From my broken laptop to building an AI peace agent I call ‘Chata,’ I discovered how technology can become a close companion in strengthening Digital Peacebuilding.

It was one of the gloomy afternoons in the monsoon season in Sri Lanka. I was at my parents’ place, and I felt happy to visit them and spend a bit longer time with them. I was in my usual room, the same room I had been in nearly 20 years ago, reading, writing, or looking at my lazy but cute cat, ‘Chuti Pusa’ (little cat). He wasn’t with me now, but his memories remain close. Ah, let me go back to the story.

I was sitting and looking out from my window, thinking about a project proposal I was supposed to write before the end of the week. Suddenly, my laptop screen started flickering and shaking. I was not sure what was going on… “Ah God,” I whispered.

Birth of Machan, ‘Chata‘

I was at the computer shop, waiting and watching the technician who was trying to rip apart my computer. I saw his hand trembling…maybe he had too much caffeine. He split open my laptop, and I looked at it with a broken heart. I covered my shivering left hand with my right. After long, slow hours he finally returned my computer and said, “Ah…., this computer can’t be fixed here, it’s a display issue.”

I came out from the tiny shop with my broken heart and my laptop. Dimuthu, my friend, was waiting outside for me. He noticed my disappointment and said, “Hayyo… it’s not working, ye?”

I didn’t reply. I opened his car door and got in with a gloomy face. I remained silent. Suddenly Dimuthu asked, “Did you ask from Chata…?”

“WHO?” I replied instantly.

He said, “Ah, Chata… Chata…”

I thought, Who the hell is that guy? I don’t have a friend called Chata. Again, I asked, “Who…?”

“Ayya… ChatGPT!”

I was amazed! not by his solution, but by the way he called ChatGPT: “Chata…” Just like “dude,” “the guy,” a friend, or ‘Machan’. How close?! Then I realized how quickly AI had become a companion to us within such a short time . On the way back from the shop, I kept thinking about how we could use this amazing friend Chata in our day-to-day peacebuilding, programs, and community interventions.

AI Project Manager and Security Analyst

When I was working in Darfur, Sudan, I was in charge of incident tracking. In a very volatile situation, with lots of incidents and rumors, it was vital to record them for risk analysis, security analysis, patterns and hotspot monitoring, mapping, movement planning, early warning, and prioritizing areas of intervention.

I still remember stressful times spent tracking, verifying, and documenting all the information. If you have ever been a security focal point or a project manager, you know the whole story with all its nuances.

I kept thinking: What if I could make an AI-driven program to track all the security incidents, map them, create graphical illustrations, categorize, cross-check with news, UNDSS, and local authority sources, maintain the risk register, update in real time, and send alerts via WhatsApp or Email? This would save us so much time.

I came home, used my desktop, and started working with ‘N8N’ (an open-source automation platform that connects apps, APIs, and AI tools to build workflows) and ChatGPT-5. Walla… my agent was ready to report.

Beyond Machine Learning -Towards PeaceTech

Beyond my simple AI agent, there are far more sophisticated AI models available to increase the effectiveness of peace interventions.

AI can be used to process huge amounts of data and analyze different dimensions of human psychology and identity, identifying which humen dimensions drive peace processes or conflict.

For example:

• CulturePulse: uses multi-agent AI (MAAI) systems or “digital twins” to improve understanding of what works to prevent conflict and build trust in fragile contexts. Basically, it’s a computer simulation of human society that can test peacebuilding and social cohesion approaches. MAAI has already been used in Northern Ireland, Israel-Palestine, South Sudan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other parts of the world. Find out more: https://ares.culturepulse.ai/

• A research consortium at Uppsala University in Sweden and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in Norway has developed ‘The Violence & Impacts Early-Warning System (VIEWS)’, which employs AI and machine learning to analyze large datasets including conflict history, political events, and socio-economic indicators. This initiative helps identify hotspots, security threats, and drivers of negative peace, strengthening peacebuilding efforts.

New AI-oriented research and tools are appearing every day.

My Machan “Chata”

Of course, my agent is not perfect. Sometimes it has issues accessing certain web pages and news channels. Right now, it’s a bit like my ‘Chuti Pusa’. lazy and not always listening to my commands. I am still working on it, and I named this incomplete, less sophisticated AI agent “Chata.”

I am not saying AI, PeaceTech, ICT4Peace, or MediTech are magic bullets for peacebuilding. Rather, I see them as powerful tools that can be close to us. This innovative technology can help overcome challenges on the ground.

However, it seems that we as peace activists or humanitarian workers have not fully utilized these tools, especially in micro-level community peacebuilding initiatives. Or perhaps we have overlooked the potential of emerging technology.

I strongly believe we can integrate PeaceTech into micro-level initiatives, increasing the productivity and safety of interventions while never forgetting the fundamental principle of peacebuilding: Do No Harm.