Communications Intern (AI and Innovation)

OUSG, DGC, New York, hybrid, full-time

3-6 months max

The Department of Global Communications is responsible for informing the public, civil society and Member States with trusted information and communicating the UN story around the world through its global networks and United Nations Information Centres and Services. The internship is in the Strategic Impact and Innovation Section of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General (OUSG), Department of Global Communications (DGC). The team translates the Department's strategic objectives into practical workflows and measurable outcomes by strengthening cross-divisional collaboration and integrating innovation, impact measurement and insights across programmatic areas. Its work includes guiding the ethical and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Department, leading public messaging and communications on AI, convening the inter-agency UN Communications Group AI Lab, monitoring global AI communications trends, and piloting innovative content and outreach formats in line with UN 2.0. The internship is for three (3) months with an opportunity for extension up to six (6) months maximum, depending on the needs of the Section and the availability of the candidate. The internship is unpaid and full-time. Interns work five days a week (35 hours), in person or in a hybrid format, under the supervision of the AI lead in the Section. Under the supervision of the AI lead, the selected intern may perform some of the following functions: • UNCG AI Lab: Support the monthly inter-agency AI Lab meetings, including agendas, notes, follow-up actions and logistics. Document challenges, solutions and pilots shared by participating agencies. Support the research of sub-themes related to the group, ranging from content provenance and disclosure standards to AI visibility to agentic AI. • AI Governance Group: Help capture and maintain a DGC inventory of AI use cases and projects. Document challenges and opportunities and help turn them into case studies to supplement DGC’s Guidelines on the Ethical and Responsible Use of AI in Communications. Support the Governance group in meetings through note-taking and follow-up actions. • Communications guidelines enquiries: Help log colleagues' enquiries on DGC’s Guidelines on the Ethical and Responsible Use of AI in Communications. Identify recurring questions and identify opportunities of further guidance and exploration to support the annual review of the DGC Guidelines. To this end, support the research of emerging areas of AI use in communications. • AI content visibility (SEO, GEO, AEO): Help produce UN content on 1-2 priority topics, in collaboration with the thematic leads, to boost visibility of content in LLMs. • AI trends: Track developments in the broader AI landscape as well as new AI technologies that affect communications work, such as agentic AI, AI-generated media, and content provenance and labelling, and the broader landscape of AI messaging. Help prepare monthly trend digests. • Creative innovation ideas/pilots: Propose new ideas for creative and digital innovation in UN communications, such as new storytelling formats, AI-assisted production approaches or audience engagement experiments. Develop the most promising ideas into short concept notes and pilots in safe testing ("sandbox") environments, in line with the DGC Guidelines on the Ethical and Responsible use of AI in Communications. • Emerging areas: Support the research of emerging areas, ranging from content provenance and disclosure standards to AI visibility to agentic AI, and transform them into tip sheets. The intern will gain hands-on experience of how the UN system develops and applies AI governance and adoption in communications, and of inter-agency coordination through the UNCG AI Lab. They will build skills in evaluating AI tools and their risks and turning research into concise briefs and tips. They will also gain exposure to the UN 2.0 areas of data, innovation, digital, foresight and behavioural science. Depending on skills and interest, the intern may also lead a small project, such as building an AI pilot relevant to public communications. The intern will meet weekly with their supervisor and receive feedback at the mid-point and end of the internship.

To qualify for the United Nations Internship Programme, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: a. Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or b. Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's level or equivalent). Relevant fields include communications, journalism, multimedia, data journalism, AI, computer science, digital media, or a related field. Applicants must also have: • Hands-on experience using AI and digital tools for communications, for example large language model (LLM) assistants, custom or agentic AI tools, Adobe Creative Cloud or Figma. • Experience in basic data skills (spreadsheets, simple analysis or visualization). • An in interest in AI ethics and communications. • An interest in creative communications, innovation and Agentic AI is a strong asset. Examples include building custom AI assistants or agents; experimenting with new forms of AI-assisted storytelling and journalism; creating data visualizations, interactive or immersive content; and prototyping tools. • A demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and a personal commitment to the ideals of the UN Charter. • A demonstrated ability to interact successfully with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs. A completed online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The Cover Note must include: • Degree programme (what you are currently studying) • Graduation date (when you will graduate or graduated from the programme) • Why you are the best candidate for this specific internship • Your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme • One example of how you have used, tested or critically assessed an AI tool In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills, and three references. Due to the high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted. Applicants who are children or siblings of a staff member are not eligible to apply for an internship at the United Nations. Interns will need to provide all necessary hardware (computer), software and internet connection to perform the internship remotely. Interns must follow UN rules on information security and use only approved AI tools, without entering confidential or personal information into external services. Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship. Applicants must be a student in the second to last year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), or have completed a Bachelor’s Programme. Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Not available.

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.