Jeannie Annan, Chief Research and Innovation Officer at the International Rescue Committee, argues in an October 2, 2026 op-ed that humanitarian organizations should actively adopt AI rather than remain skeptical of it, citing record displacement and funding cuts as reasons for urgency. She points to IRC programs such as Signpost, a digital information service that has reached 20 million displaced people, and aprendIA, a WhatsApp-based AI mentor for educators in Nigeria projected to reach 6.9 million children by 2028. Annan also cites AI-assisted satellite imagery for locating unvaccinated children and automated data capture for malnutrition treatment as examples of rigorously tested, human-overseen AI applications in crisis response.
