ITU: Risk Management, Infrastructure Development, International Collaboration key to Harness AI

Emma Okonji

The Secretary-General, International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan‑Martin, has stressed the need for risk management, infrastructure development and international collaboration in order to successfully harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for global digital growth and transformation.

Bogdan‑Martin who said this in her keynote at the just concluded two-day AI for Good Global Summit, which held in Geneva, Switzerland, urged ​​​​global leaders from government, industry and the global artificial intelligence community to make AI more inclusive for the benefit of all.

According to her, “All voices need to be at the AI table. At this decisive moment for the future of global cooperation, the AI for Good Global Summit sets the path for inclusive AI governance, the fight against AI-driven disinformation, and rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” 

Giving details, she said: “The first pillar is risk and security management. Governance efforts have highlighted the need for greater focus on areas such as risk monitoring, incident reporting, and content authentication. There is a strong call for harmonised AI standards to ensure a rights-based approach that addresses safety, security, and ethical practices.”

According to her, the second pillar is infrastructure and resource development, which calls for access to computing resources, as the majority of investments are concentrated in just a handful of countries.

“Skills development is equally important, if we are to have the talent necessary to advance AI technologies responsibly. Developing diverse high-quality datasets is also a priority to create robust and unbiased AI systems,” Bogdan‑Martin said.

For the third pillar, which she listed as international collaboration, she said there was a clear recognition of the importance of both maximising the benefits of AI and managing its risks responsibly through greater international collaboration and collective action.

“We need to bring everyone to the table, including developing and least developed countries. We need global coordination to build safe and inclusive AI that is accessible to all. I see this nascent AI regulatory landscape as a unique opportunity to ensure that every country and every voice counts,” Bogdan‑Martin added.

During the global summit, ITU and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), as well as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), announced a unified framework for AI standards development, highlighting the push to translate AI governance principles into practical, actionable standards.

A new multi-stakeholder initiative was also announced to support coordinated standards development for AI watermarking, multimedia authenticity, and deepfake detection. The partnership includes the Content Authenticity Initiative, Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, Internet Engineering Task Force, IEC, ISO, and ITU.

The AI for Good Impact Initiative was launched at the summit, which aims to expand the scope and impact of AI applications for sustainable development. The initiative will link AI innovators with opportunities to scale and fund promising AI solutions for every SDG equally across every region.

Activities will include regional AI for Good Impact events; global competitions to crowdsource AI solutions and boost AI expertise; research and policy guidance on AI for sustainable development; and accelerators for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Summit speakers, including some of the world’s most recognised voices on AI, explored the latest breakthroughs in AI and examined actions to ensure that AI works for the benefit of humanity.

Demos featured technologies using AI to translate brain waves into written and spoken words, and mind-controlled robotic prosthetics that included an AI-powered exoskeleton to allow people with severely limited mobility to walk again.