These AI avatars can help you learn about refugee problems
What's the story
The United Nations University Center for Policy Research has developed two artificial intelligence (AI) avatars, Amina and Abdalla, as part of an experiment to explore the use of AI in discussing refugee issues. Eduardo Albrecht, a Columbia University professor and senior fellow at UNU-CPR, was involved in the project. Amina is a fictional woman who fled Sudan and now resides in a refugee camp in Chad, while Abdalla is a soldier with Sudan's Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.
Purpose
How to interact with these avatars
The AI avatars were created as part of an experiment to explore their potential in discussing refugee issues. Users can interact with Amina and Abdalla on the experiment's website. However, as per 404 Media's report, there were some technical difficulties in accessing this feature over the weekend. Albrecht clarified that they were "just playing around with the concept" and not proposing it as a solution for the UN.
Result
Many participants had negative responses
A paper summarizing this project suggested that these AI avatars could be used "to quickly make a case to donors." However, it also noted that many workshop participants who interacted with the agents had negative responses. Some even said refugees "are very capable of speaking for themselves in real life." This highlights the mixed reception and potential challenges of using AI avatars in such sensitive contexts.