About two years ago, I got a phone call that changed my life.
Hai dous anos, recibín unha chamada que cambiou a miña vida.
"Hey, this is your cousin Hassen."
"Ola, son o teu primo Hassen."
I froze. You see, I have well over 30 first cousins, but I didn't know anybody named Hassen.
Eu quedei paralizado. Teño ben máis de trinta primos, pero non coñecía a ninguén chamado Hassen.
It turned out that Hassen was actually my mom's cousin and had just arrived in Montreal as a refugee. And over the next few months, I would have three more relatives coming to Canada to apply for asylum with little more than the clothes on their back. And in the two years since that phone call, my life has completely changed. I left academia and now lead a diverse team of technologists, researchers and refugees that is developing customized self-help resources for newcomers. We want to help them overcome language, cultural and other barriers that make them feel like they've lost control over their own lives. And we feel that AI can help restore the rights and the dignity that many people lose when seeking help.
Resultou que Hassen era un curmán da miña nai que acababa de chegar a Montreal como refuxiado. Nos seguintes meses, tres parentes meus virían ó Canadá buscando asilo con pouco máis que a roupa posta. Nos dous anos posteriores a esta chamada, a miña vida cambiou por completo. Deixei a academia e agora dirixo un equipo diverso de tecnólogos, investigadores e refuxiados que desenvolve recursos personalizados de autoaxuda para os novos refuxiados. Queremos axudalos a vencer a linguaxe, a cultura e as outras barreiras que lles fan sentir que perderon o control das propias vidas. Sentimos que a IA pode axudar a restaurar os dereitos e a dignidade que moitos perden cando buscan axuda.
My family's refugee experience is not unique. According to the UNHCR, every minute, 20 people are newly displaced by climate change, economic crisis and social and political instability. And it was while volunteering at a local YMCA shelter that my cousin Hassen and other relatives were sent to that we saw and learned to appreciate how much effort and coordination resettlement requires.
A experiencia da miña familia como refuxiados non é única. Segundo ACNUR, cada minuto, hai 20 novos desprazados polo cambio climático, crises económicas e inestabilidade social e política. E foi mentres traballabamos no refuxio local de YMCA onde meu primo Hassen e outros parentes foron enviados que vimos e aprendemos a apreciar o esforzo e a coordinación que o reasentamento require
When you first arrive, you need to find a lawyer and fill out legal documents within two weeks. You also need to schedule a medical exam with a pre-authorized physician, just so that you can apply for a work permit. And you need to start looking for a place to live before you receive any sort of social assistance.
Cando chegas, tes que buscar un avogado e encher documentos legais en dúas semanas. Tamén tes que superar un exame médico cun médico autorizado, só para poder pedir un visado de traballo. E tes que empezar a buscar un sitio onde vivir antes de recibir calquera tipo de asistencia social.
With thousands fleeing the United States to seek asylum in Canada over the past few years, we quickly saw what it looks like when there are more people who need help than there are resources to help them. Social services doesn't scale quickly, and even if communities do their best to help more people with limited resources, newcomers end up spending more time waiting in limbo, not knowing where to turn.
Con miles que foxen dos Estados Unidos para buscar asilo no Canadá os últimos anos, rapidamente vimos como é cando hai máis persoas que necesitan axuda que recursos para axudalas. Os servizos sociais non se amplían rapidamente, e mesmo se as comunidades fan o maior esforzo para axudar a máis persoas con recursos limitados, os que chegan quedan máis tempo esperando no limbo, sen saber onde ir.
In Montreal, for example, despite millions of dollars being spent to support resettlement efforts, nearly 50 percent of newcomers still don't know that there are free resources that exist to help them with everything from filling out paperwork to finding a job. The challenge is not that this information doesn't exist. On the contrary, those in need are often bombarded with so much information that it's difficult to make sense of it all. "Don't give me more information, just tell me what to do," was a sentiment we heard over and over again. And it reflects how insanely difficult it could be to get your bearings when you first arrive in a new country. Hell, I struggled with the same issues when I got to Montreal, and I have a PhD.
En Montreal, por exemplo, a pesar dos millóns de dólares gastos para apoio aos reasentamentos case 50% dos que chegan aínda non saben que existen recursos gratis para axudalos con todo, desde os documentos ata atopar un traballo. O desafío non é que non existan esas informacións. Polo contrario, os necesitados son bombardeados con tanta información que se fai dificil darlle sentido a todo. "Non me deas máis información, dime só que facer." era a preocupación oída unha e outra vez. Isto reflicte o incriblemente difícil que é adaptarse cando chegas a un novo país. Hostia, tiven os mesmos problemas cando cheguei a Montreal, e teño un doutoramento.
(Laughter)
(Risa)
As another member of our team, himself also a refugee, put it: "In Canada, a SIM card is more important than food, because we will not die from hunger." But getting access to the right resources and information can be the difference between life and death. Let me say that again: getting access to the right resources and information can be the difference between life and death.
Como outro membro do noso equipo, tamén refuxiado, dixo: "En Canadá, unha tarxeta SIM é máis importante ca a comida, porque non morreremos coa fame." Pero obter acceso aos recursos e á información correcta pode ser a diferenza entre a vida e a morte. Deixádeme dicilo de novo: obter acceso aos recursos e á información correcta pode ser a diferenza entre a vida e a morte.
In order to address these issues, we built Atar, the first-ever AI-powered virtual advocate that guides you step-by-step through your first week of arriving in a new city. Just tell Atar what you need help with. Atar will then ask you some basic questions to understand your unique circumstances and determine your eligibility for resources. For example: Do you have a place to stay tonight? If not, would you prefer an all-women's shelter? Do you have children? Atar will then generate a custom, step-by-step to-do list that tells you everything that you need to know, from where to go, how to get there, what to bring with you and what to expect. You can ask a question at any time, and if Atar doesn't have an answer, you'll be connected with a real person who does.
Para resolver estas cuestións, construímos Atar, a primeira avogada virtual baseada en AI que te guía paso a paso durante a túa primeira semana na nova cidade. Só dille a Atar o que necesitas. Atar entón faiche algunhas preguntas básicas para entender a túa situación particular e determina a túa elixibilidade para os recursos. Por exemplo: Tes un sitio onde durmir esta noite? Se non, preferirías un albergue só para mulleres? Tes fillos? Atar xera entón unha lista paso a paso de cousas que facer que che indica todo o que necesitas saber, onde ir, como chegar, que levar contigo e que expectativas ter. Podes facer preguntas en calquera momento, e se o Atar non ten unha reposta, poñerate en contacto cunha persoa real que a teña.
But what's most exciting is that we help humanitarian and service organizations collect the data and the analytics that's necessary to understand the changing needs of newcomers in real time. That's a game changer. We've already partnered with the UNHCR to provide this technology in Canada, and in our work have conducted campaigns in Arabic, English, French, Creole and Spanish.
Pero o máis emocionante é que axudamos a organizacións e servizos humanitarios a recoller os datos e as análises necesarios para comprender o cambio das necesidades dos que chegan en tempo real. Isto é algo revolucionario. Xa fixemos unha parcería con ACNUR para proporcionar esta tecnoloxía en Canadá, e no noso traballo diriximos campañas en árabe, inglés, francés, crioulo e español.
When we talk about the issue of refugees, we often focus on the official statistic of 65.8 million forcibly displaced worldwide. But the reality is much greater than that. By 2050, there will be an additional 140 million people who are at risk of being displaced due to environmental degradation. And today -- that is today -- there are nearly one billion people who already live in illegal settlements and slums. Resettlement and integration is one of the greatest challenges of our time. and our hope is that Atar can provide every single newcomer an advocate. Our hope is that Atar can amplify existing efforts and alleviate pressure on a social safety net that's already stretched beyond imagination. But what's most important to us is that our work helps restore the rights and the dignity that refugees lose throughout resettlement and integration by giving them the resources that they need in order to help themselves.
Cando falamos do problema dos refuxiados, a miúdo centrámonos nas estatísticas oficiais dos 65.8 millóns de desprazados forzosos en todo o mundo. Pero a realidade é moito maior. Para o 2050, haberá máis de 140 millón de persoas en risco de ser desprazadas debido á degradación ambiental. E hoxe --hoxe-- hai case mil millóns de persoas que xa viven en asentamentos ilegais e barrios marxinais. Reasentamento e integración son os maiores desafíos do noso tempo. E a nosa esperanza é que Atar proporcione un avogado a cada recén chegado. A nosa esperanza é que Atar amplifique os esforzos que xa existen e que alivie a presión na rede de protección social que xa está tensionada alén do imaxinable. Pero o que é importante para nós é que o noso traballo axude a restablecer os dereitos e a dignidade que os refuxiados perden durante o reasentamento e a integración dándolles os recursos que necesitan para se axudaren a si mesmos.
Thank you.
Grazas.
(Applause)
(Aplausos)