From AI ethics to infrastructure gaps: Global leaders call for deeper digital cooperation – Business Insider Africa
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Global leaders meeting in Kuwait this week made one thing clear. The future of digital transformation will be decided not only by technology, but by how well countries cooperate, invest and govern artificial intelligence.
That was the message from a multilateral cooperation session at the Digital Cooperation Organization forum, moderated by Pamela Mar of the Digital Standards Initiative.
The panel featured Ms. Patricia Ajamian Safi, Head of Multilateral Partnerships at UNESCO, H.E. Nasser Al-Mutairi, Secretary-General of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, Emma Morley, UNDP Resident Representative in Kuwait, and Mr Alex Wong, Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union.
Nasser Al-Mutairi set the tone by pointing to the real obstacles slowing regional digital progress. Political system diversity, geopolitical tensions, limited funding, and wide economic and digital gaps between countries all make cooperation harder.
His message was that flexibility matters. Countries with different priorities and very different levels of readiness cannot be forced into one rigid model, especially when it comes to digital public services and e-commerce.
Alex Wong brought the conversation down to what cooperation looks like in practice. He said digital cooperation must move beyond policy rooms into real delivery.
He pointed to global efforts to connect schools to the internet and to build digital public infrastructure such as interoperable government systems. He also raised a bigger concern.
The world is facing an estimated 1.6 trillion dollar digital infrastructure investment gap, a shortfall that could leave many developing economies behind just as AI adoption accelerates.
According to him, AI readiness is not just about software. It requires data centres, compute capacity and strong broadband networks, and that level of infrastructure will only happen if governments, development banks and investors work more closely together.
Patricia Ajamian Safi shifted the focus to the ethical side of the AI race. She warned that AI is no longer a frontier technology. It is already reshaping societies, economies, public services and culture at an unprecedented speed.
She said multilateralism only works when shared principles translate into action that affects people’s everyday lives. She highlighted UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI as the first and only global normative framework for artificial intelligence. It is not legally binding, but more than 75 countries are already implementing it.
She also noted that UNESCO has created a Business Council for the Ethics of AI to bring companies developing and deploying AI into alignment with human rights based standards.
Taken together, the session showed how the global AI conversation is changing. The focus is no longer just on adopting new tools.
It is now about whether countries can cooperate across political divides, mobilise serious capital for digital infrastructure, and still put guardrails in place so technology supports human dignity instead of undermining it.
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This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
Global leaders meeting in Kuwait this week made one thing clear. The future of digital transformation will be decided not only by technology, but by how well countries cooperate, invest and govern artificial intelligence.
That was the message from a multilateral cooperation session at the Digital Cooperation Organization forum, moderated by Pamela Mar of the Digital Standards Initiative.
The panel featured Ms. Patricia Ajamian Safi, Head of Multilateral Partnerships at UNESCO, H.E. Nasser Al-Mutairi, Secretary-General of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, Emma Morley, UNDP Resident Representative in Kuwait, and Mr Alex Wong, Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union.
Nasser Al-Mutairi set the tone by pointing to the real obstacles slowing regional digital progress. Political system diversity, geopolitical tensions, limited funding, and wide economic and digital gaps between countries all make cooperation harder.
His message was that flexibility matters. Countries with different priorities and very different levels of readiness cannot be forced into one rigid model, especially when it comes to digital public services and e-commerce.
Alex Wong brought the conversation down to what cooperation looks like in practice. He said digital cooperation must move beyond policy rooms into real delivery.
He pointed to global efforts to connect schools to the internet and to build digital public infrastructure such as interoperable government systems. He also raised a bigger concern.
The world is facing an estimated 1.6 trillion dollar digital infrastructure investment gap, a shortfall that could leave many developing economies behind just as AI adoption accelerates.
According to him, AI readiness is not just about software. It requires data centres, compute capacity and strong broadband networks, and that level of infrastructure will only happen if governments, development banks and investors work more closely together.
Patricia Ajamian Safi shifted the focus to the ethical side of the AI race. She warned that AI is no longer a frontier technology. It is already reshaping societies, economies, public services and culture at an unprecedented speed.
She said multilateralism only works when shared principles translate into action that affects people’s everyday lives. She highlighted UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI as the first and only global normative framework for artificial intelligence. It is not legally binding, but more than 75 countries are already implementing it.
She also noted that UNESCO has created a Business Council for the Ethics of AI to bring companies developing and deploying AI into alignment with human rights based standards.
Taken together, the session showed how the global AI conversation is changing. The focus is no longer just on adopting new tools.
It is now about whether countries can cooperate across political divides, mobilise serious capital for digital infrastructure, and still put guardrails in place so technology supports human dignity instead of undermining it.
Thanks for signing up for our daily insight on the African economy. We bring you daily editor picks from the best Business Insider news content so you can stay updated on the latest topics and conversations on the African market, leaders, careers and lifestyle. Also join us across all of our other channels – we love to be connected!
© 2026 africa.businessinsider.com
source
This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
