Capacity development

AI that serves communities, not the other way round

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, a vivid discussion unfolded around how countries in the Global South can build AI capacity from the ground up, rooted in local realities rather than externally imposed models. Organised by Diplo, the Permanent Mission of Kenya to the UN in Geneva, Microsoft, and IT for Change, the session used the fictional agricultural nation of ‘Landia’ to spotlight the challenges and opportunities of community-centred AI development.

With weak infrastructure, unreliable electricity, and fragmented data ecosystems, Landia embodies the typical constraints many developing nations face as they navigate the AI revolution.

UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies Amandeep Singh Gill presented a forthcoming UN report proposing a five-tiered framework to guide countries from basic AI literacy to full development capacity. He stressed the need for tailored, coordinated international support—backed by a potential global AI fund—to avoid the fragmented aid pitfalls seen in climate and health sectors.

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Microsoft’s Ashutosh Chadha echoed that AI readiness is not just a tech issue but fundamentally a policy challenge, highlighting the importance of data governance, education systems, and digital infrastructure as foundations for meaningful AI use.

Civil society voices, particularly from IT4Change’s Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami, spoke about ‘regenerative AI’—AI that is indigenous, inclusive, and modular. They advocated for small-scale models that can run on local data and infrastructures, proposing creative use of community media archives and agroecological knowledge.

Speakers stressed that technology should adapt to community needs, not the reverse, and that AI must augment—not displace—traditional practices, especially in agriculture where livelihoods are at stake.

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Ultimately, the session crystallised around a core principle: AI must be developed with—not for—local communities. Participants called for training unemployed youth to support rural farmers with accessible AI tools, urged governments to invest in basic infrastructure alongside AI capacity, and warned against replicating inequalities through automation.

The session concluded with optimism and a commitment to continue this global-local dialogue beyond Geneva, ensuring AI’s future in the Global South is not only technologically viable, but socially just.

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UN leaders chart inclusive digital future at WSIS+20

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, UN leaders gathered for a pivotal dialogue on shaping an inclusive digital transformation, marking two decades since the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Speakers across the UN system emphasised that technology must serve people, not vice versa.

They highlighted that bridging the digital divide is critical to ensuring that innovations like AI uplift all of humanity, not just those in advanced economies. Without equitable access, the benefits of digital transformation risk reinforcing existing inequalities and leaving millions behind.

The discussion showcased how digital technologies already transform disaster response and climate resilience. The World Meteorological Organization and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction illustrated how AI powers early warning systems and real-time risk analysis, saving lives in vulnerable regions.

Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN underscored the need to align technology with basic human needs, reminding the audience that ‘AI is not food,’ and calling for thoughtful, efficient deployment of digital tools to address global hunger and development.

Workforce transformation and leadership in the AI era also featured prominently. Leaders from the International Labour Organization and UNITAR stressed that while AI may replace some roles, it will augment many more, making digital literacy, ethical foresight, and collaborative governance essential skills. Examples from within the UN system itself, such as the digitisation of the Joint Staff Pension Fund through facial recognition and blockchain, demonstrated how innovation can enhance services without sacrificing inclusivity or ethics.

As the session closed, speakers collectively reaffirmed the importance of human rights, international cooperation, and shared digital governance. They stressed that the future of global development hinges on treating digital infrastructure and knowledge as public goods.

With the WSIS framework and Global Digital Compact as guideposts, UN leaders called for sustained, unified efforts to ensure that digital transformation uplifts every community and contributes meaningfully to the Sustainable Development Goals.

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X CEO Yaccarino resigns as AI controversy and Musk’s influence grow

Linda Yaccarino has stepped down as CEO of X, ending a turbulent two-year tenure marked by Musk’s controversial leadership and ongoing transformation of the social media company.

Her resignation came just one day after a backlash over offensive posts by Grok, the AI chatbot created by Musk’s xAI, which had been recently integrated into the platform.

Yaccarino, who was previously a top advertising executive at NBCUniversal, was brought on in 2023 to help stabilise the company following Musk’s $44bn acquisition.

In her farewell post, she cited efforts to improve user safety and rebuild advertiser trust, but did not provide a clear reason for her departure.

Analysts suggest growing tensions with Musk’s management style, particularly around AI moderation, may have prompted the move.

Her exit adds to the mounting challenges facing Musk’s empire.

Tesla is suffering from slumping sales and executive departures, while X remains under pressure from heavy debts and legal battles with advertisers.

Yaccarino had spearheaded ambitious initiatives, including payment partnerships with Visa and plans for an X-branded credit or debit card.

Despite these developments, X continues to face scrutiny for its rightward political shift and reliance on controversial AI tools.

Whether the company can fulfil Musk’s vision of becoming an ‘everything app’ without Yaccarino remains to be seen.

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Nvidia nears $4 trillion milestone as AI boom continues

Nvidia has made financial history by nearly reaching a $4 trillion market valuation, a milestone highlighting investor confidence in AI as a powerful economic force.

Shares briefly peaked at $164.42 before closing slightly lower at $162.88, just under the record threshold. The rise underscores Nvidia’s position as the leading supplier of AI chips amid soaring demand from major tech firms.

Led by CEO Jensen Huang, the company now holds a market value larger than the economies of Britain, France, or India.

Nvidia’s growth has helped lift the Nasdaq to new highs, aided in part by improved market sentiment following Donald Trump’s softened stance on tariffs.

However, trade barriers with China continue to pose risks, including export restrictions that cost Nvidia $4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2025.

Despite those challenges, Nvidia secured a major AI infrastructure deal in Saudi Arabia during Trump’s visit in May. Innovations such as the next-generation Blackwell GPUs and ‘real-time digital twins’ have helped maintain investor confidence.

The company’s stock has risen over 21% in 2025, far outpacing the Nasdaq’s 6.7% gain. Nvidia chips are also being used by the US administration as leverage in global tech diplomacy.

While competition from Chinese AI firms like DeepSeek briefly knocked $600 billion off Nvidia’s valuation, Huang views rivalry as essential to progress. With the growing demand for complex reasoning models and AI agents, Nvidia remains at the forefront.

Still, the fast pace of AI adoption raises concerns about job displacement, with firms like Ford and JPMorgan already reporting workforce impacts.

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Google partners with UK government on AI training

The UK government has struck a major partnership with Google Cloud aimed at modernising public services by eliminating agreing IT systems and equipping 100,000 civil servants with digital and AI skills by 2030.

Backed by DSIT, the initiative targets sectors like the NHS and local councils, seeking both operational efficiency and workforce transformation.

Replacing legacy contracts, some of which date back decades, could unlock as much as £45 billion in efficiency savings, say ministers. Google DeepMind will provide technical expertise to help departments adopt emerging AI solutions and accelerate public sector innovation.

Despite these promising aims, privacy campaigners warn that reliance on a US-based tech giant threatens national data sovereignty and may lead to long-term lock-in.

Foxglove’s Martha Dark described the deal as ‘dangerously naive’, with concerns around data access, accountability, public procurement processes and geopolitical risk.

As ministers pursue broader technological transformation, similar partnerships with Microsoft, OpenAI and Meta are underway, reflecting an industry-wide effort to bridge digital skills gaps and bring agile solutions into Whitehall.

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AI and big data to streamline South Korea’s drug evaluation processes

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of South Korea is modernising its drug review and evaluation processes by incorporating AI, big data, and other emerging technologies.

The efforts are being spearheaded by the ministry’s National Institute for Food and Drug Safety Evaluation (NIFDS).

Starting next year, NIFDS plans to apply AI to assist with routine tasks such as preparing review data.

The initial focus will be synthetic chemical drugs, gradually expanding to other product categories.

‘Initial AI applications will focus on streamlining repetitive tasks,’ said Jeong Ji-won, head of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Research Department at NIFDS.

‘The AI system is being developed internally, and we are evaluating its potential for real-world inspection scenarios. A phased approach is necessary due to the large volume of data required,’ Jeong added.

In parallel, NIFDS is exploring using big data in various regulatory activities.

One initiative involves applying big data analytics to enhance risk assessments during overseas GMP inspections. ‘Standardisation remains a challenge due to varying formats across facilities,’ said Sohn Kyung-hoon, head of the Drug Research Division.

‘Nonetheless, we’re working to develop a system that enhances the efficiency of inspections without relying on foreign collaborations.’ Efforts also include building domain-specific Korean-English translation models for safety documentation.

The institute also integrates AI into pharmaceutical manufacturing oversight and develops public data utilisation frameworks. The efforts include systems for analysing adverse drug reaction reports and standardising data inputs.

NIFDS is actively researching new analysis methods and safety protocols regarding impurity control.

‘We’re prioritising research on impurities such as NDMA,’ Sohn noted. Simultaneous detection methods are being tailored for smaller manufacturers.

New categorisation techniques are also being developed to monitor previously untracked substances.

On the biologics front, NIFDS aims to finalise its mRNA vaccine evaluation technology by year-end.

The five-year project supports the national strategy for improving infectious disease preparedness in South Korea, including work on delivery mechanisms and material composition.

‘This initiative is part of our broader strategy to improve preparedness for future infectious disease outbreaks,’ said Lee Chul-hyun, head of the Biologics Research Division.

Evaluation protocols for antibody drugs are still in progress. However, indirect support is being provided through guidelines and benchmarking against international cases. Separately, the Herbal Medicine Research Division is upgrading its standardised product distribution model.

The current use-based system will shift to a field-based one next year, extending to pharmaceuticals, functional foods, and cosmetics sectors.

‘We’re refining the system to improve access and quality control,’ said Hwang Jin-hee, head of the division. Collaboration with regional research institutions remains a key component of this work.’

NIFDS currently offers 396 standardised herbal medicines. The institute continues to develop new reference materials annually as part of its evolving strategy.

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AI fluency is the new office software skill

As tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and other generative AI systems become embedded in daily workflows, employers increasingly prioritise a new skill: AI fluency.

Much like proficiency in office software became essential in the past, knowing how to collaborate effectively with AI is now a growing requirement across industries.

But interacting with AI isn’t always intuitive. Many users encounter generic or unhelpful responses from chatbots and assume the technology is limited. In reality, AI systems rely heavily on the context they are given, and that’s where users come in.

Rather than considering AI as a search engine, it helps to see it as a partner needing guidance. A vague prompt like ‘write a proposal’ is unlikely to produce meaningful results. A better approach provides background, direction, and clear expectations.

One practical framework is CATS: context, angle, task, and style.

Context sets the stage. It includes your role, the situation, the audience, and constraints. For example, ‘I’m a nonprofit director writing a grant proposal for an environmental education program in urban schools’ offers much more to work with than a general request.

Angle defines the perspective. You can ask the AI to act as a peer reviewer, a mentor, or even a sceptical audience member. The roles help shape the tone and focus of the response.

Task clarifies the action you want. Instead of asking for help with a presentation, try ‘Suggest three ways to improve my opening slide for an audience of small business owners.’

Style determines the format and tone. Whether you need a formal report, a friendly email, or an outline in bullet points, specifying the style helps the AI deliver a more relevant output.

Beyond prompts, users can also practice context engineering—managing the environment around the prompt. The method includes uploading relevant documents, building on previous chats, or setting parameters through instructions. The steps help tailor responses more closely to your needs.

Think of prompting as a conversation, not a one-shot command. If the initial response isn’t ideal, clarify, refine, or build on it. Ask follow-up questions, adjust your instructions, or extract functional elements to develop further in a new thread.

That said, it’s essential to stay critical. AI systems can mimic natural conversation, but don’t truly understand the information they provide. Human oversight remains crucial. Always verify outputs, especially in professional or high-stakes contexts.

Ultimately, AI tools are powerful collaborators—but only when paired with clear guidance and human judgment. Provide the correct input, and you’ll often find the output exceeds expectations.

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UN reports surge in intangible investment driven by AI and data

Global investment is increasingly flowing into intangible assets such as software, data, and AI, marking what the UN has described as a ‘fundamental shift’ in how economies develop and compete.

According to a new report from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), co-authored with the Luiss Business School based in Italy, investment in intellectual property-related assets grew three times faster in 2024 than spending on physical assets like buildings and machinery.

WIPO reported that total intangible investment reached $7.6 trillion across 27 high- and middle-income economies last year, up from $7.4 trillion in 2023—a real-term growth rate of 3 percent. In contrast, growth in physical asset investment has been more sluggish, hindered by high interest rates and a slow economic recovery.

‘We’re witnessing a fundamental shift in how economies grow and compete,’ said WIPO Director General Daren Tang. ‘While businesses have slowed down investing in factories and equipment during uncertain times, they’re doubling on intangible assets.’

The report highlights software and databases as the fastest-growing categories, expanding by more than 7 percent annually between 2013 and 2022. It attributes much of this trend to the accelerating adoption of AI, which requires significant investment in data infrastructure and training datasets.

WIPO also noted that the United States remains the global leader in absolute intangible investment, spending nearly twice as much as France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. However, Sweden topped the list regarding investment intensity, with intangible assets representing 16 per cent of its GDP.

The US, France, and Finland followed at 15 percent each, while India ranked ahead of several EU countries and Japan at an intensity of nearly 10 percent.

Despite economic disruptions over the past decade and a half, intangible investments have remained resilient, growing at a compound annual rate of 4 percent since 2008. By contrast, investment in tangible assets rose just 1 percent over the same period.

‘We are only at the beginning of the AI boom,’ said Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, head of WIPO’s economics and data analytics department.

He noted that in addition to driving demand for physical infrastructure like chips and servers, AI is now contributing to sustained investment growth in data and software, cornerstones of the intangible economy.

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LG’s Exaone Path 2.0 uses AI to transform genetic testing

LG AI Research has introduced Exaone Path 2.0, an upgraded AI model designed to analyse pathology images for disease diagnosis, significantly reducing the time required for genetic testing.

The new model, unveiled Wednesday, can reportedly process pathology images in under a minute—a significant shift from conventional genetic testing methods that often take more than two weeks.

According to LG, the AI system offers enhanced accuracy in detecting genetic mutations and gene expression patterns by learning from detailed image patches and full-slide pathology data.

Developed by LG AI Research, a division of the LG Group, Exaone Path 2.0 is trained on over 10,000 whole-slide images (WSIs) and multiomics pairs, enabling it to integrate structural information with molecular biology insights. The company said it has achieved a 78.4 percent accuracy rate in predicting genetic mutations.

The model has also been tailored for specific applications in oncology, including lung and colorectal cancers, where it can help clinicians identify patient groups most likely to benefit from targeted therapies.

LG AI Research is collaborating with Professor Hwang Tae-hyun and his team at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in the US to further its application in real-world clinical settings.

Their shared goal is to develop a multimodal medical AI platform that can support precision medicine directly within clinical environments.

Hwang, a key contributor to the US government’s Cancer Moonshot program and founder of the Molecular AI Initiative at Vanderbilt, emphasised that the aim is to create AI tools usable by clinicians in active medical practice, rather than limiting innovation to the lab.

In addition to oncology, LG AI Research plans to extend its multimodal AI initiatives into transplant rejection, immunology, and diabetes.

It is also collaborating with the Jackson Laboratory to support Alzheimer’s research and working with Professor Baek Min-kyung’s team at Seoul National University on next-generation protein structure prediction.

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Global cooperation and bold ideas at WSIS+20 drive digital trust and cybersecurity resilience

The WSIS+20 Leaders’ Talk on ‘Towards a safer connected world’ brought together ministers, regulators, and experts from across the globe to share concrete strategies for strengthening digital trust and cyber resilience.

Held in Geneva and moderated by Lucien Castex, the session spotlighted multistakeholder collaboration as the cornerstone of effective cybersecurity in a connected world.

Malaysia’s Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil opened with a firm declaration of digital sovereignty, stressing that ‘Big Tech is not bigger than our laws’. He described ASEAN’s forthcoming Kuala Lumpur declaration, a collective regional effort to promote safe and responsible use of social media.

Echoing this approach, Greece’s Dimitris Papastergiou underlined cybersecurity as a strategic national priority, detailing the implementation of the EU’s NIS2 Directive and tools to support SMEs, and reaffirming that cybersecurity is central to “democratic institutions, public safety, and social cohesion.”

India’s Anil Kumar Lahoti presented an institutional model of cyber resilience through the National Cyber Security Coordination Centre, illustrating real-time, cross-sector collaboration to contain cascading attacks.

Lithuania’s Jurate Soviene, meanwhile, emphasised the human side of cybersecurity, showcasing the “No One Is Left Behind” movement, which engages over 160 partners to help seniors build digital confidence.

She also noted the success of Lithuania’s joint anti-scam task force involving police, telecoms, banks, and regulators. “Let’s collaborate”, may be easy to say, she reflected, “but someone must take the first step.”

Participants repeatedly turned to the theme of partnership from Asia to Europe and back again. Thailand’s Trairat Viriyasirikul highlighted their ‘regulatory sandbox’ that supports public-private experimentation in health and identity sectors, including the national MobileID system.

Spain’s Matías González described the country’s Tier 1 status in the Global Cybersecurity Index and their widely respected Cybersecurity Summer Good Camp, which has trained over 20,000 students. “Security must be holistic,” he said, “combining technology, policy, and society.”

From the Internet Society, Sally Wentworth warned that no single actor can secure the internet alone. She advocated a systems approach, from standards development and encryption to civil society inclusion. “We need technologists, industry, civil society, and governments,” she said, announcing a new co-fund initiative with the Global Cyber Alliance to support underfunded cybersecurity efforts.

Lennig Pedron of Trust Valley concluded the session with practical insights from Switzerland, where over 250 innovative companies are supported through a global network of more than 400 partners. She stressed the importance of neutral platforms and flexible financing to bridge diverse stakeholder needs: “Joint pilot projects and simplified legal processes are key to real partnerships.”

Moderator Lucien Castex closed with a quote from Jules Verne, urging the audience to pair bold imagination with real-world action. Across all interventions, the session conveyed one clear message: the future of cybersecurity—and the trust that sustains it—must be built together, across sectors, borders, and communities.

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