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AI for Good depends on global cooperation, says ITU's Doreen Bogdan-Martin
“Connectivity is an enabler, but it’s not evenly distributed,” says Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the ITU.
In a conversation with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Bogdan-Martin lays out the urgent global challenge: a widening digital divide in AI access, policy, and infrastructure. “Only 32 countries have meaningful compute capacity. And 85% don’t have an AI strategy.”
The fight to “connect every last person” to the internet
Doreen Bogdan-Marin spends a lot of time thinking about how to keep the world connected as the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union. The biggest frontier in that realm is expanding internet access to those in the developing world who struggle to get online.
How can we bridge the "digital Grand Canyon"?
The UN likes to say that having half the world's population offline is like a "digital Grand Canyon" of exclusion. So, how can we bridge it? The International Communications Union's Doreen Bogdan-Martin says that the only way is to get all concerned parties — the UN, governments, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society — to work together. "No one can do this alone. We need all hands on deck."
Bogdan-Martin weighed in during a Global Stage livestream conversation hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft during the 76th UN General Assembly.
Learn more: Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate
Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate
Half of the world's population is currently offline, and COVID has further widened the digital gap. Providing more than three billion people with affordable, reliable internet access sounds like a no-brainer, but the devil is in the details. Who'll pay for it, how do we measure success, who should be on board, and what are the potential benefits?
Several experts weighed in during a Global Stage virtual conversation hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft during the 76th UN General Assembly, moderated by the UN's Melissa Fleming.Don't miss our next event: LIVE on Wednesday Oct 13 11am ET/ 8 am PT:
Watch our discussion to decide: should internet access be free?
Access to the internet is a universal right.
Broadband should be free.
Tech companies should foot the bill.
Discuss.
GZERO Media and Microsoft will convene proponents, skeptics, and fence-sitters to debate whether the internet should be free on the next Global Stage event.
Make up your mind in our event September 15th at 11am ET/8am PT.
Panel: Why access to broadband & digital skills is critical
On October 7th, GZERO Media — in partnership with Microsoft and Eurasia Group — presented a live panel discussion, "Digital Inclusion: Connectivity and Skills for the Next Billion Jobs," about the acceleration of digitalization, the changing workforce, and the need for digital access for all.
The conversation was moderated by Sherrell Dorsey, founder and CEO of The Plug, and our panel included:
- Kate Behncken, Vice President, Microsoft Philanthropies
- Lisa Lewin, CEO of General Assembly
- Parag Mehta, Executive Director and Sr Vice President, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
- Dominique Hyde, Director External Relations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Rohitesh Dhawan, Managing Director, Energy, Climate & Resources, Eurasia Group
Also featured: special appearances by Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Chile, and Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the International Telecommunications Union.