Markle Foundation Launches AI Initiative Focused on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

NEW YORK, December 10, 2025 – The Markle Foundation today announced the launch of its AI for Disasters + Emergencies Initiative (AIDE), an effort to leverage AI for good to help emergency managers and communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters. The Initiative will bring together leading experts from emergency management, technology, government, business, educational institutions, nonprofits, and community groups to identify and scale AI solutions that can help save lives, protect property, and enable communities to recover faster.

As natural disasters become more intense and frequent, communities around the country face growing challenges with fewer resources. This Initiative will evaluate how AI tools can support and strengthen emergency management nationwide. By focusing on state and local implementation with national impact, this Initiative will also boost America’s competitiveness in AI adoption, strengthen national security, and drive innovation. It will further promote American AI technology as a model for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery worldwide, demonstrating that AI can be a powerful force for good when deployed responsibly.

“At this pivotal moment in AI adoption, we have an extraordinary opportunity to harness this transformative technology for the public good,” said Ellen V. Futter, President of the Markle Foundation. “By focusing on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, we aim to demonstrate AI’s life-saving potential while advancing America’s leadership in responsible AI innovation and implementation.”

Futter added: “Jana Juginovic, Markle’s Chief Communications and Strategy Officer, will serve as Executive Director of this Initiative, leading day-to-day efforts and bringing together partners and stakeholders in this critical work.”

The Markle Foundation is partnering with Aspen Digital, a program of the Aspen Institute, and RAND to build and convene a multi-sector, bipartisan coalition that will work directly with emergency managers and communities across the country to identify the most critical needs, opportunities, and practical solutions.

Vivian Schiller, Vice President and Executive Director of Aspen Digital, emphasized the Initiative’s focus on local impact: “State and local governments are on the front lines, yet they often lack the tools to leverage AI’s full potential. We’re bringing together the nation’s best minds to ensure AI technologies reach the communities that need them most.” 

Schiller added that Aspen Digital is excited to have Jeremy Greenberg leading the effort for Aspen Digital. As the former Director of FEMA’s Response Operations Division, he is bringing more than two decades of federal emergency management experience to the effort.

“AI-enabled tools can dramatically improve emergency management,” said Jessie Riposo, disaster management and resilience expert at RAND. “By working directly with emergency managers and technologists, we can identify which existing technologies best address their critical needs and can be implemented most effectively.”

Over the coming months, the Initiative team will convene stakeholders to identify specific opportunities where AI can make an immediate difference. By focusing on practical applications and real-world implementation, coupled with training, technical assistance, and capacity-building, this effort will demonstrate how technology can strengthen disaster preparedness, response, and recovery and create sustainable solutions that can be adapted and scaled nationwide.

More details will be announced in the coming weeks.