ITU, Global Organisations Rally to Bridge Global AI Skills Gap through Phased Implementation Plan 

Emma Okonji

Given the importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills in driving digital transformation globally, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency that coordinates global regulation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), has initiated plans to bridge global AI skills gap, through a phased implementation plan.  

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, the East Africa Community and Cognizant are among more than 25 organisations from around the globe that will serve as founding contributors to the AI Skills Coalition, an initiative of the ITU to bridge the global AI skills gap and ensure equal worldwide access to AI training.

The AI for good initiative led by ITU, recently announced the list of coalition members during the on-going World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Through the coalition, ITU will highlight the role of digital technologies in building a sustainable future.

According to ITU, the AI Skills Coalition will serve as an online platform for AI education and capacity building. The platform will encourage inclusive participation in the AI revolution by offering open and accessible skills training on generative AI, machine learning and applying AI for sustainable development.

The AI Skills Coalition is advancing the implementation of the United Nations’ Pact for the Future and Global Digital Compact, responding swiftly to urgent global calls for AI capacity building and addressing the growing AI skills gap to ensure inclusive access to opportunities in an AI-powered world.

Speaking about the initiative, ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said: “Let’s make sure everyone has a chance to learn the skills they need to benefit from the AI revolution. Our new AI Skills Coalition is aiming to train thousands of people this year, especially those living in regions of the world just getting started on their AI journey, as part of our commitment to ensure that all communities can fully participate in our shared digital future.”

Explaining how the initiative will be implemented in phases, Bogdan-Martin said the upcoming AI for Good Global Summit, which will hold in Geneva from July 8 -11 2025, would feature a series of in-person workshops on skills training hosted by the AI Skills Coalition.

According to her, the AI Skills Coalition is ITU’s latest global initiative to consolidate AI education resources with a focus on underserved and marginalised groups.

“Founding organisations are contributing training materials, financial resources and outreach support to build a new training platform developed by ITU, to be launched in March 2025. The AI Skills Coalition platform will include a comprehensive training portfolio and a customizable digital library of AI material. The site will also feature self-paced courses, webinars, access to in-person workshops, and hybrid programs tailored to diverse learning needs.

“The online resources – to be contributed by private sector partners, academia and United Nations agencies – will be available for free. Advanced certifications will be available at affordable rates. Additional programmes for the general public as well as the certification courses will be added throughout the year. Specialised government training in AI governance, ethics, and policymaking to address the specific needs of developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs) will also be developed,” Bogdan-Martin said. 

An estimated 94 per cent of global business leaders have highlighted Artificial Intelligence as critical for the success of their organisations in research cited in the recent AI for Good Impact Report published by ITU and Deloitte. However, insufficient technical skills, the need for extensive upskilling and reskilling, as well as the need to build trust in new technologies are among key barriers to broader AI adoption globally.

According to Global Head of Microsoft Philanthropies, Kate Behncken, “Recognising the growing demand for Generative AI, we are proud to work with the ITU AI Skills Coalition to provide access to AI skills training, certifications, and capacity-building for policymakers, IT professionals, and organisational leaders.”

Administrator of UNDP, Achim Steiner, said: “As part of this Coalition, we will work with our partners to deliver crucial foundational AI training, so that policy-makers and national governments can responsibly harness AI to achieve sustainable development.”