Tapping AI for speeding up research, responsiveness and analysis of ground information means the non-governmental organization will save more lives quickly

In regions such as the Middle East and Africa, agricultural crises can quickly become humanitarian disasters, threatening millions of lives. Humanitarian organizations there often struggle to access timely, accurate data to anticipate and respond to crises effectively.

Mercy Corps, a global non-governmental organization working with communities in over 40 countries affected by crisis, disaster, poverty and climate change, has therefore sought pro bono collaborations to leverage technology to close the information gap.

On 26 November 2024, the organization was announced to have partnered with a cloud technology firm to adopt a newly released AI Inference service to advance the precision and effectiveness of its aid distribution technology.

The AI-powered solution’s features include:

  • Equipping Mercy Corps’ field teams with examples of relevant AI projects successfully executed in other regions, giving them insight into analyses for program design, implementation, and decision-making
  • Tools to reduce research time (summarizing text, recommending research, best practices, and data-driven crisis responses for global humanitarian aid experts) and boost response efficiency when humanitarian teams and communities need it most
  • A cloud-based backbone (AWS with AI accelerated computing functions) facilitating teams with access to an AI assistant that queries a curated repository of critical information, including research papers, past projects, and best practices to improve decision-making and resource deployment
  • Tools to speed generative AI application development in the organization by up to 36x, thereby scaling AI solutions rapidly, reducing operational overhead and making faster, data-driven decisions under pressure

According to Alicia Morrison, Director of Data Science, Mercy Corps, the partnership has enabled the organization to “deploy an AI solution with unprecedented precision and speed, enabling us to meet our organizational commitments to delivering life-saving aid using innovative, evidence-based methods… and help us to respond to crises faster and make critical, data-driven decisions when it matters most.”

Said Manasi Vartak, Chief AI Architect, Cloudera, the firm involved in the pro bono collaboration, the program is “just the tip of the iceberg for what’s possible when we leverage AI to solve challenges. It’s about more than just using technology for social impact — it’s about helping organizations build the skills and capacity to leverage AI for real-world impact and create lasting change.”