Helping disaster response teams turn AI into action across Asia

Today in Bangkok, we’re bringing together 50 disaster management leaders from across Southeast and South Asia for our inaugural AI Jam for Disaster Management professionals, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (APDC), and DataKind.

The question guiding this initiative is simple, but urgent: How can AI help governments and nonprofits respond faster and more effectively when it matters most?

Participants come from 13 countries—Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam—representing government agencies, multilateral organizations and non-profits. Many are directly involved in disaster response on the ground, coordinating information, supporting affected communities, and making time-critical decisions.

This effort also builds on the expansion of our OpenAI for Countries Program ⁠ (opens in a new window) announced at Davos. At its core, this work is about helping organizations move beyond interest in AI and into real-world applications, embedding it into the operational challenges they face every day.

“In the future, the most powerful AI won’t just be the smartest, it will be the most accessible. Technology only matters if it reaches the people who need it most. The capabilities to solve real-world challenges already exist today, and collaborations like this between OpenAI, ADPC, and the Gates Foundation show how bringing together expertise across sectors can turn that potential into scalable, real-world solutions.”

“ This session is aimed at c losing the gap between what AI can do and how it’s actually used in the field. Across Asia, there’s strong momentum and interest in AI, but the real opportunity is turning that into practical capability. By working directly with disaster-response professionals, we can ensure these tools are useful, accessible, and grounded in real-world needs.”

Disaster response teams often operate in resource-constrained environments, working with fragmented data, manual processes and limited infrastructure. These constraints can slow coordination and delay critical decisions, especially in fast-moving situations where timely information is essential. Many teams are now exploring how AI can better support these workflows.

In these moments, we’re also seeing a shift in how people seek support. During Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, internal data showed a 17× increase in cyclone-related messages on ChatGPT, highlighting how AI is already being used to access information and guidance during crises. During Cyclone Senyar in November 2025, Thailand saw similar AI usage surges, with message volume jumping 3.2× compared to the months prior. This points to a clear opportunity to integrate AI more directly into how response teams gather information, make decisions, and communicate during emergencies.

This is what our Jam focused on. In today’s session, participants worked side by side with OpenAI mentors to find practical ways AI can support their daily work.Rather than starting from scratch, they explored building custom GPTs and reusable workflows they can apply in different situations—from situation reporting to needs assessment and public communication. The sessions also emphasized the importance of responsible use and building institutional trust in adopting AI technologies.

That urgency is only growing. In the second half of last year, a series of typhoons and severe storms across South and Southeast Asia disrupted communities and stretched disaster response systems to their limits. Asia remains the world’s most disaster-prone region, accounting for an estimated 75% of people affected by disasters globally. The World Bank estimates disasters have cost ASEAN countries more than $11 billion in previous years.

Professor Dr Yodchanan Wongsawat, a Member of the House of Representatives in Thailand, opened the session by highlighting the importance of public-private collaboration in strengthening disaster preparedness and response across the region.

—Professor Dr Yodchanan Wongsawat, member of the house of representatives in Thailand