Education and rights central to UN AI strategy
AI should complement human skills rather than replace them, even as many roles face significant transformation.
UN experts are intensifying efforts to shape a people-first approach to AI, warning that unchecked adoption could deepen inequality and disrupt labour markets. AI offers productivity gains, but benefits must outweigh social and economic risks, the organisation says.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly stressed that human oversight must remain central to AI decision-making. UN efforts now focus on ethical governance, drawing on the Global Digital Compact to align AI with human rights.
Education sits at the heart of the strategy. UNESCO has warned against prioritising technology investment over teachers, arguing that AI literacy should support, not replace, human development.
Labour impacts also feature prominently, with the International Labour Organization predicting widespread job transformation rather than inevitable net losses.
Access and rights remain key concerns. The UN has cautioned that AI dominance by a small group of technology firms could widen global divides, while calling for international cooperation to regulate harmful uses, protect dignity, and ensure the technology serves society as a whole.
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