Shahzad Asghar
Designing and Governing AI Systems for High-Risk, Regulated Environments
I build AI systems where infrastructure fails — unreliable internet, intermittent power, active conflict zones. 20+ years proving cutting-edge technology belongs everywhere, not just Silicon Valley.
Trusted by the United Nations · Microsoft · AWS · Featured at UN 2.0
Recognized & Partnered With
What I Believe: Last-Mile AI
From economic development to public health, from crisis response to social protection — the organizations tackling the world's hardest problems are still running on manual processes and legacy systems. AI isn't optional anymore. It's essential.
But Last-Mile AI is different from what Silicon Valley builds. It must work offline. It must respect consent and cultural context. It must handle Arabic, Urdu, and dozens of other languages. It must function when the power goes out. And it must keep humans in the loop — always.
I've spent two decades proving this works. Not in a lab — in the field, across public health systems in Pakistan, refugee operations in Jordan, and economic development programs across the Arab region.
What I Build
AI systems that work in the world's hardest environments — from public health to economic development to crisis response
AI for Development & Humanitarian Operations
Built DigitalAAP — an NLP system analyzing community feedback at scale, selected for the UN Global Pulse Accelerator. Currently leading AI/LLM projects at UNESCWA including Geo AI integration with ESRI maps and the ADP portal for automatic chart analysis supporting economic and social research.
Digital Transformation at Scale
Led a $2.5M digital transformation program at UNHCR Jordan achieving 83% efficiency gains. Previously drove digital transformation in public health systems in Pakistan with OCHA. Proven ability to modernize large, complex organizations.
LLMs & RAG Systems
Building LLM-powered applications including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, multi-agent AI architectures, and automatic chart analysis tools. Bridging frontier AI with practical applications in development and humanitarian contexts.
Cybersecurity Governance
Established UNHCR Jordan's first cybersecurity governance framework. Conducted penetration testing across multiple applications. Designed and delivered regional cybersecurity workshops across the MENA region.
Crisis Response Technology
11 emergency deployments across Syria, Bangladesh, Yemen, DRC, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. Building AI systems that work when infrastructure fails — unreliable internet, intermittent power, active conflict zones.
Cloud Architecture & Partnerships
Azure Solutions Architect Expert certified. Designed cloud-based solutions on Microsoft Azure and AWS. Secured partnerships generating over $1M in development and humanitarian project funding.
Global Impact
Delivering AI and digital transformation solutions that make a meaningful difference — across development, humanitarian, and economic sectors
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Years in the UN System
UNESCWA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNOCHA, CIDA
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Transformation Led
Digital transformation program — 83% efficiency gain
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Crisis Deployments
Emergency operations from Syria to South Sudan
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Countries
Development and humanitarian technology implementations
From the Field: AI, Development & Technology
Practical insights from 20+ years building AI across public health, economic development, and humanitarian operations
How I Built a Bridge Between AI and Refugee Data: The UNHCR Story
The real story behind implementing AI at one of the world's largest humanitarian operations.
Read on MediumBeyond the Hype: How AI is Quietly Transforming the Refugee Crisis
Why the most impactful AI isn't the most sophisticated — it's the one that works in the field.
Read on MediumUsing AI in Geospatial Analysis for Humanitarian Applications
Combining satellite imagery, ESRI maps, and machine learning for development and crisis response.
Read on MediumThe Story
Over 20 years ago, I joined the United Nations system and saw a gap that nobody was filling. From public health programs in Pakistan to economic research at UNESCWA, from emergency operations to refugee data systems — brilliant people were drowning in manual processes while the tech industry built AI for ad optimization.
I decided to bridge that gap. Since then, I've driven digital transformation across every context the UN operates in — public health, economic development, social protection, humanitarian response, and crisis operations across 15+ countries. I built DigitalAAP, an AI system selected for the UN Global Pulse Accelerator. I led a $2.5M transformation that gave humanitarian workers their time back.
Every system I build has to pass one test: does it serve the people it's meant to serve? Technology should amplify human dignity, not replace human judgment. That principle holds whether I'm building AI for economic research in Beirut or crisis response in South Sudan.