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

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 
2 July 2026

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

Initiative brings together leaders from government, business and international organizations to advance practical pathways to unlocking AI’s potentialArtificial Intelligence | Digital inclusion

​​​​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:

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

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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Read the full story (with images and links): https://www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/Pages/PR-2026-07-02-AI-for-Good-Global-Commission.aspx