A research institute linked to the United Nations has developed two AI avatars aimed at raising awareness about refugee issues.
According to 404 Media, students from the United Nations University Center for Policy Research worked on a project that resulted in two unique AI characters. One avatar, Amina, is a fictional woman from Sudan who has sought refuge in a camp in Chad. The other, Abdalla, represents a soldier from the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group in Sudan.
People are expected to engage with Amina and Abdalla through a dedicated website. However, when I attempted to sign up on Saturday, I encountered an error message.
Eduardo Albrecht, a professor at Columbia University and a senior fellow at UNU-CPR, explained to 404 Media that this was a creative exercise for him and his students, not an official proposal for the UN.
A report on their work suggested that these avatars could potentially help make a strong case to donors. However, it also highlighted that many people who interacted with the avatars expressed concerns, suggesting that refugees are perfectly capable of sharing their own stories in real life.
