The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) issued a stark warning on July 7 from Geneva, declaring that the surge in misinformation, hate speech, and AI-generated content is inciting real-world harm against the world’s most vulnerable populations. Speaking during the AI for Good Global Summit, UN officials highlighted that the global displacement crisis, which now encompasses over 117 million people, is increasingly being twinned with an “information crisis.” As digital platforms become central to human interaction, the agency warned that the spread of toxic narratives is not merely a social inconvenience but a life-threatening reality for refugees and humanitarian staff alike.
The summit served as a critical platform for the UN to advocate for the responsible development of artificial intelligence, framing it as a potential tool to solve global challenges while simultaneously addressing its destructive side effects. Gisella Lomax, UNHCR’s senior advisor on information integrity, emphasized that the current environment is filled with “false, hostile narratives” that directly target aid operations and personnel. According to the UNHCR, when information is weaponized—throughscapegoating, dehumanization, or misinformation—it erodes the safety nets needed for refugees to integrate into new communities, ultimately threatening the very social cohesion required for peaceful coexistence.
One of the most pressing concerns raised by the UN is the role of generative AI in scaling these threats. The emergence of sophisticated deepfake technology has made it increasingly difficult to discern the truth, with fake videos targeting both humanitarian workers and refugees now becoming a tangible challenge. Lomax noted that these digital tools are being actively exploited by smugglers and criminal traffickers who use them to disseminate false promises of safety and employment, effectively luring victims into dangerous situations. The sheer scale and speed at which this AI-enabled misinformation operates have made it difficult for traditional humanitarian efforts to keep pace.
The humanitarian cost of this information war is severe, with the UNHCR documenting clear links between online rumors and physical violence, including protests, targeted attacks, and, in extreme cases, fatalities. These digital risks are particularly acute in regions already embroiled in war or conflict. Consequently, the UN is demanding that major tech giants, AI developers, and digital platforms step up their responsibilities. The agency’s “call to action” stresses the need for deeper collaboration, demanding that tech companies invest in content moderation tools that are effective even in less common languages and specific humanitarian contexts.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the UNHCR maintained a shred of optimism, noting that if managed correctly, AI could also be a force for good in managing the complexities of humanitarian crises. While the agency is currently pushing for better regulation and stronger ethical standards, they are also exploring ways to leverage AI’s potential to provide accurate, reliable information to those who need it most. Ensuring that refugees have access to trusted, verified data is, according to the UNHCR, a fundamental prerequisite for their protection and a necessary step in curbing the influence of malicious actors.
At the core of this urgent plea is the staggering human scale of the issue: by the end of 2025, 117.8 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide. With the vast majority of these individuals hailing from conflict-ridden nations like Ukraine, Sudan, and Afghanistan, the international community faces the monumental task of safeguarding them not only from physical conflict but also from the digital environment that threatens to dehumanize them. The UN’s message is clear: turning the tide on misinformation is not just a technological challenge, but a humanitarian imperative essential to preserving the lives and dignity of the world’s most displaced people.
