AI looks set to be transformative for us all, but it also brings a real risk of job losses and widening social and economic divides. UN experts are focusing on how to manage that transition, to ensure the benefits of the technology outweigh the threats.
Whether you are a "doomer" or a "boomer" on the subject, it's impossible to ignore AI, which is seeping into every corner of our personal and professional lives.
The UN has been banging the drum for a "people-first" approach to the subject for years now.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council back in 2024 that the fate of humanity "must never be left to the 'black box' of an algorithm," and that people must always retain oversight and control over AI decision-making to ensure that human rights are upheld.
Since then, the UN System has been consolidating work on the ethical global governance of AI, building on the guidelines and recommendations contained in the landmark Global Digital Compact .
Here is a selection of the key ideas.
1. Education is key
The UN consistently highlights education as central to ensuring people remain relevant in an AI-enabled future. This is not just about plugging AI tools into the education system but making sure that students and educators are "AI-literate."
"The global education system will need 44 million teachers by 2030," says Shafika Isaacs, head of technology and AI in education at UNESCO (the UN agency for education, science and culture). "We believe that it is a mistake to argue that we need to invest more in AI technologies rather than investing in teachers. AI can manage data transfer, but it cannot manage human development, Education is fundamentally a social, human and cultural experience and not a technical download."
