UN and ITU to Hold Global Dialogue on AI's Impact on Social and Economic Realities

Emma Okonji

The United Nations (UN) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) plan a global dialogue to address AI‑influenced social and economic realities worldwide. The event will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 6–7 July 2026.

Since AI attracted widespread global attention three and a half years ago, countries have held divergent views on AI dominance and the potential displacement of human jobs.

Since then, AI has progressed rapidly, with new models and applications appearing faster than policymakers can keep pace.

While some nations are advancing rapidly, many others find it difficult to adapt to the emerging AI‑influenced social and economic realities.

To tackle this global challenge, the UN is convening governments, industry, academia, civil society, and international organisations for the first UN General Assembly‑mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

Speaking ahead of the dialogue, the Global Dialogue Co‑Chair and Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the UN in New York, Egriselda López, said: “AI, as you know, is moving and advancing so rapidly, yet there are so many countries that are lagging behind and still don’t know how to make good use of AI.”

Fellow Co‑Chair and Permanent Representative of Estonia to the UN in New York, Rein Tammsaar, said: “The global AI landscape is very fragmented. While numerous governance‑related discussions are happening, there is no place where all of this would come together without the UN’s global reach.”

According to Tammsaar, the upcoming AI event is a “dialogue of the dialogues.”

The dialogue is supported by a joint secretariat comprising the ITU, UNESCO, and the UN’s Office of Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET). ITU and UNESCO serve as coordinating entities.

The dialogue is part of Geneva’s Digital Week, a European UN hub, scheduled immediately after the annual AI for Good Global Summit and the WSIS Forum organized by ITU.

The Global Dialogue is set to highlight four main thematic clusters:

AI opportunities and impacts – exploring the societal, cultural, economic, and technical