Paper details

Paper authors	Ruben De Winne
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

AI for the humanitarian sector – broadly the theme of this panel – sits in the larger realm of the AI for social good (AI4SG) movement. The AI4SG movement is a movement in the true sense of the word: there is no coordinating entity at the top or a governing body, neither does it have a clear starting point or any constitutional act. The members of the movement do not even move harmoniously in the same direction. The AI4SG movement is rather a multi-faceted plethora of initiatives & collaborations. These have in common that they are at least trying to apply AI/ML technology for ‘for good’ purposes often explicitly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals. This paper wants to situate ‘AI for the humanitarian sector’ in the larger AI for social good movement, while presenting some of the main challenges that the AI4SG movement is facing. These challenges include data accessibility, a lack of technological skills within social good organizations, practical implementation challenges which are partly due to a lack of long-term collaborations, and – last but not least – a modest real-world impact of many social good initiatives so far. Such challenges may soon bring the movement to taking a look in the mirror, and try to collectively converge into a direction of more efficiency and scalability, so as to get the wind in its sails.

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