SAFE AI initiative: As a humanitarian partnership consisting of CDAC Network, The Alan Turing Institute, and Humanitarian AI Advisory, we’ve launched the SAFE AI (Standards and Assurance Framework for Ethical Artificial Intelligence) initiative to develop a foundational framework for enabling responsible AI in humanitarian action amid growing concerns over unregulated AI use in humanitarian response. Learn more here.

AI in Humanitarian Action: As the humanitarian sector is starting to engage more purposefully and broadly in the use of AI, many questions arise about its potential and its risks. Under the ITU AI for Good umbrella, and in partnership with UN OCHA and the IASC secretariat, we’ve now launched an AI in Humanitarian Action track where we aim to foster a robust approach to AI in humanitarian contexts and to serve as a forum for the important and timely discussions we need to have as a community. Learn more here.

Language and culture preservation: To help preserve and revitalize endangered indigenous languages, Education Development Center (edc.org) partnered with Microsoft Philanthropies to build an AI solution to provide pronunciation assessment of low-resource languages. See more here in this video.

Countering gender-based violence: In partnership with Seguro Project (seguroproject.org), Paz para las Mujeres (pazparalasmujeres.org) in Puerto Rico, and Microsoft Philanthropies, we built a chatbot solution to support victims of gender-based violence and help empower them to take back control. You can read more here.

Digital transformation: Children International (children.org) partnered with Microsoft Philanthropies to modernize the way they collect and leverage data to support their health equity scorecard for data-driven decision-making. You can read more here.

Economic opportunities: The technology partnership with Recode, INPAR, and Microsoft Philanthropies has focused on helping them improve learning and economic opportunities in Cidade de Deus in Rio de Janeiro. See more in this video.

Data sharing for disaster response. In a public-private-nonprofit partnership, we collaborated across disaster response stakeholders to improve the use of time-critical data in crises. Read more here.

Educational access for refugees: In partnership with Norwegian Refugee Council, NetHope, University College Dublin, and Microsoft Philanthropies, and co-designed with displaced youth, we developed a chatbot-based solution to improve discoverability and access to free, high-quality educational resources. You can see more in this video.

AI for good - but governed how? Panel discussion at Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, Université de Genève. July 2026 (link)

SAFE AI: a governance framework for AI in humanitarian action. Launch of the SAFE AI Framework at the Global Partnerships Conference, UK Foreign Office. May 2026 (link)

Why is it important to adopt Responsible AI standards now? Webinar hosted by Ethical AI Certification Initiative. February 2026 (link)

Humanitarian AI: Lessons learned, trends and opportunities for 2026. Webinar hosted by NetHope and Humanitarian Leadership Academy. January 2026 (link, video)

Leveraging Practical AI tools for Nonprofit Resilience. Talk at GlobalWA conference. Seattle, November 2025 (link).

AI in Humanitarian Action. Fireside chat at AI Safety Summit 333. Abu Dhabi, November 2025 (link).

AI in Mine Action – Quo Vadis? Talk at GICHD Innovation Conference on humanitarian demining. Luxembourg, November 2025 (link).

Operationalising Responsible AI to Protect and Empower Communities. Panel discussion at NetHope Summit. Amsterdam, October 2025 (link).

AI, Geopolitics, and the Digital Divide. Panel discussion at the AI for Development (AI4D) conference. Barcelona, October 2025 (link, video).

AI and the Environment: What Nonprofits Need to Know. Panel discussion at the FundraisingAI Global Summit. September 2025 (link)

Humanitarian data at the crossroads: Preparing for the AI revolution. Panel discussion in the ITU AI for Good webinar series on AI in Humanitarian Action. April 2025 (video)

Building trust in digital humanitarian action: Safe and ethical AIat Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks forum. Geneva, March 2025 (link).

Navigating the Impact of AI in Societal Changeat Social Business Youth Summit. Dhaka, Bangladesh, February 2025 (link)

Harnessing AI for Positive Societal Impact. Talk at Impact Forum conference. Barcelona, November 2024 (link, video)

Humanitarian AI in Action. Keynote at Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) seminar on "AI applications for Mine Action", October 2024 (video)

Tools of the Trade - AI for Humanitarian Use Cases. Guest lecture in the AI in Humanitarian Settings program, University College London, August 2024

Charting the Roadmap for AI Uptake in Humanitarian Action. Panel discussion at Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks, Geneva, May 2024 (link)

Envisioning Inclusivity as the Cornerstone of the America's Economic Future. Panel discussion at Building Inclusive Economies event hosted by IRC/International Refugee Committee, New York, May 2024

A Practical Approach to Ethical AI. Invited talk at Ethical AI Symposium, Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. April 2024 (link)

Ethical use of AI: seeking, understanding, and countering the risks. Invited talk at NDC Conference, Sydney, Australia. February 2024 (link)

The Role of AI in Building a more Equitable Future. Invited talk at NDC Conference, Sydney, Australia. February 2024 (link)

The Role of the Tech Sector in Social Impact Partnerships. Guest lecture in Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington. November 2023

Combining Sector Expertise for Innovation: Digitizing data collection and analysis to advance health equity. Joint talk with Children International at NetHope Global Summit. October 2023 (link)

The Social Fabric and AI: Equity as a Foundational Tenet. Invited talk at World Changers Summit, The Vatican. July 2023 (segment video, session)

Prioritizing AI equity in an environment that's really, really excited about AI capabilities. Guest talk in Department of Communication, University of Washington. April 2023 (link)

Digital Transformation in the Humanitarian Sector. Keynote at SocioDigital 2022 conference. SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy, ISCTE Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal. November, 2022 (video, session)

Tech for Social Impact. Fireside Chat on social entrepreneurship with YY Ventures at Impact Hub Dhaka, Bangladesh. November 2022 (link)

Engage! How humanitarian organizations are spurring innovation in AI. Keynote at Summer School in Digital Technologies in Sintra, ISCTE Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal. July 2022 (link)

Scaling Impact: the case for humanitarian NLP. Keynote at NLP for Conversational AI workshop at ACL 2022, Dublin. May 2022 (link)

Tech for Good through the lens of the 5th Revolution for People, Planet, and Prosperity. World Humanitarian Forum Davos roundtable. January 2022 (video)

Artificial Intelligence Advancements for Humanitarian Assistance. Panel discussion at World Humanitarian Forum, New York. September 2021 (link)

How To Get Started with Chatbots in the Nonprofit Sector. NetHope Global Summit. October 2020 (link)

Meeting Urgent Needs With Chatbots. Conference talk, Global Digital Development Forum. May 2020 (link)

Conversational AI: a Partner in the Future of Work. Comm Lead Connects conference on The Future of Work, University of Washington. March 2020 (link)

Applying Conversational AI to Humanitarian Challenges. NetHope Global Summit, Puerto Rico. October 2019 (link)

Language as an interface: on creating engaging learning experiences with AI. Guest lecture in School of Computer Science at University College Dublin, Ireland. November 2018

AI for Good. Panel discussion at University College Dublin, Ireland. November 2018 (link)

AI for Social Good. Guest lecture at Global Innovation Exchange, Bellevue, WA. July 2018

AI in Education: Opportunities and Challenges. Panel discussion at the SXSW Education conference in Austin, TX, March 2018 (session)

Nuevas Oportunidades para el Aprendizaje en la Era de la Inteligencia Artificial. Keynote on new interfaces to learning at the Expo eLearning conference during Semana de la Educación in Madrid, Spain, March 2018 (session)

SAFE AI Initiative: A Governance Framework for Humanitarians using AI. May 2026 (framework, tools)

Michael Tjalve on AI Governance and the SAFE AI Framework with Jennifer Wilde. Episode on the Humanitarian AI Today podcast. July 2026 (link)

The governance gap in humanitarian AI: addressing the structural gap between global frameworks and operational reality. First instalment of the SAFE AI initiative. March 2026 (link)

Building Resilient AI Workflows in Healthcare: Accounting for Cognitive Shortcuts. Article in Global Health Connector. February 2026 (link)

How Nonprofits Are Reimagining AI. Reflections from the 2025 Global Washington Annual Conference. January 2026 (link)

Bridging implementation gaps: from AI literacy to localisation. Episode on the Fresh Humanitarian Perspectives podcast, by Humanitarian Leadership Academy. September 2025 (link).

Beware the AI efficiency messiah. Article in The New Humanitarian. September 2025 (link)

Humanitarian AI guest spotlight. Interview with Humanitarian Leadership Academy. September 2025 (link)

Addressing power dynamics in participatory AI for crisis affected communities. Policy brief from SAFE AI initiative. August 2025 (link)

¿Qué va a pasar con la IA? Interview with Mundo Cero. January 2025 (video)

Strategic Implications of AI in Humanitarian Work. Episode on the Humanitarian Frontiers in AI podcast. December 2024 (episode)

Humanitarian AI and Innovation. Episode on the Living with Purpose podcast. October 2024 (episode)

20 Years of AI "We Are All the Stakeholders". Interview with CCN. May 2024 (article)

Building the Extensions of Artificial Intelligence. Interview on Free Your Voice podcast. February 2024 (video)

The AI Linguist. Monaco Voice 40 over 40. June 2023 (article)

The Impact Report. Interview with Paragon One. April 2023 (link)

Data Sharing for Disaster Response. Blogpost, Microsoft. October 2022 (link)

AI in the Nonprofit Sector: Four Considerations for Building Effective Partnerships. Blogpost, NetHope. June 2021 (link)

AI, Bots and More. Interview in Nonprofit Pro. April 2021 (link)

Helping organizations provide real time information about COVID-19 with Microsoft Power Virtual Agents. Blogpost, Microsoft. April 2020 (link)

How Will Artificial Intelligence Shape the Future of Work? Blogpost, the Royal Society of the Arts. March 2020 (article)

Can AI be Used for Social Good? Interview with Global Innovation Exchange. September 2018 (link)

Así aprenden idiomas las máquinas para ser nuestros traductores. Interview with El País for the program El Futuro es Apasionante. May 2018 (video)

Doing Good Better with Artificial Intelligence. Blogpost, NetHope. March 2018 (link)

Interview with 20 Minutos about conversational AI in Skype. February 2018 (link)