AI capacity-building event hosted by China and Zambia at UN

China and Zambia on Tuesday jointly held a side event of the Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity-Building at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Representatives from more than 70 countries, including Russia, France, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia, as well as international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, attended the event.

The participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the equitable and inclusive development of artificial intelligence (AI), working toward consensus on improving AI governance and bridging the digital divide.

"Since the adoption of the UNGA resolution, we have convened two productive seminars in Beijing and Shanghai, bringing together over 180 participants from more than 40 countries," said Fu Cong, Chinese ambassador to the UN, at the side event. "The seminars have provided valuable platforms to share best practices and discuss the way forward for global AI governance."

AI is profoundly transforming how humans work and live, bringing significant opportunities and broad prospects. However, according to statistics from the ITU, as of 2024, 2.6 billion people – about one-third of the global population – still lack internet access.

In the face of the opportunities and challenges brought by AI, the international community should uphold multilateralism and focus on capacity-building.

Actively responding to the voices and needs of developing countries, China jointly launched the Group of Friends with Zambia. Since its first meeting last December, the group has continued to grow and has become an important force in the global AI governance arena, injecting fresh momentum into AI capacity-building cooperation and efforts to bridge the digital divide.

"I look forward to insightful contributions from the speakers to help us chart the way forward for the Group of Friends, and conduct more practical exchanges and cooperation on AI capacity-building," Fu noted.

(Cover: VCG)