Artificial Intelligence Intern

Job Posting Organization:
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a part of the United Nations Secretariat, established to bring together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies. The organization advocates for the rights of people in need, promotes preparedness and prevention, and facilitates sustainable solutions. OCHA operates globally, with a focus on ensuring that humanitarian efforts are well-coordinated and effective, and it employs a diverse workforce dedicated to humanitarian principles and action.

Job Overview:
The internship-position" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">internship position is located within the Digital Services Section (DSS) of OCHA, which is dedicated to developing and maintaining innovative technology solutions that support the humanitarian community. The DSS team plays a critical role in facilitating a rapid, effective, and principled response to crises, ensuring that vital information is collected, processed, and disseminated efficiently. The intern will support the internal AI community building initiative at OCHA, engaging in research and analysis of emerging AI trends, collaborating with teams to gather insights on AI projects, and contributing to the development of content for the OCHA AI Intranet site. The intern will also explore and test emerging AI tools, document learnings, and support community engagement and training initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The intern will be responsible for conducting research on emerging AI trends, tools, and best practices relevant to OCHA’s work, preparing internal papers, reports, and presentations, and sharing findings through online engagement. They will collaborate with OCHA teams to gather insights on AI projects, develop and maintain content for the OCHA AI Intranet site, and explore and test emerging AI tools through quick prototypes. The intern will document learnings from experiments, support the identification of sustainable activities for the OCHA-AI community, contribute updates and communication materials, and assist in organizing meetings, workshops, and webinars. Additionally, they will identify opportunities for staff training in AI-related programs and produce summaries or videos on AI-approved tools.

Required Qualifications:
Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent). While professional work experience is not required, a field of study closely related to the internship is necessary. Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, particularly MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this internship includes enrollment in or completion of a graduate program or the final academic year of a bachelor's degree program. The field of study should be closely related to the type of internship being applied for, ensuring that candidates possess relevant knowledge and skills that align with the responsibilities of the position.

Experience:
While no professional work experience is required for this internship, candidates should have relevant academic experience or coursework that relates to the functions of the internship. This could include projects, research, or other academic activities that demonstrate a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and its applications in humanitarian contexts.

Languages:
Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship, as English is one of the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Knowledge of French is also beneficial, as it is another working language of the UN, and proficiency in additional languages may enhance communication within the diverse international environment of OCHA.

Additional Notes:
The internship is expected to last for 3 months, with the possibility of extension. Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations, and they are responsible for their own travel, visa, accommodation, and living expenses. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the Netherlands may need to obtain the appropriate visa and work authorization. It is important for successful candidates to discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer. The United Nations does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.