On its official website, the organization stated that agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are using AI to achieve goals such as educating children with learning difficulties and those living in remote communities.

UNICEF created the Accessible Digital Textbooks for All initiative, designed to bring educational materials to children with disabilities worldwide.

While the program existed previously, the current AI-assisted version operates in 17 countries, reaches nearly two million children, and aims to expand to 50 nations by 2030, the organization noted. For its part, the UN Environment Programme uses AI to analyze satellite data, detect large methane leaks, and notify governments and companies.

This tool is between 12 and 15 times faster and more accurate than humans. “We have already issued 7,500 alerts, leading to 42 mitigation measures in the last two years,” reported Martin Krause, director of the Climate Change division.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is promoting the use of new technologies for applications such as detecting signs of tuberculosis in X-rays, which allows for faster progress in the diagnosis and treatment process.

“Early identification helps reduce the number of infected people in the community, thus decreasing transmission. It also helps eliminate access barriers related to qualified personnel, cost, and resource availability,” Dr. Vanessa Veronese noted. The UN also uses AI to detect landmines, assess disaster damage, uncover suspicious financial transactions, monitor radioactive contamination, and accelerate research into nuclear fusion.

However, as it moves forward, we emphasize fairness, human rights, and ethics to ensure that AI promotes development rather than threatening peace and democracy, the multilateral organization noted.

Recently, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asserted that it represents humanity’s greatest opportunity in the 21st century, but also one of its greatest risks.

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