Alice Umutesi
A new United Nations-backed initiative wants to make sure artificial intelligence (AI) benefits everyone, not just the countries and companies already ahead in the technology race.
The AI for Good Global Commission was launched on July 2 as a high-level multi-stakeholder platform co-chaired by President Paul Kagame and Marc Benioff, co-founder and CEO of Salesforce, a global provider of cloud-based technology solutions.
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The commission’s vice-chair is Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN’s specialized agency for digital technologies.
What is the commission?
The initiative was established this year under the leadership of the ITU as a platform where governments, technology companies, international organisations and other stakeholders can work together on the opportunities and challenges presented by AI.
Rather than developing AI technologies itself, the commission is expected to help identify practical ways to strengthen trust in AI, promote responsible innovation, expand access to AI technologies and ensure their economic and social benefits are shared more equitably across the world.
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The initiative builds on the work of the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, which promotes global internet connectivity and digital inclusion.
Why was it created?
According to the ITU, around 2.2 billion people remain offline, meaning roughly one-quarter of the world’s population is unable to benefit fully from AI-driven technologies.
One of the commission’s priorities will be reducing digital inequality and ensuring AI helps to solve global challenges rather than widening existing gaps between countries.
It also seeks to bridge the gap between policymakers, technology developers, businesses and communities by bringing them together to develop practical approaches to AI governance across sectors and borders.
Who are the members?
The platform has 44 founding members, including heads of state, chief executives of some of the world’s largest technology companies, senior United Nations officials and leaders of international organisations.
They include Alar Karis, President of Estonia; Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland; and Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of AI and Digital Development of Kazakhstan.
Other members include Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries; Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA; Andy Jassy, CEO and President of Amazon; Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft; Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization; James Manyika, President for Research, Labs, Technology & Society at Google and Alphabet; Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO of Accenture; Dr Albert Bourla, CEO and Chairman of Pfizer; and will.i.am, musician and Founder and CEO of FYI.AI, an AI-powered communication and productivity platform for creators and collaborators, among others.
First meeting
The commission will hold its inaugural meeting during the AI for Good Global Summit 2026, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 7 to 10 as part of the UN’s Digital Week.
The summit follows the first UN-mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance and is expected to shape discussions on international AI cooperation, governance and responsible innovation.
During the summit on July 8, the Commission’s co-chairs President Kagame and Benioff will participate in a fireside chat moderated by Commission Vice-Chair Bogdan-Martin.
The session will explore how bringing together leaders who develop AI technologies, deploy them at scale, shape policy and represent communities can help advance responsible AI solutions across sectors and borders.
New Times
