AI, peace, and multilateral cooperation top UNGA delegates’ agenda

As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, delegates are seizing the global spotlight to press the issues they say cannot be ignored.

Among them is Luìsa Franco Machado, a digital rights activist from Brazil and the founder of Equi Labs, a platform that aims to build a future “where data and AI serve people and the planet, putting equity, fairness, and accountability first”.

At UNGA, she said her message to world leaders is straightforward: “listen to our voices”.

“What we care about the most in coming to these spaces is to make sure that in this global AI race, that digital rights are respected, that the rights of people are respected in the governance of technologies,” she told RTÉ News.

Also in New York is Enene Ejembi from Nigeria, the executive director of Verbatim, a consultancy firm that works with development organisations.

She said she wants Africa to “step up on the global stage”.

“The issue the world is grappling with now is around not ending the multilateralism that has underpinned the prosperity and the peace of all nations,” she said.

From the US, Ishani Neotia is focusing on the rapid advance of artificial intelligence and is calling for tighter oversight of AI companies.

“Super intelligence poses a risk to everyone, so we need to make sure the development is safe,” she said.

Watch the video to hear more from the delegates.