ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Muhammed Idris - Entrepreneur, investor
Muhammed Idris wants to improve social services delivery through collective and artificial intelligence.

Why you should listen

Dr. Muhammed Y. Idris, PhD is a Fellow at Capria, a leading global impact investment firm, and the cofounder and lead developer of Edel Technologies, an organization that build AI-powered tools and products for frontline humanitarian organizations and service providers, including the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Inspired by own personal experiences with refugee resettlement, Idris left academia to build the world's first virtual advocate bot, Atar, that empowers refugees and other newcomers with information about what to do, where to go and what to expect using customized step-by-step guides.

Trained as a computational social scientist, Idris started his career in finance at BlackRock and went on to complete a PhD with a focus on research and development of open-source tools for leveraging socially-generating "big data" and make it easy to digest this complex technical information into actionable insights.

Idris's work has been presented at numerous academic, policy and industry conferences, and he has held teaching and research positions at the University of Washington, The Pennsylvania State University, Concordia University in Montreal as well as Harvard University, where he held a predoctoral fellowship at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affair while completing his dissertation.

As a self-taught programmer, Idris enjoys teaching statistics and programming in his spare time. While his current focus in on helping streamline and scale refugee resettlement, his mission is to help improve social services delivery for all through collective and artificial intelligence as an entrepreneur and investor.

More profile about the speaker
Muhammed Idris | Speaker | TED.com
TED Residency

Muhammed Idris: What refugees need to start new lives

Muhammed Idris: O que os refugiados precisam para começar uma vida nova

Filmed:
1,667,978 views

A cada minuto, 20 novas pessoas são deslocadas pela mudança climática, crise econômica e instabilidade política, segundo o ACNUR. Como podemos ajudá-las a superar as barreiras para começar uma vida nova? O residente do TED Muhammed Idris está liderando uma equipe de tecnólogos, pesquisadores e refugiados para desenvolver o Atar, o primeiro assistente virtual operado por inteligência artificial que orienta as pessoas deslocadas a se reassentarem, ajudando a restaurar seus direitos e sua dignidade. "Ter acesso às informações e aos recursos certos pode ser a diferença entre a vida e a morte", afirma Idris.
- Entrepreneur, investor
Muhammed Idris wants to improve social services delivery through collective and artificial intelligence. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
About two years ago,
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Há cerca de dois anos,
00:14
I got a phone call that changed my life.
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recebi um telefonema que mudou minha vida:
00:17
"Hey, this is your cousin Hassen."
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"Ei, aqui é seu primo Hassen".
00:21
I froze.
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Congelei.
00:23
You see, I have well over
30 first cousins,
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Sabe, tenho mais de 30 primos
em primeiro grau,
00:26
but I didn't know anybody named Hassen.
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mas não conhecia ninguém chamado Hassen.
(Risos)
00:29
It turned out that Hassen
was actually my mom's cousin
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Acontece que Hassen era,
na verdade, primo de minha mãe
e tinha acabado de chegar
a Montreal como refugiado.
00:32
and had just arrived
in Montreal as a refugee.
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00:35
And over the next few months,
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E, nos meses seguintes,
eu teria mais três parentes
vindo ao Canadá pedir asilo
00:36
I would have three more relatives
coming to Canada to apply for asylum
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00:40
with little more than
the clothes on their back.
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com pouco mais do que a roupa do corpo.
00:43
And in the two years
since that phone call,
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E, nos dois anos desde aquele telefonema,
minha vida mudou completamente.
00:45
my life has completely changed.
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00:48
I left academia
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Deixei o mundo acadêmico
00:49
and now lead a diverse team
of technologists, researchers and refugees
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e agora lidero uma equipe diversificada
de tecnólogos, pesquisadores e refugiados
00:53
that is developing customized
self-help resources for newcomers.
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que desenvolve recursos de autoajuda
personalizados para recém-chegados.
00:58
We want to help them overcome
language, cultural and other barriers
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Queremos ajudá-los a superar
barreiras linguísticas, culturais e outras
01:02
that make them feel like they've lost
control over their own lives.
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que os fazem se sentir como se tivessem
perdido o controle da própria vida.
01:06
And we feel that AI can help restore
the rights and the dignity
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Sentimos que a IA pode ajudar
a restaurar os direitos e a dignidade
que muitas pessoas perdem
quando procuram ajuda.
01:09
that many people lose when seeking help.
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01:12
My family's refugee experience
is not unique.
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A experiência de refugiados
de minha família não é única.
01:16
According to the UNHCR,
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Segundo o ACNUR,
01:18
every minute, 20 people
are newly displaced
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a cada minuto, 20 novas
pessoas são deslocadas
01:21
by climate change, economic crisis
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pela mudança climática, crise econômica
01:23
and social and political instability.
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e instabilidade social e política.
01:26
And it was while volunteering
at a local YMCA shelter
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E foi durante o voluntariado
em um abrigo local da ACM,
01:29
that my cousin Hassen
and other relatives were sent to
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para onde meu primo Hassen
e outros parentes foram enviados,
01:32
that we saw and learned to appreciate
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que vimos e aprendemos a compreender
01:34
how much effort and coordination
resettlement requires.
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quanto esforço e coordenação
requer o reassentamento.
01:39
When you first arrive,
you need to find a lawyer
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Quando a pessoa chega,
ela precisa encontrar um advogado
01:42
and fill out legal documents
within two weeks.
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e preencher documentos legais
dentro de duas semanas.
01:45
You also need to schedule a medical exam
with a pre-authorized physician,
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Também precisa agendar um exame médico
com um médico pré-autorizado,
01:49
just so that you can apply
for a work permit.
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só para poder solicitar
uma autorização de trabalho.
01:51
And you need to start looking
for a place to live
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E precisa começar a procurar
um lugar para morar
01:54
before you receive
any sort of social assistance.
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antes de receber qualquer tipo
de assistência social.
01:58
With thousands fleeing the United States
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Com milhares de pessoas fugindo dos EUA
02:00
to seek asylum in Canada
over the past few years,
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para buscar asilo no Canadá
nos últimos anos,
02:03
we quickly saw what it looks like
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logo percebemos o que acontece
quando há mais pessoas que precisam
de ajuda do que recursos para ajudá-las.
02:04
when there are more people who need help
than there are resources to help them.
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02:09
Social services doesn't scale quickly,
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Os serviços sociais
não expandem rapidamente
02:11
and even if communities do their best
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e, mesmo que as comunidades
façam o possível
02:14
to help more people
with limited resources,
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para ajudar mais pessoas
com recursos limitados,
02:17
newcomers end up spending
more time waiting in limbo,
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os recém-chegados passam
mais tempo esperando no limbo,
02:19
not knowing where to turn.
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sem saber a quem recorrer.
02:22
In Montreal, for example,
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Em Montreal, por exemplo,
02:23
despite millions of dollars being spent
to support resettlement efforts,
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apesar dos milhões de dólares gastos
para apoiar os esforços de reassentamento,
02:27
nearly 50 percent of newcomers
still don't know
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quase 50% dos recém-chegados
ainda não sabem
02:30
that there are free resources that exist
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que existem recursos gratuitos
02:32
to help them with everything
from filling out paperwork
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para ajudá-los com tudo,
desde o preenchimento de papéis
02:35
to finding a job.
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até a procura de emprego.
02:37
The challenge is not
that this information doesn't exist.
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O desafio não é a falta de informação.
02:41
On the contrary, those in need are often
bombarded with so much information
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Pelo contrário, os necessitados são muitas
vezes bombardeados com tanta informação
02:45
that it's difficult
to make sense of it all.
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que é difícil de entender tudo isso.
02:48
"Don't give me more information,
just tell me what to do,"
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"Não me dê mais informações,
apenas me diga o que fazer"
02:52
was a sentiment we heard
over and over again.
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foi um sentimento que ouvimos
inúmeras vezes.
02:55
And it reflects how insanely difficult
it could be to get your bearings
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E isso reflete o quanto pode ser
insanamente difícil de se orientar
02:59
when you first arrive in a new country.
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ao se chegar pela primeira vez
a um novo país.
03:02
Hell, I struggled with the same issues
when I got to Montreal,
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Droga, lutei com os mesmos problemas
quando cheguei a Montreal,
03:06
and I have a PhD.
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e eu tenho doutorado.
03:08
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:10
As another member of our team,
himself also a refugee, put it:
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Como outro membro de nossa equipe,
também um refugiado, disse:
03:14
"In Canada, a SIM card
is more important than food,
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"No Canadá, um cartão SIM
é mais importante do que comida,
03:17
because we will not die from hunger."
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porque não morreremos de fome".
03:20
But getting access to the right
resources and information
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Mas ter acesso às informações
e aos recursos certos
03:23
can be the difference
between life and death.
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pode ser a diferença
entre a vida e a morte.
03:27
Let me say that again:
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Deixem-me repetir:
03:28
getting access to the right
resources and information
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ter acesso às informações
e aos recursos certos
03:32
can be the difference
between life and death.
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pode ser a diferença
entre a vida e a morte.
03:37
In order to address these issues,
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Para resolver esses problemas,
03:38
we built Atar,
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construímos o Atar,
o primeiro assistente virtual
operado por inteligência artificial
03:40
the first-ever AI-powered virtual advocate
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03:43
that guides you step-by-step
through your first week
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que guia você passo a passo
durante sua primeira semana
03:46
of arriving in a new city.
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de chegada a uma nova cidade.
03:47
Just tell Atar what you need help with.
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Só diga ao Atar de que ajuda você precisa.
03:50
Atar will then ask you
some basic questions
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Atar então fará algumas perguntas básicas
03:52
to understand your unique circumstances
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para entender seu caso específico
03:54
and determine your eligibility
for resources.
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e determinar sua elegibilidade
para os recursos.
03:57
For example: Do you have
a place to stay tonight?
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Por exemplo: "Você tem um lugar
para ficar esta noite?"
04:01
If not, would you prefer
an all-women's shelter?
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"Se não, você preferiria
um abrigo só de mulheres?"
04:05
Do you have children?
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"Você tem filhos?"
04:07
Atar will then generate
a custom, step-by-step to-do list
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O Atar vai gerar uma lista de tarefas
personalizada, passo a passo,
04:10
that tells you everything
that you need to know,
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que informa tudo o que você precisa saber,
04:12
from where to go, how to get there,
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começando por "onde ir", "como chegar lá",
04:15
what to bring with you
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"o que levar com você"
04:16
and what to expect.
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e "o que esperar".
04:18
You can ask a question at any time,
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Você pode fazer uma pergunta
a qualquer momento
04:21
and if Atar doesn't have an answer,
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e, se o Atar não souber responder,
04:23
you'll be connected
with a real person who does.
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você será conectado com uma pessoa
de verdade que saiba.
04:26
But what's most exciting
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Mas o mais empolgante
04:29
is that we help humanitarian
and service organizations
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é que ajudamos as organizações
humanitárias e de serviços
04:32
collect the data and the analytics
that's necessary to understand
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a coletar os dados e as análises
necessárias para entender
04:36
the changing needs of newcomers
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as diferentes necessidades
​​dos recém-chegados em tempo real.
04:37
in real time.
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04:39
That's a game changer.
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Isso muda o jogo.
04:42
We've already partnered with the UNHCR
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Já fizemos uma parceria com o ACNUR
para fornecer essa tecnologia no Canadá
04:44
to provide this technology in Canada,
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04:46
and in our work have conducted
campaigns in Arabic, English,
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e, em nosso trabalho, realizamos
campanhas em árabe, inglês,
04:50
French, Creole and Spanish.
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francês, crioulo e espanhol.
04:54
When we talk about the issue of refugees,
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Quando falamos sobre
a questão dos refugiados,
04:57
we often focus on the official statistic
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nos concentramos na estatística oficial
04:59
of 65.8 million forcibly
displaced worldwide.
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de 65,8 milhões de pessoas
deslocadas à força em todo o mundo.
05:03
But the reality is much greater than that.
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Mas a realidade é muito maior do que isso.
05:07
By 2050, there will be
an additional 140 million people
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Até 2050, haverá
mais 140 milhões de pessoas
05:12
who are at risk of being displaced
due to environmental degradation.
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que correm o risco de serem deslocadas
devido à degradação ambiental.
05:16
And today -- that is today --
there are nearly one billion people
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E hoje, isso é hoje,
há quase 1 bilhão de pessoas
05:21
who already live in illegal
settlements and slums.
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que já vivem em favelas
e assentamentos ilegais.
05:25
Resettlement and integration
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Reassentamento e integração
05:27
is one of the greatest
challenges of our time.
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são uns dos maiores
desafios de nosso tempo.
05:30
and our hope is that Atar can provide
every single newcomer an advocate.
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Nossa esperança é que o Atar
possa ajudar todos os recém-chegados.
05:36
Our hope is that Atar
can amplify existing efforts
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Nossa esperança é que o Atar
possa ampliar os esforços existentes
05:40
and alleviate pressure
on a social safety net
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e aliviar a pressão sobre
uma rede de segurança social
05:43
that's already stretched
beyond imagination.
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que já está tensionada além da imaginação.
05:47
But what's most important to us
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Mas o mais importante para nós
05:49
is that our work helps restore
the rights and the dignity
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é que nosso trabalho ajude
a restaurar os direitos e a dignidade
05:54
that refugees lose throughout
resettlement and integration
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que os refugiados perdem ao longo
do reassentamento e da integração,
05:57
by giving them the resources that
they need in order to help themselves.
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dando-lhes os recursos
de que necessitam para se ajudarem.
06:02
Thank you.
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Obrigado.
06:03
(Applause)
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(Aplausos) (Vivas)
Translated by Maurício Kakuei Tanaka
Reviewed by Raissa Mendes

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Muhammed Idris - Entrepreneur, investor
Muhammed Idris wants to improve social services delivery through collective and artificial intelligence.

Why you should listen

Dr. Muhammed Y. Idris, PhD is a Fellow at Capria, a leading global impact investment firm, and the cofounder and lead developer of Edel Technologies, an organization that build AI-powered tools and products for frontline humanitarian organizations and service providers, including the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Inspired by own personal experiences with refugee resettlement, Idris left academia to build the world's first virtual advocate bot, Atar, that empowers refugees and other newcomers with information about what to do, where to go and what to expect using customized step-by-step guides.

Trained as a computational social scientist, Idris started his career in finance at BlackRock and went on to complete a PhD with a focus on research and development of open-source tools for leveraging socially-generating "big data" and make it easy to digest this complex technical information into actionable insights.

Idris's work has been presented at numerous academic, policy and industry conferences, and he has held teaching and research positions at the University of Washington, The Pennsylvania State University, Concordia University in Montreal as well as Harvard University, where he held a predoctoral fellowship at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affair while completing his dissertation.

As a self-taught programmer, Idris enjoys teaching statistics and programming in his spare time. While his current focus in on helping streamline and scale refugee resettlement, his mission is to help improve social services delivery for all through collective and artificial intelligence as an entrepreneur and investor.

More profile about the speaker
Muhammed Idris | Speaker | TED.com

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