AI Can Be Force For Good, Birkett Says

Summary

At a UN town hall hosted by Bloomberg, Guyana’s ambassador to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, and former UNGA President María Fernanda Espinosa discuss the need for reform of international financial institutions to deliver concessional financing to developing nations, the role of the private sector in development, and the governance of artificial intelligence to balance opportunity and risk.

• Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett advocates for incremental IFI reforms to channel concessional financing to developing states.
• Birkett highlights AI’s potential as a force for good but notes youth concerns about jobs and creativity, calling for a UN governance framework.
• María Fernanda Espinosa stresses the need for private-sector investment, capital, technology, and opportunity in developing countries.
• Espinosa sees the UN as well-positioned to convene and partner on AI, ensuring human dignity as the source code for new technologies.
• Both speakers emphasize collaboration among the private sector, civil society, and the intergovernmental UN system.