Traditional conceptions of security and the prevention of intrastate conflict have in many ways become less relevant to individual daily lives compared to threats from extreme weather, civil conflict, violent crime or rights abuses. Complex interconnections and porous borders mean that a threat to the security of those in a neighboring region is also a threat to those elsewhere. The prominence of these vulnerabilities calls for a rethinking of how we define a secure environment and has led to a discourse on human security. At the same time, humanitarian and government organizations are working with very scarce resources, multiple simultaneous crises and ever-increasing amounts of information to sift through. Given these conditions, AI-enabled tools, and the way they can handle and interpret vast amounts of diverse information quickly, have become of increasing interest to responsible parties focused on improving human security. How can AI help with improving human security around the world? Where might it exacerbate problems? And how can ethical frameworks help us to maximize positive impacts? These questions are explored in this research brief.
