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About two years ago,

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I got a phone call that changed my life.

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"Hey, this is your cousin Hassen."

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I froze.

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You see, I have well over
30 first cousins,

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but I didn't know anybody named Hassen.

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It turned out that Hassen
was actually my mom's cousin

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and had just arrived
in Montreal as a refugee.

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And over the next few months,

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I would have three more relatives
coming to Canada to apply for asylum

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with little more than
the clothes on their back.

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And in the two years
since that phone call,

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my life has completely changed.

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I left academia

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and now lead a diverse team
of technologists, researchers and refugees

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that is developing customized
self-help resources for newcomers.

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We want to help them overcome
language, cultural and other barriers

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that make them feel like they've lost
control over their own lives.

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And we feel that AI can help restore
the rights and the dignity

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that many people lose when seeking help.

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My family's refugee experience
is not unique.

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According to the UNHCR,

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every minute, 20 people
are newly displaced

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by climate change, economic crisis

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and social and political instability.

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And it was while volunteering
at a local YMCA shelter

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that my cousin Hassen
and other relatives were sent to

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that we saw and learned to appreciate

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how much effort and coordination
resettlement requires.

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When you first arrive,
you need to find a lawyer

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and fill out legal documents
within two weeks.

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You also need to schedule a medical exam
with a pre-authorized physician,

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just so that you can apply
for a work permit.

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And you need to start looking
for a place to live

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before you receive
any sort of social assistance.

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With thousands fleeing the United States

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to seek asylum in Canada
over the past few years,

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we quickly saw what it looks like

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when there are more people who need help
than there are resources to help them.

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Social services doesn't scale quickly,

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and even if communities do their best

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to help more people
with limited resources,

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newcomers end up spending
more time waiting in limbo,

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not knowing where to turn.

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In Montreal, for example,

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despite millions of dollars being spent
to support resettlement efforts,

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nearly 50 percent of newcomers
still don't know

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that there are free resources that exist

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to help them with everything
from filling out paperwork

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to finding a job.

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The challenge is not
that this information doesn't exist.

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On the contrary, those in need are often
bombarded with so much information

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that it's difficult
to make sense of it all.

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"Don't give me more information,
just tell me what to do,"

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was a sentiment we heard
over and over again.

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And it reflects how insanely difficult
it could be to get your bearings

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when you first arrive in a new country.

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Hell, I struggled with the same issues
when I got to Montreal,

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and I have a PhD.

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(Laughter)

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As another member of our team,
himself also a refugee, put it:

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"In Canada, a SIM card
is more important than food,

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because we will not die from hunger."

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But getting access to the right
resources and information

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can be the difference
between life and death.

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Let me say that again:

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getting access to the right
resources and information

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can be the difference
between life and death.

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In order to address these issues,

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we built Atar,

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the first-ever AI-powered virtual advocate

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that guides you step-by-step
through your first week

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of arriving in a new city.

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Just tell Atar what you need help with.

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Atar will then ask you
some basic questions

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to understand your unique circumstances

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and determine your eligibility
for resources.

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For example: Do you have
a place to stay tonight?

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If not, would you prefer
an all-women's shelter?

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Do you have children?

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Atar will then generate
a custom, step-by-step to-do list

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that tells you everything
that you need to know,

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from where to go, how to get there,

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what to bring with you

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and what to expect.

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You can ask a question at any time,

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and if Atar doesn't have an answer,

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you'll be connected
with a real person who does.

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But what's most exciting

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is that we help humanitarian
and service organizations

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collect the data and the analytics
that's necessary to understand

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the changing needs of newcomers

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in real time.

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That's a game changer.

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We've already partnered with the UNHCR

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to provide this technology in Canada,

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and in our work have conducted
campaigns in Arabic, English,

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French, Creole and Spanish.

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When we talk about the issue of refugees,

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we often focus on the official statistic

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of 65.8 million forcibly
displaced worldwide.

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But the reality is much greater than that.

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By 2050, there will be
an additional 140 million people

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who are at risk of being displaced
due to environmental degradation.

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And today -- that is today --
there are nearly one billion people

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who already live in illegal
settlements and slums.

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Resettlement and integration

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is one of the greatest
challenges of our time.

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and our hope is that Atar can provide
every single newcomer an advocate.

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Our hope is that Atar
can amplify existing efforts

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and alleviate pressure
on a social safety net

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that's already stretched
beyond imagination.

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But what's most important to us

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is that our work helps restore
the rights and the dignity

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that refugees lose throughout
resettlement and integration

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by giving them the resources that
they need in order to help themselves.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)