DiploFoundation hosts informal diplomatic dialogue on inclusive and enabling AI in 2025
Geneva, Switzerland | 14 January 2025
On 9 January 2025, DiploFoundation, in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of China, France, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the United States to the United Nations in Geneva – as co-sponsors – hosted an informal dialogue to explore how the international community can support inclusive and enabling artificial intelligence (AI) in 2025. The event brought together some 50 participants from missions of UN member states and international organisations.
In his opening remarks, Jovan Kurbalija, Director of DiploFoundation, highlighted Geneva’s pivotal role in shaping and driving the global conversation on AI governance. Looking ahead to 2025, he called on diplomats to seize the momentum from last year’s landmark achievements including the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, two UN General Assembly resolutions on AI for development, and the Council of Europe Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.
The dialogue highlighted a few areas for advancing AI and digitalisation in 2025:
- Practical applications of AI: Policy work should reflect the mainstreaming of AI in health, development, the economy, education, and other segments of modern society. In this context, Geneva-based specialised agencies could play a critical role in ensuring responsible and effective use of AI by societies worldwide.
- AI and data governance: With data being the foundation of AI, discussions on AI must be closely linked to new dynamism in data governance. AI and data should be addressed in two separate policy silos.
- Access to capacity-building opportunities: While offers of capacity development funds and opportunities in AI are growing, innovative solutions are needed to ensure they reach communities, companies, and citizens in the Global South. There is a need for an easy-to-access and agile help desk for AI capacity building.
- Broader representation in AI scientific discussion: The growing impact of AI on education, the economy, and society calls for AI scientific discussions to include diverse perspectives beyond core AI scientific and technological expertise. AI scientific bodies should include anthropologists, sociologists, lawyers, and philosophers, among others.
- Empowering diplomats for the AI era: Capacity building must also equip diplomats and international officials with the necessary understanding of AI to effectively engage in policy work, negotiations, and implementation programmes.
The dialogue concluded with a call for more opportunities for exchanges and collaboration to help negotiators develop new ideas and approaches to address the challenges and opportunities of AI and digitalisation.
Quotes from the event:
- “Diplomacy must continue to adapt to the rapid pace of technological change. The successes of 2024 show that collaboration is possible, even in challenging times. Let’s build on this momentum in 2025.” – Jovan Kurbalija, Executive Director, DiploFoundation.
About DiploFoundation:
DiploFoundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening the capacity of all stakeholders to engage in international diplomacy and policy-making, particularly in the areas of technology and digital governance.
For media inquiries or more information, please contact: comms@diplomacy.edu.
