-Tombs | Head of Anticipatory Action and Innovation, UNU-CPR
• Liselott Hitz | Humanitarian professional, formerly Doctors Without Borders and Hand in Hand International
• Joseph Aylett-Bullock | Data Scientist and Researcher, United Nations Department of Peace Operations
• Col. Matt Dawson | Army War College Fellow, Saltzman Institute of War & Peace Studies, Columbia University
• Shouryadipta Sarkar | Data Product Manager at United Nations Development Programme
• Sun-joo Lee | Data Science Specialist at United Nations Development Programme
• Vanessa Stair | Partnerships Manager, Government and Social Impact at Meta; formerly Doctors Without Borders