Shaping humanitarian AI: why every voice counts

Ka Man Parkinson is joined by Lucy Hall from the Humanitarian Leadership Academy and Madigan Johnson from Data Friendly Space to discuss a landmark joint survey on AI adoption in the humanitarian sector.

Together, they explore how artificial intelligence is currently being used, what future potential it holds, and why this research is so vital. No matter where you are in the humanitarian eco-system - whether you're an early adopter or new to AI - your voice is essential in shaping how it supports humanitarian work.

Tune in to learn more about this first-of-its-kind study and how your input through the survey can help map current practice and guide the sector’s responsible and effective use of AI in the future.

Take the survey by 20 June 2025.

Visit the episode webpage for speaker bios and links to the resources highlighted during this conversation.

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The views and opinions expressed in our podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of their organisations.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 8:37 Research origin story
• 13:00 What do we currently know about AI adoption across the humanitarian sector?
• 29:41 Why non-experts belong in the AI conversation
• 37:33 Join us on our AI research mission
• 40:36 Closing reflections and useful AI resources