AI has the ability to accelerate safe innovation and change humanitarian action for the better. Yet, there is a real risk of an underfunded, overstretched humanitarian sector accelerating towards unsafe use of AI to reduce costs with serious unintended consequences for vulnerable populations.

This live discussion comes from CDAC Network's panel at Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week 2025. It brings together a number of organisations in the tech-humanitarian space who are leading on harnessing AI in a way that puts people affected by crisis at the centre of these new technological developments. They discuss what is in the pipeline and what is needed to reshape responsible innovation in humanitarian action through clear standards, practical guidance, and ethical oversight.

Chair: Helen McElhinney, Director, CDAC Network

Panel:

Aleksandra Berditchevskaia, Nesta

Sarah Spencer, SAFE AI team lead

Giulio Coppi, Access Now

Anjali Mazumder, The Alan Turing Institute

Michael Tjalve, Humanitarian Al Advisory

For more information about the SAFE AI project or CDAC's other panels at HNPW, please visit the website.