In humanitarian and development operations, timely recruitment is everything. A delay of even a few hours can make the difference between emergency medical staff reaching a clinic before supplies run out, or engineers reaching an earthquake-affected area and stabilising unsafe structures before they collapse.
To understand how AI can enhance rapid staffing and deployment – even in complex environments, where time and sensitivity must go hand in hand – we sat down with CTG’s Director of Support Services, Algene Suria.
With AI in humanitarian recruitment, “time isn’t just money, it is lives”
As head of CTG’s Recruitment, Technology and Innovation division, Algene and his team’s expertise lies in optimising processes efficiently and effectively. Through the introduction of high-impact digital tools, coupled with constant monitoring and refinement, their innovations continue to streamline CTG’s operations.
Algene leads his team on the key tenet that, in any humanitarian crisis, rapid response must be carefully balanced with risk mitigation.
“In conflict zones, speeding up the recruitment process by even a few hours can mean medical staff or crisis responders arrive when they’re most needed,” he explains. “But in places where every day counts, that’s not just about efficiency; it is about impact.”
From reactive to responsive humanitarian recruitment
Across conflict zones, frontline emergencies and remote field locations, AI is beginning to accelerate how talent is identified, verified and deployed. For humanitarian job-seekers, many of whom are themselves displaced or working from low-connectivity environments, AI-driven matching can reduce waiting times and improve access to opportunities.
“AI is shifting recruitment from a reactive process to a more responsive one, and that shift is a big deal in humanitarian work,” Algene says.
In humanitarian crises, rapid deployment can make a sizeable difference to the efficacy of response. AI’s speed can get shortlists in front of human expertise faster.
“For humanitarian job seekers, AI can mean faster responses and better job matching. With thoughtfully designed filtering criteria, AI can open doors faster for the right talent.”
Why human judgement still matters most
While AI shortlisting can rapidly scan thousands of CVs, the technology is not without risks. In contexts like Gaza, Sudan or Syria, where resilience, cultural sensitivity and local knowledge can be as important as technical expertise, no algorithm can evaluate the full picture.
When integrating AI into recruitment and selection processes, Algene creates a system architecture that mitigates the inherent risks of disinterested algorithms.
“If we’re not careful, it can carry over the same biases we’ve spent decades trying to remove,” Algene says. “That’s why shortlisting criteria must be thoughtfully designed and regularly reviewed to ensure they reflect what truly matters for the role and don’t unintentionally exclude qualified candidates.”
Working with personal data from displaced people and national staff in fragile environments means we have heightened ethical obligations. Though often thought of as such, generative AI models are not thinking machines; they simply analyse data and suggest plausible responses.
A deep understanding of what AI can and can’t do enables Algene and his team to leverage this technology where it can benefit the process – and limit it when human discretion cannot be replaced.
“In my view, AI should support, not replace, human judgement,” he emphasises.
Imagine an engineer who rebuilt water points in hard-to-reach areas, or a livelihoods adviser who navigated complex community dynamics to keep a clinic open during insecurity. These kinds of lived experiences rarely reveal themselves neatly in keywords or machine-read CV summaries.
“Especially in humanitarian contexts, where understanding someone’s resilience or cultural sensitivity can’t be measured by an algorithm alone, the ideal balance is using AI for speed and scale, while keeping people at the centre of the final decision.”
How humanitarians are already using AI
A comprehensive study, conducted in 2025 by the Humanitarian Leadership Academy and Data Friendly Space, found that 93 per cent of humanitarian workers are already using or have tried AI tools in their work, with 70 per cent incorporating them into daily or weekly workflows.
However, only 8 per cent of their organisations report wide AI integration, highlighting a striking disconnect between individual innovation and institutional capacity. Fewer than half of those surveyed believe AI has improved operational efficiency, and only 38 per cent feel it has strengthened decision-making.
Many humanitarians are adopting AI to help with daily tasks like professional communication, report writing, data analysis and needs assessment.
Algene isn’t surprised: “AI has huge potential, but adoption is still uneven. Many organisations struggle with the basics: poor infrastructure, low digital maturity, internal resistance and lack of trust.”
Where these essentials are lacking, low AI adoption is not necessarily a negative. Without a thorough understanding of the benefits and limitations of generative AI, humanitarian organisations risk sacrificing efficacy and ethics for the sake of efficiency.
Navigating AI risks in humanitarian settings
The current AI landscape is something of a wild west, characterised by governance issues and a lack of regulation. In a sector built on integrity and ethics, this presents significant risks.
“When you’re handling personal data from displaced people or local staff in crisis areas, the stakes are incredibly high,” says Algene. “We need stronger guardrails because without them, we risk undermining the very values our work is built on.”
This is where a thorough understanding of AI’s limitations is key. By identifying risk factors, Algene can design processes that harness AI’s advantages while accounting for any shortcomings.
“There are studies that flagged serious concerns about algorithmic bias, transparency and data privacy. But I don’t think fear should stop progress; it should guide how we move forward,” he says.
Driving a balanced approach to AI in humanitarian recruitment
Algene’s approach to AI aims to strike a balance – AI can speed up work, but people, values and good judgement must always lead.
“While AI can absolutely help us move faster, the leap to better decision-making is more complicated. Especially in humanitarian hiring, where nuance and context matter deeply, AI should be just a part of the recruitment process but not the whole process.”