The UNU Macau AI Conference 2024: Policy Directions Report

The UNU Macau AI conference 2024, AI for All: Bridging Divides, Building a Sustainable Future, was a unique event that convened stakeholders from the Global North and the Global South, as well as the cultural East and West. 

Throughout the conference sessions, participants explored the opportunities and challenges of tapping into the transformative potential of leveraging AI technologies to advance sustainable development. From these discussions, UNU Macau distilled the following policy directions:

Building Digital Capacities with Tailored Solutions

To make digital capacity building on AI sustainable and available, new modalities that are adapted to the needs and realities in the Global South and that are focused on impact are required. Also, promoting knowledge exchange between experts working on the same topics from different sectors is paramount.

Informing AI Governance with Research Foresight

To tap into the opportunities and address the new challenges, risks, and harms associated with the rapid development and adoption of AI solutions and governance and regulatory frameworks, UNU Macau recognizes the need to do research applying foresight to define new areas of policy that respond to local needs, especially in the Global South.

Supporting the UNU Global AI Network: A Platform for Digital Cooperation

The UNU Global AI Network was launched at the conference as a global platform to connect stakeholders, facilitate the co-creation of solutions for and with AI, and promote evidence-based policymaking, including the voices of the Global South and the cultural East. 

To know more, download the full report below.

Suggested citation: Paula Hidalgo-Sanchis. “UNU Macau AI Conference, AI for All: Bridging Divides, Building a Sustainable Future. Policy directions distilled by UNU Macau. A contribution to the Summit of the Future.” United Nations University, 2024.