Tune in for this LinkedIn Live! Barend Jungerius🍺➕🤖 sits down with Cynthia Leimbach, Dr. Jess Mendoza, Jenna Saunders & Nick Thomson, four of the more than 40 volunteers who built Lala during the past weeks: the #DigitalAssistant for global crisis aid.

🔨What started as a multi-month hackathon exploring #LargeLanguageModels, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (#RAG), and good old-fashioned #ConversationDesign quickly evolved into something much bigger. What began as an experiment in AI-powered crisis response has now become an official NGO, rallying global experts and volunteers to create real-world impact.

🌏 LAHelpNow was born from the devastating January 2025 LA fires, and our mission is clear: connect communities in crisis with real-time, verified resources. Whether it’s wildfires, floods, earthquakes, or other disasters, we’re here to help.

🔥 Meet Lala, our AI Digital Assistant—powered by #Voiceflow and a global team of 40+ volunteers led by the amazing Cynthia Leimbach. Available 24/7, Lala ensures that critical aid is always just a click away.

🚀Since launch, we’ve built a worldwide network of hashtag#volunteers, vendors, and tech experts from the U.S., Canada, South Africa, India, Kenya, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, and Mexico—all working together to provide life-saving assistance.

💡 Want to make a real impact? Join us during this live broadcast! But also: volunteer, donate, or provide resources to support communities in need. Every action counts.