The role of standards in shaping an AI-driven future

Summary

Seizo Onoe delivered a keynote address on the final day of a summit focused on AI standards, emphasizing the critical role that standards play in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) work. He explained that standards function as global business deals that represent industry consensus and reinforce public-private partnerships, ultimately creating the confidence needed for continued innovation and investment. Onoe highlighted how standards have successfully supported multi-billion-dollar industries like networking and multimedia, and stressed that they must now deliver similar value for artificial intelligence. He noted that the need for trusted standards has gained recognition across major global platforms, including the World Economic Forum, G20, AI Action Summits in Paris and Kigali, and ITU’s governing conference in New Delhi, where a new resolution on AI standards and capacity development was adopted. The ITU is expanding engagement through its AI for Good initiative and partnerships with UN agencies and other standards bodies. Onoe outlined several key developments, including progress in areas ranging from quantum technologies to healthcare, food security, and road safety, as well as momentum building around AI testing for trustworthy AI. He announced the launch of two landmark papers on standards and policy considerations and multimedia authenticity, developed in collaboration with ISO, IEC, and other standards communities. Additionally, he introduced a new AI standards exchange database designed to position stakeholders for success and promoted the upcoming International AI Standards Summit in Korea. Onoe emphasized that effective standards must result from inclusive, transparent processes aligned with global ambitions for a better world, qualities that ITU provides through its consensus-driven approach and 160 years of experience in fostering international collaboration.

Keypoints

**Major Discussion Points:**

– The central importance of AI standards as global business deals that represent industry consensus and foster public-private partnerships, providing the reliability and certainty needed for continued innovation and investment

– ITU’s expanding role and recognition across major global platforms (PAC for the Future, World Economic Forum, G20, AI Action Summit) with new resolutions on AI standards and capacity development to meet world expectations

– Collaborative initiatives and partnerships with other standards organizations (ISO, IEC) and UN agencies, including the launch of landmark papers on standards policy and multimedia authenticity, plus the new AI standards exchange database

– Practical applications of AI standards across diverse sectors including quantum technologies, healthcare, food security, and road safety, with emphasis on AI testing for trustworthy AI systems

– ITU’s commitment to inclusive, transparent, and consensus-driven standards development processes, leveraging 160 years of experience and a global community dedicated to collaboration

**Overall Purpose/Goal:**

The discussion serves as a keynote address for the final day of a standards summit, aimed at positioning ITU as the leading global organization for AI standardization. The speaker seeks to demonstrate ITU’s progress, highlight upcoming initiatives, and invite broader participation in their standards development work.

**Overall Tone:**

The tone is consistently formal, authoritative, and optimistic throughout. The speaker maintains a confident and promotional stance, emphasizing ITU’s achievements and capabilities while projecting assurance about meeting global expectations. There is no notable shift in tone – it remains professionally upbeat and forward-looking from beginning to end.

Speakers

– Seizo Onoe

– Role/Title: Not explicitly mentioned, but appears to be in a leadership position at ITU (International Telecommunication Union) based on context

– Area of expertise: Standards development, AI governance, international telecommunications policy

Additional speakers:

No additional speakers were identified in this transcript beyond those listed in the speakers names list.

# Summary: Seizo Onoe’s Presentation on AI Standards Development and ITU’s Role

## Overview

This report summarizes a presentation delivered by Seizo Onoe on the final day of an AI standards summit. Speaking from what he described as “the center stage,” Onoe focused on the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) role in developing artificial intelligence standards and the organization’s efforts to expand engagement with its work.

## Main Message: Standards as Global Business Deals

Onoe emphasized that “standards are global business deals” that represent industry consensus and reinforce public-private partnerships. He stated that standards create “the common understanding we all need to prosper” and provide the confidence necessary for continued innovation and investment in the AI sector.

Drawing on historical examples, Onoe highlighted how standards have successfully supported multi-billion-dollar industries, particularly in networking and multimedia sectors. He argued that standards must now deliver similar value for artificial intelligence, creating the reliability stakeholders need to continue innovating and investing.

## Global Recognition and Recent Developments

Onoe detailed how trusted standards have gained recognition across major international platforms, spanning from the Pact for the Future and Global Digital Compact to the World Economic Forum, G20 meetings, AI Action Summits in Paris and Kigali, and ITU’s governing conference in New Delhi.

He specifically highlighted the adoption of a new resolution on AI standards and capacity development by ITU members during the New Delhi conference, describing this as a “powerful statement” from the international community. Onoe stated that “we will meet the world’s high expectations” regarding ITU’s role in AI standards development.

## ITU’s Current Initiatives

Onoe outlined ITU’s engagement through its AI for Good initiative and partnerships with UN agencies and other standards bodies. He described progress across diverse application areas, including quantum technologies, healthcare, food security, and road safety.

### Specific Announcements

Onoe announced several concrete deliverables:

– The launch of two papers developed in collaboration with ISO and IEC, addressing standards and policy considerations as well as multimedia authenticity

– A new AI standards exchange database designed to position stakeholders for success

– The upcoming International AI Standards Summit scheduled for Korea in December

– Building momentum around AI testing for trustworthy AI

## Process and Governance Approach

Onoe emphasized that effective standards must result from processes that are “inclusive, transparent, and aligned with our ambitions for a better world.” He stated that ITU is committed to ensuring all participants’ voices are heard and that every step forward is determined by consensus decisions.

He positioned this approach as leveraging ITU’s 160 years of experience and its global community’s commitment to collaboration. Onoe noted that “the principles we want to revive must be embedded in the standards we develop,” connecting technical standards development to broader societal values.

## Key Quotes and Closing Remarks

Throughout his presentation, Onoe emphasized the need for “trusted standards more than ever” and ITU’s commitment to expanding who engages with its work. He concluded his remarks with an invitation: “I welcome you to join us” in ITU’s standards development efforts.

Onoe’s presentation positioned standards as essential tools for creating industry consensus while emphasizing ITU’s collaborative approach and commitment to inclusive processes in AI standards development.

Seizo Onoe: Hi, good morning everyone, and welcome to this final day of our summit, where standards will take center stage. Now, really, in fact, I’m on the center stage. Standards have always been central to the work of ITU. AI reminds us why. Standards are global business deals. They represent industry consensus on the way forward, and they reinforce public-private partnership. They foster reliability and certainty, helping us better focus the future. Ultimately, standards create a confidence to keep innovating and investing, because they are the common understanding we all need to prosper. Standards do this for multi-billion-dollar industries like networking and multimedia, and they must deliver this value for AI. We need trusted standards more than ever, and that has been recognized on every global platform over the past year, with the adoption of the PAC for the Future and its Global Digital Compact, to the World Economic Forum and G20, and to the AI Action Summit in Paris and Kigali, and of course, the governing conference for ITU standardization work in New Delhi. With a new resolution on AI standards and capacity development, our members made a powerful statement. We will meet the world’s high expectations, and we will continue expanding who engages with ITU’s work with our AI for Good initiative and our partnerships with fellow UN agencies and standard bodies. Our talk today will share insights on our progress in areas from quantum technologies to healthcare, food security, and road safety. We will also hear more about the momentum we are building on AI testing for trustworthy AI. Together with ISO, IEC, and other key standards communities, we are launching two landmark papers on standards and policy considerations and multimedia authenticity. We will introduce our new AI standards exchange database to help position everyone for success. And we are looking forward to seeing you at the International AI Standards Summit in Korea this December. Standards help us innovate at scale and share innovation worldwide. The principles we want to revive must be embedded in the standards we develop. To achieve that, standards need to be the result of a process that is inclusive, transparent, and aligned with our ambitions for a better world. ITU offers this assurance. All participants’ voices are heard and every step forward is determined by consensus decisions. We have 160 years of experience to build on and we have a global community that believes in commitment to collaboration and consensus. I welcome you to join us. Thank you.

Agreement points

Similar viewpoints

Unexpected consensus

Overall assessment

Summary

This transcript contains a single speaker (Seizo Onoe) presenting a cohesive argument about AI standards development. The speaker demonstrates strong internal consistency across all arguments, emphasizing the critical importance of standards for AI development, ITU’s leadership role, and the need for inclusive, transparent processes. All arguments align toward promoting ITU’s AI standards initiatives and establishing confidence in their approach.

Consensus level

Since this is a monologue rather than a multi-speaker discussion, there is complete internal consensus within the speaker’s presentation. The speaker presents a unified vision for AI standards development through ITU, with all arguments supporting the central thesis that trusted, inclusive standards are essential for AI’s future. The implications are that ITU is positioning itself as the primary global organization for AI standardization, building on its 160-year history and emphasizing collaborative, consensus-based approaches. However, without multiple speakers, we cannot assess broader stakeholder consensus on these positions.

Different viewpoints

Unexpected differences

Overall assessment

Summary

No disagreements identified as this is a single-speaker presentation rather than a multi-party discussion or debate

Disagreement level

No disagreement present – the transcript contains only one speaker (Seizo Onoe) delivering a monologue about ITU’s AI standards initiatives without any opposing viewpoints or alternative perspectives being presented

Partial agreements

Similar viewpoints

Key takeaways

Standards are essential for AI development as they represent global business deals, industry consensus, and create confidence for innovation and investment

There is unprecedented global recognition and support for AI standards across major international platforms and organizations

ITU is positioned as a trusted leader in AI standards development with 160 years of experience and a commitment to inclusive, transparent, consensus-based processes

ITU is actively advancing AI standards work across multiple domains including quantum technologies, healthcare, food security, and road safety

Collaboration between standards organizations (ITU, ISO, IEC) is critical for developing comprehensive AI standards and policy frameworks

The principles of inclusivity, transparency, and alignment with global ambitions must be embedded in AI standards development processes

Resolutions and action items

Launch two landmark papers on standards and policy considerations and multimedia authenticity in collaboration with ISO and IEC

Introduce new AI standards exchange database to help position stakeholders for success

Host International AI Standards Summit in Korea in December

Continue expanding engagement through AI for Good initiative and partnerships with UN agencies and standard bodies

Build momentum on AI testing for trustworthy AI

Meet world’s high expectations following the new resolution on AI standards and capacity development adopted by ITU members

Unresolved issues

None identified

Suggested compromises

None identified

Standards are global business deals. They represent industry consensus on the way forward, and they reinforce public-private partnership.

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Reason

This reframes standards from technical specifications to strategic business instruments, highlighting their role as negotiated agreements that bridge different sectors and stakeholders. It’s insightful because it positions standards as economic and political tools rather than just technical guidelines.

Impact

This framing sets the tone for the entire discussion by establishing standards as having broader implications beyond technical implementation. It positions the subsequent discussion within a business and partnership context rather than purely technical terms.

Standards create a confidence to keep innovating and investing, because they are the common understanding we all need to prosper.

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Reason

This insight reveals the psychological and economic function of standards as risk-reduction mechanisms. It’s thought-provoking because it connects technical standardization to investment confidence and innovation cycles, showing how standards paradoxically enable innovation by providing stability.

Impact

This comment deepens the discussion by introducing the concept of standards as enablers of innovation rather than constraints, which could shift how participants view the relationship between regulation and innovation in AI development.

The principles we want to revive must be embedded in the standards we develop. To achieve that, standards need to be the result of a process that is inclusive, transparent, and aligned with our ambitions for a better world.

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Reason

This is particularly insightful because it explicitly connects technical standards development to broader societal values and ethical considerations. It suggests that the process of creating standards is as important as the standards themselves, introducing a meta-discussion about governance and values in technical decision-making.

Impact

This comment introduces a philosophical dimension to the technical discussion, potentially steering the conversation toward questions of governance, ethics, and global equity in AI standards development. It elevates the discussion from technical implementation to societal impact.

Overall assessment

While this transcript represents a single speaker’s opening remarks rather than a multi-participant discussion, Seizo Onoe’s comments effectively establish a sophisticated framework for understanding AI standards. The key insights progressively build from conceptualizing standards as business instruments, to understanding their role in enabling innovation, to finally positioning them as vehicles for embedding societal values. These comments would likely shape subsequent discussion by establishing standards as simultaneously technical, economic, and ethical instruments that require inclusive governance processes. The speaker successfully reframes what could be a dry technical topic into a broader conversation about global cooperation, innovation policy, and values-based technology development.