Humans in the Loop

Humans in the Loop (HITL)

Humans in the Loop

We connect conflict-affected individuals with career development, upskilling, and remote AI training and monitoring opportunities.

Sofia, Bulgaria

BGR

Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit

In December 2024, UNHCR published a report estimating that one in seven people was affected by conflict worldwide. Additionally, the number of people forced to flee their homes by conflict and persecution reached nearly 123 million by the end of June 2024 - a number that has tripled during the last decade. The year 2024 saw new and ongoing conflicts in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Ukraine, and the DRC. In these and other such locations access to work, upskilling, and livelihoods is extremely impacted due to forced displacement, international sanctions, unfavorable laws that restrict refugees’ right to work, and the overall lack of jobs in the local economy. This in turn affects everything else, from access to healthcare and education for families to mental health and furthering social inequalities. For these individuals, the global digital economy has an enormous potential to positively impact them but it is difficult for people with a lower skill level to start training and working online. Therefore, we identified the need for comprehensive online training for digital work coupled with easy and accessible digital jobs in the field of AI annotation, which can be a first step into the remote work market.

Our solution leverages technology to equip conflict-affected communities with the skills needed to access remote digital jobs, career growth, and thrive in the AI economy. We operate across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa (in conflict zones and host countries), offering free, accessible online training through our dedicated Training platform. Participants gain in-demand skills in digital literacy, data annotation, AI ethics, cybersecurity, and freelancing, including basic skills in programming, digital marketing, and graphic design. In 2024, we expanded our training offerings in Generative AI, Medical AI, and developed an open-source training in Introduction to the World of Annotation. We partner with organizations on the ground to reach communities often excluded from the digital market. Our goal is to build a more inclusive digital workforce, reduce bias in AI, and create real economic opportunities for people impacted by conflicts. Our human-centered, tech-enabled approach drives both personal empowerment and systemic change. To overcome barriers such as unreliable internet, electricity, and lack of devices, we provide stipends for laptops and connectivity. Courses are offered in English, with personalized mentorship and career counseling available in Arabic, Ukrainian, and English. Our trainings are both instructor-led and self-paced, allowing flexibility and scalability across diverse contexts.

Today, we are witnessing unprecedented amounts of forced displacement due to armed conflict across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Refugees and internally displaced people lose their homes and jobs, facing enormous obstacles to secure their livelihoods in this situation. These large-scale displacement waves are due to long-standing geopolitical conflicts with deep historical roots, such as the Syrian civil war, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, etc. While we are unable to tackle these root causes, we are focusing on supporting conflict-affected communities in making it through these challenging situations and helping them get back on their feet and reconstruct their lives in post-conflict contexts. We provide people affected by conflict with targeted instructor-led and self-paced training, as well as career counseling support to find work (and project-based work opportunities via HITL EAD), build their confidence, and empower them to move toward financial independence. We believe that aid is the least sustainable solution, and our model focuses on financial self-reliance and giving people agency in their career journey, even in the most difficult of circumstances. We believe our online, remote-work model is key to sustaining income for people affected by conflict, who often face unstable living situations and frequent migration.