ITU - International Telecommunication Union

07/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/02/2026 10:12

Global leaders launch AI for Good Global Commission to expand access, strengthen trust and accelerate impact

​Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff, and ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin today announced the launch of the AI for Good Global Commission. ​

The Commission brings together more than 40 Founding Members - including Heads of State and Government, industry CEOs and top executives, and Heads of UN agencies - to help define practical pathways to strengthen trust, expand access and unlock AI's potential to solve real-world challenges at the speed the technology demands.

The newly formed Commission occupies a unique position in the global AI landscape. By connecting leaders who build technology, deploy it at scale, shape policy and represent communities, the Commission seeks to help forge responsible AI solutions across sectors and borders while ensuring the participation of developing countries.

"One thing is certain: technology is supposed to be a force for good, and we have a responsibility to use it accordingly," said President Kagame, Co-Chair of the Commission. "Let us work together to reduce inequality, and allow more and more of our citizens to benefit from the good AI can deliver to all of us."

"The promise of AI is built on not only incredible opportunities for the growth of our economy, but on the foundation of trust that is required for our shared success," said Benioff, Commission Co-Chair.

With 2.2 billion people still offline, one-quarter of the world is cut off from AI advancements. A key focus of the AI for Good Global Commission will be to bridge digital divides and help ensure that AI becomes a tool for solving global challenges, not deepening inequalities.

The new AI for Good Global Commission builds on the foundation of the multi-stakeholder ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, which helped shape global priorities for connectivity, digital inclusion and economic development.​

"No organization can single-handedly put AI at the service of all humanity," said Bogdan-Martin, Vice-Chair of the Commission. "It will take collective leadership and the combined expertise of partners from across sectors to ensure AI benefits all people, everywhere.''

The AI for Good Global Commission will have its inaugural meeting during ITU's AI for Good Global Summit 2026 (7-10 July) in Geneva, Switzerland. The Summit is part of Digital Week, a series of digital cooperation events taking place in Geneva from 6-10 July, which also includes the first UN-mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance (6-7 July) and the WSIS Forum 2026 (6-10 July).

Founding Members of the AI for Good Global Commission include:

  1. Co-Chair: H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda
  2. Co-Chair: Marc Benioff, Chair, CEO and Co-Founder of Salesforce
  3. Vice-Chair: Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General, ITU
  4. H.E. Alar Karis, President of the Republic of Estonia
  5. H.E. Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland
  6. H.E. Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Republic of Kazakhstan
  7. Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO, Accenture
  8. Denis Machuel, CEO, The Adecco Group
  9. H.E. Lerato Dorothy Mataboge, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union
  10. Andy Jassy, CEO and President, Amazon.com
  11. Jack Clark, Co-founder and Head of Public Benefit, Anthropic
  12. Lakshmi N. Mittal, Executive Chairman, ArcelorMittal
  13. Jesper Brodin, Chair, The B Team, and Senior Advisor, IKEA Foundation
  14. Cécile Béliot, CEO, Bel Group
  15. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises
  16. Aidan Gomez, Co-Founder and CEO, Cohere
  17. Vishal Talwar, President, FedEx Dataworks and Executive Vice President, Chief Digital and Information Officer, FedEx Corporation
  18. Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner, Fusion Fund
  19. will.i.am, Founder and CEO, FYI.AI
  20. James Manyika, President for Research, Labs, Technology & Society, Google and Alphabet
  21. Anthony Tan, Co-founder and Group CEO, Grab
  22. Vivek Badrinath, Director-General, GSMA
  23. Father Eric Salobir, President, Human Technology Foundation and Expert to the Holy See
  24. David Schwimmer, CEO, LSEG
  25. Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
  26. Ralph Mupita, CEO and Group President, MTN Group
  27. H.E. Emma Theofelus, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Republic of Namibia
  28. H.E. Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Federal Republic of Nigeria
  29. Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO, NVIDIA
  30. Christel Heydemann, CEO, The Orange Group
  31. Dr. Albert Bourla, CEO and Chairman, Pfizer
  32. Cristiano Amon, CEO and President, Qualcomm Incorporated
  33. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited
  34. André Hoffmann, Vice Chairman, Roche Holding AG
  35. Ren Ito, Co-Founder and Chairman, Sakana AI
  36. H.E. Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information, Republic of Singapore
  37. Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder and CEO, Social Capital
  38. Alexander De Croo, Administrator, UNDP
  39. Khaled El-Enany, Director-General, UNESCO
  40. H.E. Cina Lawson, Minister of Public Sector Efficiency and Digital Transformation, Togolese Republic
  41. Margherita Della Valle, Group CEO, Vodafone
  42. Daren Tang, Director General, WIPO
  43. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, WTO
  44. Xu Ziyang, CEO and Executive Director, ZTE ​​

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Editor's notes: Learn more about the AI for Good Global Commission here.

About the AI for Good Global Commission:​

The AI for Good Global Commission is a high-level multistakeholder initiative bringing together global leaders from government, business, and international institutions to engage directly with the defining technical, socio-economic, and policy questions surrounding AI. Its purpose is to help identify practical pathways to strengthen trust, support responsible innovation, and deliver broad-based economic and social benefits for people around the world. It is co-chaired by H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, and Marc Benioff, Chair, CEO and Co-Founder of Salesforce, with Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) serving as the Vice-Chair. Learn more: www.commission.aiforgood.itu.int

About ITU:

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations agency for digital technologies, driving innovation for people and the planet with 194 Member States and a membership of over 1,000 companies, universities, civil society, and international and regional organizations. Established in 1865, ITU coordinates the global use of the radio spectrum and satellite orbits, establishes international technology standards, drives universal connectivity and digital services, and is helping to make sure everyone benefits from sustainable digital transformation, including the most remote communities. From artificial intelligence (AI) to quantum, from satellites and submarine cables to advanced mobile and wireless broadband networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world and beyond. Learn more: www.itu.int

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