AI with Empathy: Inside FAO’s Quiet Revolution
Rome: She does not draw a salary, take coffee breaks, or travel on mission, yet she has quietly entered the daily rhythm of one of the United Nations’ most tradition-bound agencies. Her name is Ms FAO AI, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s new virtual colleague — an Artificial Intelligence–powered avatar designed not to manage crops or process data, but to assist the people who make FAO work.
In an era when almost every organisation is turning to Artificial Intelligence, FAO’s step stands out for where it directs the technology: inward. The Organization has not developed an algorithm for food forecasting or agricultural analytics this time, but rather a digital companion whose purpose is to guide its own global staff through the complex architecture of human resources. Available worldwide and around the clock, she responds in seven languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish — helping staff navigate questions about insurance, leave, learning opportunities, and career development.
FAO describes her not as a robot, but as a “colleague.” That framing is deliberate. The Director-General, Qu Dongyu, called her launch “a reflection of our willingness to learn, to change, and to lead.” It signals a shift in how one of the UN’s most structured organisations perceives technology — not as a substitute for human interaction but as a facilitator of it. In Qu’s words, Ms FAO AI “was not designed as a robot, but as a companion.”
She is also the latest step in FAO’s ongoing modernisation drive. Earlier this year, the Organization launched HR CertusCare, its first AI chatbot dedicated to human resources. Ms FAO AI builds on that system, expanding it from a question-and-answer platform into a conversational interface that learns and improves through use. The more FAO employees engage with her, the more context-aware her responses become. Both systems are designed to complement, not replace, human officers — offering speed and consistency where bureaucracy often falters.
FAO’s workforce spans more than 130 countries, and its administrative processes are complex by necessity. For staff in field offices, connectivity and time zones can make even routine inquiries slow and inconsistent. Ms FAO AI was created to remove that unevenness. A national officer in Sudan, a consultant in Bangkok, or a policy expert in Rome can now receive the same information, in their preferred language, within seconds. In practice, that consistency translates into inclusivity — one of the Organization’s stated goals.
Qu often invokes a Chinese proverb: “To do a good job, one must first sharpen the tools.” Ms FAO AI represents one of those sharpened tools — a system that reflects a larger idea of institutional readiness. But her creation also carries a philosophical message. The Director-General emphasises that “technology must serve humanity, not replace it.” In an age of automation, FAO’s choice to frame its digital experiment around human values makes the initiative distinct. The goal is not simply efficiency but accessibility and fairness, ensuring that every staff member — regardless of duty station or language — can interact with the Organization on equal terms.
There is also a cultural dimension to this experiment. The United Nations system, known for hierarchy and formality, rarely invites direct human–machine interaction as a tool for organisational learning. Ms FAO AI changes that dynamic. Employees are encouraged to ask, challenge, and explore, turning what was once a one-way administrative channel into an interactive loop where both staff and system learn. This participatory model, built on iteration and engagement, reflects an evolving FAO culture that values openness and adaptability.
While many global institutions are developing AI tools to address external challenges such as climate prediction or food supply chain management, FAO’s decision to apply AI introspectively is unusual. It represents an acknowledgement that internal efficiency and morale underpin external impact. By improving the everyday experience of its staff, FAO aims to strengthen its ability to serve member countries and communities worldwide.
The Organization envisions that Ms FAO AI and CertusCare will eventually form part of a unified digital ecosystem — a one-stop platform for staff support, reducing routine workloads and freeing people for higher-level, mission-oriented tasks. The concept is pragmatic: to simplify access to information and streamline operations while ensuring that decision-making remains human-led.
Ethical considerations are central to the project. While FAO has not disclosed the technical architecture of the system, it aligns with the Organization’s principles of data privacy, transparency, and accountability. The emphasis on a “people first” approach resonates with broader UN discussions on the responsible use of AI — an assurance that technological innovation within public institutions must advance fairness and trust.
Ms FAO AI’s multilingual design is another feature that distinguishes her from many corporate or government systems. By operating in all seven of FAO’s official languages, she helps eliminate a subtle form of inequality that often shadows international organisations: the advantage of proximity to headquarters or command of a dominant language. In doing so, she turns AI into an equaliser — making inclusivity measurable and real.
Her presence also offers a glimpse into the evolving nature of work inside large global bodies. The line between human and digital collaboration is becoming fluid, and FAO is treating that transition as a cultural process rather than a technological inevitability. Ms FAO AI is as much a statement about identity as about innovation — a way for the Organization to signal that modernisation need not come at the cost of its human spirit.
The launch reflects Qu Dongyu’s broader agenda to align FAO’s internal systems with its external mission of supporting food security and sustainable development. Since taking office in 2019, he has repeatedly stressed that reform must begin within. Ms FAO AI symbolises that philosophy — modernisation not as an abstract goal but as a lived experience within the Organization itself.
The initiative may appear modest — a chatbot with a face and a name — but it captures a larger transformation underway across global institutions: the search for a balance between speed and sensitivity, automation and empathy. If successful, Ms FAO AI could become a model for how Artificial Intelligence can enhance, rather than erode, the human character of international governance.
For now, she works silently through FAO’s internal networks — tireless, multilingual, and learning with each interaction. Her creators call her a “virtual colleague,” but her influence extends beyond efficiency. In helping staff find answers, she is also helping an institution rediscover how to listen.
– global bihari bureau
