AI Used to Deliver $1K Cash to Hurricane Victims

A novel disaster aid initiative is set to support nearly 1,000 households in North Carolina and Florida this week. The nonprofit GiveDirectly is sending $1,000 in direct cash payments to those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and using a Google-made AI tool to help zero in on areas with high concentrations of both storm damage and poverty. Recipients can register using a smartphone app that already handles government benefits, with the money being deposited to the app's debit card. This method aims to empower individuals to meet their immediate needs without the exhaustive burden of traditional aid applications.

Laura Keen, a senior program manager at GiveDirectly, emphasized the program's advantages. The initiative seeks to make disaster aid not only faster but more effective, allowing recipients to decide for themselves what their most urgent needs are. Keen described cash as having an "eleganance," as it enables people to deal with their unique circumstances and can offer protection from predatory lending and potential credit card debt. The program is not without its challenges though: Smartphones are required for access, for one. GiveDirectly has raised $1.2 million thus far for the effort, 25% of which came from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)