Bridging the AI innovation gap

Summary

This discussion features a keynote address by Seizo Onoe, Director of the Telecommunications Standardization Bureau at the ITU, delivered at an AI for Good summit. Onoe emphasizes that as societies become more interconnected, AI must serve to unite rather than divide people, which represents a foundational promise of the AI for Good initiative. The summit brings together decision makers and innovators from countries at various stages of economic development to foster collaboration and ensure AI solutions contribute meaningfully to sustainable development.

Onoe stresses that all stakeholders, including those in government, industry, academia, and civil society, have crucial roles in shaping the future through standards work and consensus-building. He explains that standards are essential for capturing and sharing innovation globally, supporting universal access to new technologies, and ensuring no one is left behind in technological advancement. The ITU’s Bridging the Standards Gap program is highlighted as particularly important for achieving these goals.

The speaker outlines several key initiatives, including the AI Skills Coalition designed to help everyone navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape, from policymakers to the next generation of innovators. He mentions the launch of regional AI for Good Impact events, with the first held in India and another planned for South Africa. The organization is also conducting research on global AI investment trends, governance, and skill development while sharing frameworks to improve AI capacity across different economic sectors.

Onoe notes that their Innovation Factory and Acceleration Program connect promising startups with investors and partners, and emphasizes the significant participation of African students in their global AI problem-solving competitions. He concludes by calling for strong partnerships, diverse expertise, and a global perspective to successfully bridge AI innovation gaps and create opportunities for young innovators worldwide.

Keypoints

**Major Discussion Points:**

– AI’s role in bridging global divides and bringing societies closer together, emphasizing that AI should unite rather than separate people across different economic development stages

– The critical importance of international standards in AI development, particularly through ITU’s Bridging the Standards Gap program to ensure global access to new technologies and prevent anyone from being left behind

– Capacity building and skills development initiatives, including the AI Skills Coalition designed to help everyone from policymakers to the next generation of innovators keep pace with rapidly evolving AI technology

– Global outreach and regional implementation through AI for Good Impact events, research sharing on AI investment trends, and frameworks to help different economic sectors benefit from AI solutions

– Support for innovation and young talent, particularly through the Innovation Factory, Acceleration Program, startup connections, and global AI problem-solving competitions with significant participation from African students

**Overall Purpose:**

The discussion serves as an opening keynote address for an AI for Good summit, aimed at rallying international support for collaborative AI development that promotes sustainable development and ensures equitable global access to AI benefits. The speaker is calling for partnerships and contributions to ITU’s various AI initiatives.

**Overall Tone:**

The tone is consistently inspirational and collaborative throughout. The speaker maintains an optimistic, forward-looking perspective while emphasizing inclusivity and global cooperation. There is a sense of urgency around bridging AI gaps, but it’s presented in an encouraging rather than alarming manner. The tone remains steady and professional, with particular enthusiasm when discussing young innovators and global participation.

Speakers

– LJ Rich: Role/Title: Not specified, Area of expertise: Not specified (appears to be moderating/hosting the event)

– Seizo Onoe: Role/Title: Director of the Telecommunications Standardization Bureau (TSB) at the ITU, Area of expertise: Telecommunications standardization, AI for Good initiatives, international technology standards and development

Additional speakers:

None identified beyond the provided speakers names list.

# AI for Good Summit Keynote Address Summary

## Event Overview

LJ Rich introduced Seizo Onoe, Director of the Telecommunications Standardisation Bureau (TSB) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), for a keynote address at an AI for Good summit. The event brought together decision makers and innovators to foster collaboration on AI solutions for sustainable development.

## Core Message: AI as a Unifying Force

Onoe opened his address with the central premise that “AI must help bring us closer, not to divide us apart,” describing this as “one of the foundational promises of AI for Good.” He emphasized that AI solutions should contribute meaningfully to sustainable development across countries at various stages of economic development.

## The Role of Standards in Global Innovation

Onoe highlighted the critical importance of international standards in AI development, explaining that standards “capture and share innovation for the world to keep innovating together” and “support global access to new tech capabilities to leave no one behind.” He positioned the ITU’s Bridging the Standards Gap programme as crucial for bringing innovation ecosystems to global scale and ensuring universal access to new technologies.

The speaker stressed that all stakeholders—government, industry, academia, and civil society—have important roles in shaping the future through standards work and consensus-building.

## AI for Good Impact Initiative

Onoe outlined several key components of the AI for Good Impact Initiative:

### AI Skills Coalition

This initiative assists stakeholders from policymakers and regulators to industry leaders and innovators in keeping pace with AI evolution. The organization conducts research on global AI investment trends, governance, and skill development while sharing frameworks to improve AI capacity across different economic sectors.

### Regional Events

The ITU has launched regional AI for Good Impact events, with the first held in India last October and another planned for South Africa in December. These events aim to expand global reach while maintaining local relevance.

### Innovation Factory and Acceleration Programme

This program connects promising startups with investors and partners, bridging the gap between innovation and implementation.

### Global AI Problem-Solving Competitions

Onoe made a notable observation about these competitions: “most of our participants are students from Africa. I find that powerful.” This highlights the global participation and untapped potential in regions often overlooked in technology discussions.

### Young AI Leaders Community

The initiative includes efforts to support and engage the next generation of AI innovators worldwide.

## Call for Partnerships

Onoe concluded by emphasizing the need for strong partnerships, diverse expertise, and a global perspective to successfully bridge AI innovation gaps and create opportunities for young innovators worldwide. He invited new partners to join these collaborative efforts.

## Conclusion

LJ Rich thanked Onoe for his address, reinforcing the invitation for continued collaboration in AI for Good initiatives. The keynote successfully outlined how international cooperation through standards, capacity building, and inclusive innovation programs can help ensure AI serves as a unifying force for global development rather than a source of division.

LJ Rich: to invite our opening keynote. It’s a pleasure to invite to the stage the director of the Telecommunications Standardization Bureau, that’s the TSB, at the ITU. Please join me in giving a warm good morning welcome to Seizo Onoe-san. ♪♪ Good morning, everyone. I’d like to take this opportunity to call for your support. Our societies and economies become more interconnected. We are reminded of our differences and divide still to be overcome. AI must help bring us closer, not to divide us apart. And that’s one of the foundational promises of AI for Good. This summit brings together decision makers and innovators from countries at all stages of economic development. It stimulates collaboration to ensure that AI solutions make decisive contributions to sustainable development. And it emphasizes that we all have key roles to play in creating the future we want. All of you, whether in government, industry, academia, or civil society, can drive our standards work with your contributions and consensus decision. Standards capture and share innovation for the world to keep innovating together. They support global access to new tech capabilities to leave no one behind. That’s why ITU’s Bridging the Standards Gap program is so important. Standards can help us bring new innovation ecosystems to global scale. And we need to develop the capacity and skills to match. That’s also the aim of our AI for Good Impact Initiative and its fast-growing range of programs. Our AI Skills Coalition aims to help everyone keep pace with a fast-evolving AI landscape, from policymakers and regulators to industry leaders, professionals across the workforce, and the next generation of innovators. We have launched a new series of regional AI for Good Impact events, with the first held in India last October and the next in South Africa in December. We are sharing research on global trends in AI investment, government governance, and skill development, as well as AI solutions for sustainable development, providing success around the world. And frameworks to access and improve capacity to benefit from AI in different sectors of our economies. Our Innovation Factory and its new Acceleration Program are connecting promising startups with investors and partners that share their ambitions. And in our global AI problem-solving competitions, most of our participants are students from Africa. I find that powerful. If we keep creating opportunities for young innovators, as we aim to with our young AI leaders community, we will bridge AI innovation gaps faster and faster.

Seizo Onoe: To do all of this, we need strong partnerships, diverse expertise, and a global perspective. I thank our many partners already involved, and I welcome you to join us. Thank you.

LJ Rich: Thank you. Thank you so much to Seizo Onoe.

Agreement points

Importance of collaborative partnerships for AI development

Speakers

– Seizo Onoe
– LJ Rich

Arguments

Strong partnerships, diverse expertise, and global perspective are essential for AI development

Welcome extended to new partners to join existing collaborative efforts

Summary

Both speakers emphasize the critical need for partnerships and collaboration in AI development, with Onoe highlighting the necessity of diverse expertise and global perspective, while Rich reinforces the invitation for new partners to join existing efforts

Topics

Development | Legal and regulatory

Similar viewpoints

Both speakers advocate for expanding collaborative networks and partnerships as fundamental to successful AI development and implementation

Speakers

– Seizo Onoe
– LJ Rich

Arguments

Strong partnerships, diverse expertise, and global perspective are essential for AI development

Welcome extended to new partners to join existing collaborative efforts

Topics

Development | Legal and regulatory

Unexpected consensus

No unexpected consensus identified

Speakers

Arguments

Explanation

Given that this is primarily a keynote presentation with minimal interaction, there are no unexpected areas of consensus. The agreement between speakers is limited to the moderator’s reinforcement of the keynote speaker’s invitation for partnership, which is expected in this format

Topics

Overall assessment

Summary

The discussion shows complete alignment on the importance of partnerships and collaboration for AI development, with both speakers supporting expanded participation in AI for Good initiatives

Consensus level

Very high consensus but limited scope – this is primarily a keynote presentation format with minimal debate or discussion. The consensus is more procedural than substantive, as LJ Rich serves as moderator reinforcing Seizo Onoe’s messages. The implications are positive for partnership building and collaborative AI development, but the format limits deeper exploration of potential areas of disagreement or nuanced positions on complex AI governance issues

Different viewpoints

Unexpected differences

Overall assessment

Summary

No disagreements identified among speakers

Disagreement level

Zero disagreement level – This is a keynote presentation format where Seizo Onoe delivers a unified vision for AI for Good initiatives, with LJ Rich serving as moderator providing introductory and closing remarks. The absence of disagreement is expected given the format, but it means there was no substantive debate about approaches, priorities, or implementation strategies for AI development and governance. This could indicate either strong consensus among stakeholders or limited opportunity for critical discussion of potential challenges and alternative approaches.

Partial agreements

Similar viewpoints

Both speakers advocate for expanding collaborative networks and partnerships as fundamental to successful AI development and implementation

Speakers

– Seizo Onoe
– LJ Rich

Arguments

Strong partnerships, diverse expertise, and global perspective are essential for AI development

Welcome extended to new partners to join existing collaborative efforts

Topics

Development | Legal and regulatory

Key takeaways

AI should serve as a unifying force to bring societies closer together rather than create divisions, with a focus on sustainable development across all economic stages

Standards are crucial for capturing and sharing innovation globally, ensuring no one is left behind in accessing new technology capabilities

Capacity building and skills development are essential, requiring programs like the AI Skills Coalition to help all sectors keep pace with AI evolution

Strong partnerships, diverse expertise, and global perspective are fundamental requirements for successful AI development and implementation

Regional expansion of AI for Good initiatives is underway, with events in India and South Africa demonstrating global reach

Young innovators, particularly from Africa, represent a powerful force for bridging AI innovation gaps through competitions and leadership programs

Resolutions and action items

Continue support for ITU’s Bridging the Standards Gap program to bring innovation ecosystems to global scale

Expand regional AI for Good Impact events following the India model, with South Africa as the next location

Maintain and grow the AI Skills Coalition to serve policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, and the workforce

Develop the Innovation Factory and Acceleration Program to connect startups with investors and partners

Foster the young AI leaders community and continue global AI problem-solving competitions

Invite new partners to join existing collaborative efforts in AI for Good initiatives

Unresolved issues

Specific mechanisms for how AI will actually bring societies closer together are not detailed

Concrete measures for ensuring ‘no one is left behind’ in technology access are not specified

Details about funding, timeline, and implementation strategies for various programs are not provided

Specific criteria for startup selection in the Innovation Factory and partnership matching processes are not outlined

Suggested compromises

None identified

AI must help bring us closer, not to divide us apart. And that’s one of the foundational promises of AI for Good.

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Reason

This comment is insightful because it frames AI development through a moral and social lens rather than purely technical or economic terms. It acknowledges the dual potential of AI technology – to either unite or divide humanity – and positions this as a fundamental choice that must guide AI development. This perspective elevates the discussion beyond technical capabilities to societal responsibility.

Impact

This comment establishes the philosophical foundation for the entire keynote, setting up AI development as inherently tied to social cohesion and global cooperation. It frames all subsequent points about standards, collaboration, and capacity building as means to achieve this unifying vision.

Standards capture and share innovation for the world to keep innovating together. They support global access to new tech capabilities to leave no one behind.

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Reason

This comment provides a profound reframing of technical standards from bureaucratic requirements to tools of global equity and innovation democratization. It presents standards as mechanisms for ensuring inclusive technological progress rather than barriers to entry, which challenges common perceptions of standardization processes.

Impact

This insight shifts the discussion from viewing standards as technical necessities to seeing them as instruments of global inclusion. It provides the conceptual bridge between the opening moral imperative about AI unity and the practical programs that follow, making the case for why standardization work is fundamentally about social justice.

And in our global AI problem-solving competitions, most of our participants are students from Africa. I find that powerful.

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Reason

This observation is particularly thought-provoking because it challenges assumptions about where AI innovation originates and highlights the untapped potential in regions often overlooked in technology discussions. The speaker’s personal reflection (‘I find that powerful’) adds emotional weight and suggests this represents a paradigm shift in global innovation patterns.

Impact

This comment serves as concrete evidence supporting the earlier theoretical points about AI’s potential to bridge divides and leave no one behind. It transforms the discussion from aspirational goals to demonstrable reality, showing that inclusive AI development is not just possible but already happening in unexpected ways.

Overall assessment

While this transcript represents a keynote address rather than an interactive discussion, Seizo Onoe’s key comments work together to construct a compelling narrative that reframes AI development from a technical challenge to a moral imperative for global unity. The progression from the philosophical foundation (AI must unite, not divide) through the practical mechanism (standards as tools of inclusion) to concrete evidence (African students leading in AI competitions) creates a coherent argument for why international cooperation in AI standards and capacity building is essential. These insights collectively shift the conversation away from competitive national AI strategies toward collaborative global development, positioning the ITU’s programs not as bureaucratic initiatives but as vital tools for ensuring AI serves humanity’s collective advancement.

How can AI solutions make decisive contributions to sustainable development?

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Explanation

This was mentioned as a key focus of the AI for Good summit but requires further exploration of specific mechanisms and implementation strategies

How can standards help bring new innovation ecosystems to global scale?

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Explanation

This concept was introduced but needs deeper investigation into the practical applications and methodologies for scaling innovation ecosystems through standardization

What capacity and skills development is needed to match AI innovation?

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Explanation

This was identified as a critical need but requires further research into specific skill gaps and capacity building requirements across different sectors and regions

How can frameworks be developed to access and improve capacity to benefit from AI in different sectors of economies?

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Explanation

This was mentioned as part of their research sharing but indicates a need for further development of sector-specific frameworks and implementation strategies

How can AI innovation gaps be bridged faster through opportunities for young innovators?

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Explanation

While noting the power of student participation from Africa, this suggests a need for research into effective methods for accelerating innovation gap closure through youth engagement