The article from UNHCR Innovation describes how artificial intelligence (AI) is being integrated into community‑based protection efforts — aiming to help vulnerable and displaced communities get access to timely support, better information and more responsive humanitarian services. At its core, the approach combines local community engagement with AI-driven data analysis to improve protection and service delivery in crisis‑affected or refugee settings. (source: article)
One key application highlighted is how AI helps process and analyse large amounts of community feedback — from interviews, focus‑group discussions, and unstructured text or voice data. For example, in one pilot case, information from hundreds of hours of community consultations was turned into thousands of pages of transcripts; AI tools enabled the team to quickly sift through this data, extract core concerns and themes, and surface actionable insights far faster than manual review could. As a result, community‑needs assessments that previously took months can now be completed in a fraction of the time.
Beyond data processing, AI is also being used to support information access and rights awareness for refugees and displaced people. Through AI‑supported virtual assistants and chatbots, UNHCR aims to provide reliable, multilingual information about legal rights, access to services, documentation procedures, or assistance programs — helping communities that might otherwise face barriers due to language, mobility, or lack of information.
At the same time, UNHCR emphasises that AI must be used in a human‑centred, rights‑based, and accountable way. Their AI framework calls for ethical safeguards, inclusive design (involving affected communities in planning and deployment), protection from bias or misuse, and transparency. The goal is not to replace human judgement or direct support, but to augment the capacity of humanitarian organizations — making aid more efficient, responsive and scalable — while preserving trust, dignity and community agency.
