Can community-led AI transform humanitarian communication? | Bond
The question isn't whether AI-generated imagery is inherently problematic. It's about who controls the tools, whose perspectives shape the outputs, and whether we're willing to invest in community capacity to produce representations at a scale that can genuinely challenge entrenched biases.
A recent article on AI visuals in the humanitarian sector raises important concerns about charities using AI to generate images of poverty and suffering. Despite ethical warnings, we know some organisations will continue using these tools. Could AI be used to generate synthetic images that counter the stereotypes that have plagued humanitarian photography for decades? While the article notes that small NGOs in the Global South are using AI, it doesn’t consider the potential for organisations to collaborate with their communities in producing such images. There are promising case studies in 
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