ITU Targets AI Readiness in Developing Nations to Build Local Capacity

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has launched the AI for Good Lab, a new global initiative designed to help developing and emerging economies build artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, strengthen digital infrastructure and develop locally relevant AI solutions.

The initiative unveiled during the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, seeks to ensure that developing countries are not left behind in the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem by providing policy support, technical expertise, skills development and access to AI infrastructure.

According to the United Nations specialised agency for digital technologies, the AI for Good Lab will support countries in creating AI solutions tailored to local needs by enabling them to build datasets based on their own social and economic contexts.

“The AI for Good Lab aims to help developing countries accelerate locally relevant AI solutions based on international standards,” the ITU said.

It added, “Countries can build datasets based on local contexts, a vital asset in training AI models for priority sectors such as health, agriculture, education and mobility.”

The ITU explained that participating countries would also receive support in developing domestic computing infrastructure and access to locally adapted open-weight AI models that governments, startups, academia and private sector organisations can deploy at lower cost.

“In-country projects will also develop local compute infrastructure and share locally adapted, open-weight AI models that governments, the private sector, start-ups and academia can reuse at lower cost,” the organisation stated.

The UN agency said the initiative is structured around three strategic pillars—AI readiness and policy support, AI skills development, and public AI infrastructure—to help countries move from isolated pilot projects to sustainable AI ecosystems.

Explaining the first pillar, ITU noted: “AI Readiness and Policy support helps governments assess national capabilities, identify gaps, and develop strategies for AI adoption. Through readiness assessments, policy guidance, and capacity-building workshops, countries can better understand the investments and policies needed to unlock AI’s potential.”

On talent development, the agency said the programme would strengthen AI capacity through initiatives including the AI Skills Coalition, Innovation Factory, robotics programmes, hackathons and machine learning challenges.

“AI Skills Development support aims to build a strong and inclusive talent pipeline. Through initiatives such as the AI Skills Coalition, Innovation Factory, AI and Robotics programmes, hackathons, and machine learning (AI/ML) challenges, the AI for Good Lab will help equip youth, professionals, entrepreneurs, policymakers and public-sector leaders with the skills needed for AI innovation,” ITU said.

The organisation further disclosed that countries participating in the programme would gain access to open datasets, computing resources and open-source AI toolkits through the AI for Good Sandbox to accelerate innovation while aligning with international standards.

“Public AI Infrastructure support provides the technical foundations required for innovation. With the open datasets, compute resources and open-source toolkits offered by the AI for Good Sandbox, countries can experiment with AI, validate new solutions and take actions aligned with ITU standards,” the agency stated.

According to ITU, the integrated approach is expected to help governments create long-term AI ecosystems capable of delivering measurable socio-economic impact, particularly in critical sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education and transportation. The initiative also complements broader efforts unveiled during the AI for Good Summit aimed at strengthening international AI governance, standards and responsible adoption worldwide.