TLDR: A research institute under the United Nations has developed two artificial intelligence-powered avatars, Amina and Abdalla, designed to educate the public about the complexities of refugee life and conflict situations. This initiative aims to foster understanding and potentially aid in humanitarian efforts and conflict resolution.
The United Nations University Center for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), a research institution affiliated with the United Nations, has launched an innovative project featuring two AI-powered avatars to shed light on the realities faced by refugees and those involved in conflict. This initiative, which emerged from an ‘AI for Conflict Prevention’ class taught by Professor Eduardo Albrecht of Columbia University and senior fellow at UNU-CPR, seeks to engage the public and provide unique insights into humanitarian crises.
The project introduces two distinct AI personas: Amina and Abdalla. Amina is depicted as a fictional Sudanese woman residing in a refugee camp in Chad, having fled violence in her hometown of Al Junaynah in Sudan in June 2023. Her narrative is designed to convey the challenges and resilience of individuals displaced by conflict, aiming to create an accurate digital representation of a refugee’s experience. Users can engage in conversations with Amina through an online platform, learning about her journey and daily struggles in the camp. For instance, Amina shares, ‘It’s tough here in the camp, but we’re staying strong.’
The second avatar, Abdalla, simulates the behavior and decision-making patterns of a combatant leader within the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group active in Sudan. This persona is intended to offer negotiators and mediators a potential tool for training in high-stakes negotiations. When questioned about the RSF’s actions, Abdalla acknowledges, ‘The RSF has faced serious allegations of committing atrocities and acts of genocide, particularly in Darfur, including systematic killings, mass rapes, and forced displacement of specific ethnic groups.’ This aspect of the project aims to provide a nuanced understanding of conflict dynamics from a different perspective.
Eleanore Fournier-Tombs, a data scientist leading an AI policy research lab at UNU-CPR, noted that the idea was to provide independent academic research to the UN. While the project’s website encountered some technical difficulties with its registration feature, the avatars are currently accessible for three-minute conversations, allowing users to interact directly with these AI personas.
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Eduardo Albrecht emphasized that this initiative is an exploratory exercise, stating that he and his students were ‘just playing around with the concept,’ and it should not be seen as a definitive solution for the United Nations. However, a paper summarizing the project’s findings suggests potential applications, particularly in leveraging emotional narratives to persuade donors regarding refugee issues. The project also acknowledges the potential for controversy, given the UN’s own concerns about the dehumanization of refugees, by using an ‘inhuman technology’ to help people understand human suffering.
