People, Power, and AI: Rethinking Development for the New Era

Artificial intelligence has extraordinary potential to improve lives and accelerate progress around the world. However, realizing the promise of AI will depend on the policy choices made today.

In People, Power, and AI: Rethinking Development for the New Era, Claire Melamed, UN Foundation Vice President for AI and Digital Cooperation Strategy, and Paul Ladd, Director of Sustainable Development and Population at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, examine how AI is shaping societies and present an integrated framework for setting AI policy priorities in a development context. Drawing on insights across disciplines, they explore the opportunities AI presents while identifying key risks that could undermine human well-being if left unaddressed.

The report offers a roadmap for ensuring that AI contributes to more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development, and ultimately helps build a future in which technological progress makes the world a better place for everyone.