Humanitarian aid turns to AI as crises outpace capacity

Ideas Humanitarian aid turns to AI as crises outpace capacity Purpose-designed AI agents with a focus on safety can provide critical assistance to vulnerable populations. By Andre Heller Andre Heller is the director of Signpost at the International Rescue Committee. 28 April 2026 Signpost Signpost By Andre Heller 28 April 2026 Ideas Humanitarian aid turns to AI as crises outpace capacity By Andre Heller > Ideas Arguments, opinions and essays from a global perspective. As rising conflict and forced displacement drive unprecedented humanitarian needs, adoption of artificial intelligence in humanitarian work has the potential to scale services for some of the most vulnerable populations in the world. Since 2015, Signpost — a program founded by the International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps, which creates digital help centers to aid people affected by conflict, disasters, poverty, and violence — has provided verified, localized information to more than 20 million people in 30 countries. Through websites, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other widely used platforms, it answers questions about aid access, health services, legal rights, and documentation, and connects users to human caseworkers when needed. As demand for services grew, so did the volume of questions. Staff were inundated with repetitive but urgent requests: Where do I register? What documents do I need? Where can I find shelter? Early AI pilots improved productivity by helping staff draft responses and categorize inquiries. But the systems required careful human review. We work in environments where mistakes have real consequences, and “move fast and break things” is not an option. The goal is not to replace human judgment, but to reserve it for complex or sensitive cases.” Instead of deploying generic chatbots, we began building purpose-designed AI agents with clear boundaries. These agents are trained on vetted, localized information and have defined escalation pathways to human staff. We test and evaluate extensively before launching any system. In the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Uzma lost access to food assistance after her name was dropped from a data card. For months, she and her young son survived by borrowing from neighbors, unsure where to turn. Desperate for help, Uzma was referred to InfoSheba, a Bangladeshi version of Signpost. InfoSheba quickly investigated and escalated her case to a case manager; by the end of the day, the case management team got the data office to confirm that her name had been reinstated, ensuring she would receive food rations again. This is what effective information can do in a humanitarian crisis: connect people to the systems that determine whether they receive help. The goal is not to replace human judgment, but to reserve it for complex or sensitive cases. Over time, Signpost has become more than an information service. It has become a teachable foundation for how we apply AI for humanitarian good, combining trusted data, user-centered design, and deep domain expertise to reach people with the right information, in the right way. A Nigerian refugee navigates the Signpost program on his smartphone to find scholarships. © International Rescue Committee Singpost In northeastern Nigeria, Yagana, a primary school teacher, relies on WhatsApp. Some of her nearly 100 students are displaced, textbooks are scarce. Many are years behind in literacy and numeracy after repeated disruptions caused by conflict, and keeping them…

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