2. Infrastructure must be matched with capacity to use AI effectively. This is especially true in the public sector, where decisions can shape services for millions. For AI to truly deliver for everyone, people from all socio-economic backgrounds must be able to participate in the full AI and data value chain. Because countries vary widely in readiness, education and skills programmes are essential to support better jobs and enable communi- ties to shape AI to local needs. 3. Technical standards are key to trans- forming governance commitments into operational safeguards. Standards help address risks such as environ- mental impact, bias and disinformation, while also creating economies of scale and levelling the playing field, so that companies of all sizes can share in a burgeoning AI economy. Standards can help make AI systems inter- operable, adapt them to local contexts and embed sustainability across the AI value chain – from sourcing raw materials cleanly to run- ning data centres on green energy. WHAT ITU IS DOING As the United Nations agency for digital tech- nologies, ITU works across all three areas to ensure digital technologies – including AI – reach and uplift every community. As a proud knowledge partner of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group and con- tributor to the AI Task Force, ITU advocates for the fair, inclusive and sustainable devel- opment of artificial intelligence, including through our AI Governance Dialogue: a neutral, global platform where all countries – regardless of GDP or geography – can discuss policy approaches on an equal footing. Through our AI Skills Coalition of over 40 partners, ITU also offers training oppor- tunities to expand global talent pipelines, especially in emerging economies.
And as a standards development organi- sation, ITU collaborates with ISO and other partners, including the private sector, to build the technical foundations for sustainable AI. The recently launched AI Standards Exchange compiles 700 standards and pub- lications into a single database designed to help companies, policymakers and regulators ensure that AI is trustworthy, interoperable and resilient. WHAT G20 MEMBERS CAN DO Representing two-thirds of the world’s people and 85% of global GDP, G20 members have the capacity – and responsibility – to lead. As leaders meet in Johannesburg, they can:
38 % of the African continent’s population has internet access
•
Close the digital divide and prevent an AI divide by investing in affordable, meaningful connectivity. Participate in inclusive global AI gov- ernance dialogues. Invest in capacity building and AI skills development initiatives. Contribute expertise to international AI standards processes. Use milestones such as the upcoming 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society to renew global commitments to inclusive digital transformation.
•
•
•
•
Sustainable economic growth in the AI era depends on technologies serving everyone, not just the best resourced. Inclusion, capacity and standards are three foundational building blocks that can bring us closer to that vision. Our digital future is ultimately shared – and only by working together can we ensure AI deliv- ers for all of humanity.
With growth slowing and families struggling to make ends meet, it is an appalling injustice when money ends up in the hands of criminals – money that could be spent on much-needed global growth and development” // DOREEN BOGDAN-MARTIN Doreen Bogdan-Martin took office as secretary general of the Interna- tional Telecommunication Union in January 2023. She was director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau from 2018 to 2022, and previously served as executive director of the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development for more than a decade. She also led ITU’s Strategic Planning and Membership Department and the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau’s Regulatory and Market Environment Division and Regulatory Reform Unit. Before joining ITU in 1994, she worked in the National Telecommunication and Information Administration of the US Department of Commerce.
X-TWITTER @ITUSecGen www.itu.int
65 globalgovernanceproject.org
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting