Humanitarian AI Today

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

In this flashpod, Erica Gralla, an Associate Professor at George Washington University , shares news about a new project seeking to understand the impact of recent aid funding cuts on the humanitarian and development system. The study specifically looks at how major funding cuts to U.S. aid programs in 2025 are affecting the sector. She calls on listeners who work in aid or development to participate in the study by taking a "global pulse survey".

This project brings together three professors from the fields of engineering, policy, and international relations. Their goal is to understand how the funding cuts are affecting relationships, coordination, information sharing, and supply chains across organizations. By tracking how the aid ecosystem is adapting, the team hopes to capture lessons from this challenging period and help the humanitarian community chart a path forward. Erica and Humanitarian AI Today producer, Brent Phillips, discuss the survey in detail, how people can get involved, what the research team expects to learn, and the project's next steps.

Survey Link: http://go.gwu.edu/AidTrack

Substack Notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/erica-gralla-from-george-washington

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

In this flashpod, Rich Woods, Global Fundraising Lead with Tech To The Rescue, joins Brent Phillips, Humanitarian AI Today Producer, to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on fundraising and how Tech To The Rescue is adapting and leveraging AI while prioritizing authentic human interaction with grantmakers.

They discuss Tech To The Rescue’s mission and evolution and speak in depth about how AI is challenging fundraisers. Rich emphasizes that while AI allows fundraisers to conduct deep research and personalize outreach on a massive scale, there is a significant risk of losing authenticity. Prospecting can generate vast amounts of information quickly, but the fundraiser may lack a genuine connection to the data. He stresses the importance of taking the time to "live" the research to ensure communications remain human-to-human.

Looking toward systemic changes, Rich shares his hope that AI can help reform the fundraising process, which he calls a long-broken and resource-heavy system for nonprofits. Peering further into the future, Rich envisions AI applications acting as matchmakers, connecting funders and organizations with shared interests to facilitate open, valuable conversations and partnerships.

Substack notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/rich-woods-from-tech-to-the-rescue

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

In this podcast episode, Bill Greer, Co-founder of Common Space joins Senior Geospatial Data Scientist, Gijs van den Dool to discuss Common Space’s work focusing on building open-licensed, freely accessible, high-resolution earth observation satellites dedicated to humanitarian aid. They discuss the project from technical vantage points and address core problems that Common Space aims to solve. They touch on the accessibility of satellites and data for use by humanitarian organizations and how aid funding cuts, structural changes in the commercial imagery market, limited observational capacity and competition combined with the critical need for the humanitarian community to avoid overreliance on third-parties for critical services, necessitate the development of initiatives like Common Space. Brent Phillips who produces the Humanitarian AI Today podcast incorporates a new question into the mini-series, asking Bill: If you were standing in front of a bold transformative philanthropist like MacKenzie Scott, what would be your argument for funding Common Space? Bill’s answer outlines the importance of providing the humanitarian community with guaranteed access to satellite imagery.

Substack notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/bill-greer-from-common-space-on-building

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

In this flashpod, Shannon Farley, Co-founder and Executive Director of Fast Forward joins Eric Talbert, Co-founder of MedCycle Network to discuss Fast Forward’s 2025 AI for Humanity Report, which is a roadmap for harnessing AI for impact written by Fast Forward with support from Google.org.

For over a decade, Fast Forward has supported social good initiatives, evolving with technology to become an important and direct accelerator of AI adoption in the social sector. Drawing upon its experience, the 2025 AI for Humanity report shows how nonprofits are using AI to transform lives and offers a roadmap for how to build on these successes responsibly. However, while AI has been able to create incredible efficiencies and opportunities, it also comes with new costs. The report reveals that a lack of funding is the most common obstacle for nonprofits, often preventing them from hiring the specialized tech experts they need to move uses of AI forward. Shannon emphasizes that philanthropy can directly address this gap. Even modest budget increases allow nonprofits to dramatically expand their reach, meaning an investment in a nonprofit's AI talent and infrastructure is a direct investment in scaling social impact.

Substack Notes: https://open.substack.com/pub/humanitarianaitoday/p/shannon-farley-on-fast-forwards-2025?r=e9cbk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

In this episode, Philippe Stoll, Senior "Techplomacy" Delegate with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), joins Humanitarian AI Today host Brent Phillips to discuss the complex issues that digital technologies create for humanitarian organizations and for people affected by conflict from an IT perspective.

They discuss the growing pressure on organizations to experiment with AI, highlighting the significant backend IT effort required to safely deploy and maintain these systems. This deployment introduces new operational and security risks, demanding a highly cautious and ethical "do-no-harm" approach to protect vulnerable populations. Stoll also explains how the ICRC collaborates with academia to help evaluate new applications and find solutions to complex problems. Philippe closes with a call for greater cross-disciplinary collaboration, urging experts from humanitarian, academic, and technology sectors to engage with one another to better understand each other's perspectives.

Notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/philippe-stoll-on-ai-techplomacy

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

In this flashpod, Eric Talbert, Co-founder of MedCycle Network joins Humanitarian AI Today host Brent Phillips to discuss Eric’s background in human rights, supply and logistics, MedCycle’s work, their partnership with the Hellman Foundation and ways MedCycle is experimenting with artificial intelligence.

MedCycle Network facilitates the collection of donated, high-quality surplus medical supplies and equipment so they can be distributed to local safety net clinics. Eric and Brent discuss challenges that organizations like MedCycle and similar organizations like MedShare and Partners for World Health share around working with hospitals and companies to prevent medical supplies from being discarded that could otherwise be donated to needy healthcare providers struggling to care for their communities. They talk how AI-powered decentralized surplus supplies ecosystems can impact and inform choices made around the trash barrel in real-time, to redirect usable supplies to clinics in need on an item-by-item basis.

Substack Notes: https://open.substack.com/pub/humanitarianaitoday/p/eric-talbert-from-medcycle-networks?r=e9cbk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

On this Voices flashpod, Perry Hewitt, Chief Strategy Officer at Data.org joins Humanitarian AI Today podcast host Brent Phillips to discuss Data.org’s role in supporting the social impact community’s transition into digital and its transition now into data and AI, and Data.org’s new report ‘Accelerate What’s Possible’ - a roadmap for how data and AI can be used innovatively and intentionally to drive social impact. They also touch on Data.org’s Activate AI: Economic Opportunity Challenge, their partnership with Zoom and the next Accelerate conference taking place in June 2026 in Bogotá, Colombia on the Javeriana University campus.

Notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/perry-hewitt-from-dataorg-on-accelerating

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

In this Voices flashpod, Pam Boiros, a Founding Member of Women Applying AI speaks with Sandra Uwantege Hart, a Strategist focusing on Inclusive Innovation and Humanitarian Action from PoliSync, and Brent Phillips, Humanitarian AI Today podcast producer, about the launch of Women Applying AI, a free membership-driven community bringing more women into the field of Artificial Intelligence at all levels of experience. They touch on how AI can empower women, particularly non-technical female founders who can use AI to tackle business, life or world problems. They discuss the AI gender gap, the need for supportive initiatives and mentors for women, and the ways AI can empower female innovators. They also discuss Boston AI Week and touch on MIT’s project NANDA.

Notes: https://open.substack.com/pub/humanitarianaitoday/p/pam-boiros-on-women-advancing-ai?r=e9cbk&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Voices is a new mini-series from Humanitarian AI Today. In daily five-minute flashpods we pass the mic to innovators, researchers and practitioners on the humanitarian front lines, delivering real-time news on how they are building, testing and collaborating on uses of artificial intelligence.

In this Voices flashpod, Technology Strategist Sandra Uwantege Hart from PoliSync joins Humanitarian AI Today podcast host Brent Phillips to explore inclusive uses of emerging technologies like AI in humanitarian action.

Their conversation covers PoliSync’s work bringing technical experts together to explore emerging issues in humanitarian aid, the use of AI to empower local organizations and startups, and the broader convergence of technologies we’re seeing today. Recorded against the backdrop of the UN General Assembly, they also examine the state of the humanitarian sector and the pressure on large international agencies to innovate for greater efficiency. Sandra closes the discussion with a call for improving digital access and literacy to help people help themselves, warning that old practices could perpetuate inequality if the sector doesn't engage correctly with new technology.

Notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/sandra-hart-from-polisync-on-engaging

Voices is a new series of bite-sized interviews produced by Humanitarian AI Today. Every day we pass the mic to a new voice from the humanitarian AI community to hear about new projects, research and advancements shaping our field.

In this pilot episode of Voices, Suzy Madigan speaks with the podcast's producer about her new work supporting the CDAC Network (Communicating with Disaster-Affected Communities). Against the backdrop of the UN General Assembly, they also discuss how aid cuts and competition for funds are driving aid agencies to seek out AI ‘efficiencies’, creating new risks for humanitarian organizations and communities unless effective safeguards are put in place.

The Machine Race: https://themachinerace.substack.com/

Episode notes: https://humanitarianaitoday.substack.com/p/suzy-madigan-on-ai-aid-reform