Davos 2026: ITU and United Nations University launch AI for Good Report at Davos 2026

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

The flagship AI for Good report, developed in collaboration between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), has been officially launched, marking a significant milestone in global efforts to harness artificial intelligence for sustainable development and societal well-being.

The report was unveiled at AI House Davos during the World Economic Forum’s Davos 2026 meeting. It was formally announced by ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin and the Rector of the United Nations University, Tshilidzi Marwala, with contributions from Fred Werner of the ITU, musician and technology entrepreneur will.i.am of FYI.AI, and Bolor Battsengel of AI Academy Asia.

Focusing on three priority areas—GeoAI, robotics, and AI-native communications—the report examines how emerging AI technologies can be leveraged to support human and planetary well-being. It highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in addressing complex challenges across sectors such as healthcare, climate resilience, education, and digital inclusion.

The launch builds on the ITU AI Readiness Project, initiated in 2024 to assess countries’ and organisations’ capacity to integrate AI and benefit from its deployment. As part of this effort, the ITU introduced the AI Readiness pilot Plugfest to collect and analyse real-world projects applying AI to practical challenges. The initiative brought together 88 experts from 38 countries, who provided mentoring, strategic feedback, and regional perspectives to help shape the AI Readiness Framework.

Drawing on insights from the Plugfest projects, the 2025 phase of the AI Readiness Project adopted a combined analytical and bottom-up approach. This methodology derived key dimensions and metrics for readiness assessment directly from real-world use cases, while also proposing indices to allow for regional customisation. In addition to the analytical framework, the report presents a practical and evolving toolkit designed for use by governments, enterprises, non-governmental organisations, and other stakeholders.

The project reflects broad multi-stakeholder collaboration, with contributions from industry, academia, government, and civil society, fostering a shared environment for knowledge exchange and standard-setting. The ITU and its partners acknowledged the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, as well as the contributions of ITU Members through the organisation’s study groups to the development of AI Readiness standards.

As the AI Readiness Project continues to evolve, the ITU and United Nations University have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening global partnerships, strengthening AI readiness capacity, advancing standardisation efforts, and contributing to multi-level AI governance worldwide.