Paper details

Paper authors	Prithvi Hirani
In panel on	Towards responsible use of AI and geospatial data in preparedness and response to natural hazards and complex emergencies
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

The humanitarian sector is not separate nor immune to the digitisation and datafication witnessed in recent years. That said, increasing datafication poses unprecedented protection risks and ethical questions, which the humanitarian sector must address. While datafication in the sector has improved efficiencies and made decision-making processes more transparent, it also raises questions of applications of technologies in nascent stages to highly vulnerable contexts. Ultimately, the drive to responsibly innovate to improve the efficacy of humanitarian aid has never been more pressing but must also be approached responsibly. How can the sector both utilise innovative and effective tools, while balancing the unique vulnerabilities of the humanitarian space? This paper offers an introduction to the Humanitarian Data Science and Ethics Group (DSEG), a practitioner-led group that works on operationalising responsible, ethical and innovative data science. DSEG’s Decision Tree is a series of ethical challenges for considerations for humanitarian practitioners to examine and assess the possible risks associated with humanitarian innovation projects. Drawing from a recent ‘Collective Intelligence’ experiment in Iraq with returnees, this paper foregrounds the process, challenge and lessons learned for improving accountability and feedback using technology.

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