TMTPOST -- Governments, businesses, civil society, and academia should work together to harness AI’s potential for a just, sustainable, and human-centered digital future, said Siddharth Chatterjee, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China on Friday at the 2024 T-EDGE Conference and TMTPost Annual Economic Meeting.

The 2024 T-EDGE Conference, themed "All-in On Globalization, All-in On AI," convened global leaders, industry experts, and stakeholders to discuss the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in addressing pressing global challenges. 

Chatterjee emphasized the transformative impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with AI spearheading significant shifts across industries, economies, and societies. Generative AI, with its speed and transformative potential, has become a focal point of global attention. Recent research underscores its significance, estimating that AI could accelerate progress on nearly 80% of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contribute up to $157 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

AI’s potential to revolutionize healthcare, education, agriculture, and environmental sustainability was spotlighted. These advancements offer solutions to benefit society on a global scale. The senior UN official stressed the importance of embracing AI as a tool for good, ensuring its development aligns with ethical, inclusive, and responsible principles.  

During the keynote speech, Chatterjee acknowledged China’s remarkable progress in AI, citing its world-class infrastructure in fiber optics, 5G networks, and a thriving ecosystem of AI businesses. These developments, while benefiting China, hold the promise of catalyzing positive change worldwide.

While the opportunities presented by AI are vast, Chatterjee underscored the need to address associated risks. “AI could exacerbate existing inequalities if its benefits are not shared equitably across regions and populations. In particular, the global South risks being left behind due to the lack of resources, infrastructure and capacity to fully harness AI's potential. We must also address concerns around job displacement, data privacy, and algorithmic biases, all of which require urgent action,” he pointed out.

The United Nations has taken proactive steps to address AI’s risks and opportunities. Referencing UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks earlier this year in Shanghai, Chatterjee called for inclusive governance frameworks to guide AI development. The Global Digital Compact, finalized at the 2024 Summit of the Future, serves as a landmark agreement outlining principles for a secure, open, and human-centered digital future, he added. 

“Ahead of this year's Summit of the Future, the UN and China hosted a series of dialogues here prior to the deliberations in New York, looking to inform the process and build momentum across all sectors of society in China with the risks and opportunities posed by AI and frequently used,” he said. 

Complementing this is the Pact for the Future, a visionary blueprint aimed at strengthening international cooperation to bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable AI deployment. These initiatives align with the UN’s 2030 Agenda and SDGs, emphasizing the ethical and inclusive development of emerging technologies.

Chatterjee concluded with a call to action, urging governments, the private sector, civil society, and academia to collaborate in fostering innovation that bridges divides and uplifts people. “Together, we can build a digital future that serves humanity's greatest aspirations,” he said.