Emma Okonji

In order to address AI-influenced social and economic realities across the world, the United Nations (UN) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), are planning a global dialogue, scheduled to hold from July 6-7 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Since Artificial intelligence (AI) gained large-scale global attention three and a half years ago, most countries have divided views about AI domination and widespread human job displacement.

Since then, AI has accelerated, with new models and applications emerging faster than policymakers anywhere can keep up.

While some countries are racing ahead, many others struggle to adjust to the new AI-influenced social and economic realities.

In order to address what many see as global challenge, the UN is bringing together governments, industry, academia, civil society and international organisations for the first UN General Assembly-mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

Speaking ahead of the dialogue, the Global Dialogue Co-Chair and Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the UN in New York, Egriselda López, said: “AI, as you know, is moving and advancing so rapidly, yet there are so many countries that are lagging behind and still don’t know how to make good use of AI.”

Fellow Co-Chair and Permanent Representative of Estonia to the UN in New York, Rein Tammsaar, said: “The global AI landscape is very fragmented.

While numerous governance-related discussions are happening, there is no place where all this would come together without the UN’s global reach.”

According to Tammsaar, the upcoming AI event is a “dialogue of the dialogues.”

The Global Dialogue is supported by a joint secretariat comprising the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN’s Office of Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET), with ITU and UNESCO serving as coordinating entities.

The AI dialogue forms part of a comprehensive Digital Week in Geneva, a European UN hub, back-to-back with the annual AI for Good Global Summit and WSIS Forum organised by ITU.

The Global Dialogue is set to highlight four main thematic clusters:

AI opportunities and impacts, examining the societal, cultural, economic and technical implications of AI.

Capacity‑building and bridging AI divides, focusing on access, skills, digital foundations and support for developing countries.

Safe, secure and trustworthy AI, including responsible development and the interoperability of governance approaches.

Human rights and human oversight, addressing transparency, accountability and the role of human judgement in AI systems.

Alongside potential productivity gains for businesses, AI can help address some of humanity’s greatest challenges, such as healthcare, disease control, climate monitoring and financial inclusion. But human oversight remains paramount.

“Whatever technical solutions we design, at the end there needs to be a human behind who would say a last word,” Tammsaar further said, adding that the two-day dialogue will tackle practical options rather than abstract debate, aiming to ensure “nothing would be left out.”