Using AI for good: UN Refugee Agency shares innovative practices
International
During a recent keynote lecture at the European Christian Internet Conference in Geneva, Hovig Etyemezian, head of Innovation Service at the UN Refugee Agency, shared ways that artificial intelligence can be harnessed for good
During a keynote lecture on 10 September at the European Christian Internet Conference in Geneva, Hovig Etyemezian, head of Innovation Service at the UN Refugee Agency, shared ways that artificial intelligence can be harnessed for good.
His talk, “Ethical and practical issues in the use of AI from UNHCR’s perspective,” began by describing how UNHCR views AI itself.
“We are very agnostic about technology. Technology is a tool, and in themselves, they are neither good nor bad— the issue that we at UNHCR are concerned about is whether the user intends to use technology to do good or harm,” he said.
Etyemezian noted that even before the advancement of AI, simpler technologies could be used in both good and bad ways, citing the use of radio as a tool to incite genocide in Rwanda as an example.
“People’s access to information then was through the radio,” he said. “radio was the tool that was used to spread (mis)information.”
The Innovation Service, which has been in place at the UN Refugee Agency since 2012, sees three main uses of artificial intelligence: better preparation for emergencies, better understanding of needs, and improved services to refugees.
Etyemezian shared examples of projects that fall under each of these categories.
First, AI helps the UN Refugee Agency predict population movements. “This work has started in 2016,” Etyemezian explained. “AI at the time is not the same as AI now. We can use AI to alert populations to natural disasters.”
The second category is using AI to understand refugee needs better. UNCHR uses AI systems to study refugees’ legal cases. “We have a global database of information that colleagues can pose questions to, and that improves efficiency and the flow of information,” said Etyemezian, who cited using AI to combat misinformation in a digital space.
“A lot is happening in the digital space. We are all aware of the impact of misinformation,” he said. “We have seen how fake news and misinformation have been used against refugees. Spreading misinformation is easy; countering it is much more difficult.”
The third component that Etyemezian spoke about was improving services to refugees.
He recalled that years ago, when refugee camps, he shared his WhatsApp number with thousands of people, and it was difficult to keep these connections secure.
The UN Refugee Agency now uses , in many operations third part messaging app as a official tools to communicate securely with those forcibly displaced.
“We can interact with 20,000 or more refugees online—and we use it safely,” he said. “Often people ask similar questions, but you don’t have unlimited staff. We now use chatbots to answer frequently asked questions.”
The European Christian Internet Conference (ECIC) is convening at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey under the theme “What is truth? Ethical and Practical Issues in the use of Artificial Intelligence,” drawing an array of speakers with diverse insights on a rapidly-changing world.
Conference on artificial intelligence opens with profound question: “What is truth?” (WCC news release, 10 September 2024)
Photo gallery: European Christian Internet Conference in Bossey (2024)
Learn more about the Innovation Service at the UN Refugee Agency
Learn more about the work of WCC on migration and multicultural ministry
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