International standards for responsible AI in disaster management

The combination of big data and AI/ML technologies shows tremendous promise within the domain of disaster management. So that benefits of AI/ML can be realized, and risks can be adverted, internationally agreed upon standards are an important mechanism. These can provide guidance on how to apply (and develop policy around) data collection and preprocessing, model training and evaluation, and operational implementation. In conjunction, they can cultivate interoperability and harmonization of AI-based systems. At the United Nations, the Global Initiative on Resilience to Natural Hazards through AI Solutions brings together experts from different disciplines (geosciences, disaster risk management, computer sciences) and sectors (government, research, NGO) to analyze use cases and lay the groundwork for such standards. Through proof-of-concept projects (e.g., HEU-funded MedEWSa), these standards can be further refined. Finally, through education and capacity building activities, the Global Initiative can help to democratize the responsible use of AI for this domain.