Rochester Institute of Technology students pioneer AI tool to support Ukrainian refugees, analyzing social media data to provide critical insights for humanitarian organizations and improve response efforts

Rochester, New York – In an innovative project spearheaded by two Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) students, artificial intelligence (AI) is being utilized to enhance support for Ukrainian refugees and revolutionize data-driven decision-making in humanitarian efforts.

Natalie Crowell and Olivia Croteau, both third-year students in humanities, computing, and design, have developed a pioneering AI tool that sifts through social media data to gather critical insights into the needs of refugees.

Read also: Rochester Institute of Technology launches Campus Connect, a program that offers workshops, game nights, and discussion panels inside residence halls, improving accessibility to campus resources for students

The tool specifically analyzes conversations from chat groups on platforms like Telegram, where refugees discuss essential needs such as housing, food, and other resources. By synthesizing this data, the AI provides humanitarian organizations with invaluable, low-cost insights that can significantly improve their operations.

The students’ initiative is particularly aimed at aiding the United Nations Migration Agency, International Organization for Migration (IOM), in better responding to the refugee crisis in Poland, which currently hosts about 1 million Ukrainian refugees.

The genesis of this project traces back to an encounter between Crowell and Croteau in a first-year Python coding class at RIT, leading to a strong friendship and collaborative partnership. Their journey took a decisive turn when Crowell, while taking a course in geographic information systems, learned about relevant research from her professor, Brian Tomaszewski.

Tomaszewski, who had spent time in Poland researching forced displacement of Ukrainian refugees under a 2023 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, was looking for students to advance his work. Inspired, Crowell and Croteau quickly penned a proposal for their AI tool, which was enthusiastically received.

Read also: Gates Chili Middle School students dominate in Rochester’s National Civics Bee, securing top spots with impressive civic knowledge and critical thinking skills, now advancing to the state qualifier in Albany

Their AI tool operates by extracting and categorizing discussions from the messaging app Telegram, where daily, thousands of messages are exchanged regarding aid. This process involves a natural language processing (NLP) vector approach, transforming textual data into numerical data that can be categorized based on similarity.

The tool is fine-tuned to detect locational references which are then geocoded, and it also includes features to analyze images, videos, and translate messages across languages.

A significant aspect of their tool is its user interface, which includes a dashboard displaying AI-generated visualizations and geocoded maps pinpointing where resources are most needed. The dashboard also provides confidence scores and daily AI summaries of the biggest trends and most common questions, making it a powerful resource for humanitarian workers who rely heavily on precise, timely data.

The impact of this tool extends beyond just data collection; it represents a paradigm shift in how humanitarian organizations can engage with real-time data at minimal cost. Harley Emery, a data and research officer with IOM Poland, expressed optimism about the project, highlighting its potential to transform initial insights into actionable intelligence quickly.

Read also: Brockport offers seasonal job opportunity for individuals who enjoy working outdoors, with the Department of Public Works hiring a Mowing Laborer to maintain green spaces

Despite challenges posed by the political environment and funding cuts, Crowell and Croteau are driven by the potential of their project to scale and address global crises effectively.

As they continue to refine their tool in collaboration with IOM and prepare to present their findings at the IEEE Global Humanitarian Conference, Crowell and Croteau are not just developing technology; they are crafting solutions that stand at the intersection of AI and humanitarian aid, emblematic of a new era where technology meets empathy.