At the 2025 AI for Good Global Summit, a panel discussion examined how AI can be scaled responsibly within international organization. The session featured Sameer Chauhan, Director of the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC); Milena Grecuccio, Deputy Director of UNICC; Shirin Hamid, Chief Information Officer of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); and Thomas Schneider, Ambassador and Director of International Affairs at the Swiss Federal Office of Communications.

At the 2025 AI for Good Global Summit, a panel discussion examined how AI can be scaled responsibly within international organization. The session featured Sameer Chauhan, Director of the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC); Milena Grecuccio, Deputy Director of UNICC; Shirin Hamid, Chief Information Officer of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); and Thomas Schneider, Ambassador and Director of International Affairs at the Swiss Federal Office of Communications. Together, they reflected on the opportunities and responsibilities linked to embedding AI into the digital public infrastructure of the United Nations system and beyond. 

The role of UNICC and the launch of the AI hub 

Opening the discussion, Sameer Chauhan introduced UNICC as the technology backbone of the United Nations, created more than five decades ago to serve the entire system. He explained that throughout its history, UNICC has evolved with every technological shift, from mainframes in the 1970s to today’s AI. Now, with growing demand for AI capabilities across United Nations agencies, UNICC has launched the AI Hub, which was officially announced earlier during the Global Summit. 

The hub is designed to provide a set of common capabilities, identified in consultation with partners, that will accelerate the adoption of AI across the UN system. He highlighted that the success of the hub depends not only on technical expertise but also on partnerships with consulting firms, technology companies, academia, non-profit organizations, and member states.  

“We launched the AI hub and defined the first set of common capabilities that our partners said we should be building so we can accelerate their journey of adoption,” Chauhan said.

From his perspective, the purpose of the hub is to enable UN agencies to integrate AI more effectively into their work, improving their ability to achieve outcomes and fulfill mandates. He emphasized that the journey requires collaboration and that the AI Hub is designed to reflect the collective priorities of the UN community. 

A vision for inclusive global governance 

Following Chauhan’s introduction, Ambassador Thomas Schneider offered the perspective of Switzerland. He recalled the vision set out during the World Summit on the Information Society more than 20 years ago, which emphasized an inclusive, people-centered, and development-oriented digital society. For Schneider, this vision remains relevant today as governments and institutions grapple with the rapid evolution of technologies like AI. 

He noted the importance of governance frameworks that are as innovative as the technologies they oversee. Pointing to the work of the Council of Europe, Schneider described the development of the first binding legal framework on AI, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, which he helped to negotiate. The framework, he explained, is designed to provide practical tools for assessing the risks and impacts of AI. 

Schneider also presented Swiss initiatives aimed at democratizing access to AI. These include efforts to share supercomputing capacity with international partners and to develop a national large language model that supports minority languages such as Romansh. For him, initiatives like the UNICC AI Hub are valuable because they create opportunities for smaller states and less resourced communities to develop and use AI on their own terms. “We really appreciate this AI hub as Switzerland,” he said, emphasizing its potential to make AI more inclusive and accessible across the UN system and beyond. 

Watch the full session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9RIZ1_nTI 

AI adoption and innovation in the IMF 

Shirin Hamid shared how the organization has been using AI for more than a decade, even before generative AI became mainstream. She stressed that understanding this technology is central to harnessing its benefits responsibly, which is why the IMF has invested in building internal capacity around data and digital innovation. 

Hamid reflected on the extraordinary pace of AI adoption, contrasting the many years it took for earlier technologies like the telephone to reach mass use with the mere months it took for applications like ChatGPT. She argued that this pace demands not just short-term solutions but also forward-looking strategies that account for how AI will shape future generations. For the IMF, this means developing a clear strategy, building capacity, and equipping staff with the tools needed to integrate AI across its operations. 

Partnerships are central to this approach. Hamid explained that collaboration with entities like UNICC provides the infrastructure and services needed to scale AI responsibly. She also highlighted her work with other UN Chief Information Officers, who share a commitment to embedding AI in ways that directly benefit the global community.  

“We want to be responsible to the resources that are allocated to us and in this aspect the AI data hub is where we have the aspiration where we can actually benefit not only from the infrastructure, the hardware, the services, but also the innovation that could come out of it,” Hamid said.

For Hamid, AI is not just about efficiency but also about shaping the future responsibly. She stressed the importance of CIOs across the UN moving beyond traditional back-end roles to become active shapers of how technology is used to advance the mission of their organizations. 

Building the AI hub responsibly 

The final intervention came from Milena Grecuccio, Deputy Director of UNICC, who led the design of the AI Hub. She placed the initiative within UNICC’s broader history: since its founding in the early 1970s, the organization has provided shared computing, hosting, and digital services across the UN. The new AI Hub continues this role by offering a common space for innovation and collaboration. 

Grecuccio stressed that neutrality, accountability, and trust are at the heart of UNICC’s model. Operating on a cost-recovery basis rather than a profit motive, UNICC provides infrastructure and solutions that reflect the collective needs of its member organizations. For her, the AI Hub is a natural extension of this role, offering shared resources for innovation, scalability, and responsible adoption. 

She outlined several dimensions of what responsible AI means in the UN context. First, data protection must be built in by design. The UN manages vast amounts of sensitive data, particularly concerning vulnerable populations, making privacy and protection non-negotiable. She also emphasized the importance of addressing bias in AI systems, noting that flawed inputs can generate outputs that appear reliable but conceal deep inaccuracies. 

 “It is very important that we design AI responsibly meaning that we don’t inject biases and don’t inject misinformation,” Grecuccio said.

Beyond data protection and bias, responsible AI also requires education. To this end, UNICC has launched an AI Academy to ensure that staff across all functions (not only technical roles) are equipped to engage with AI tools responsibly. Grecuccio underlined that responsibility must extend across the entire system, so that AI is not only developed responsibly but also applied responsibly in everyday UN work. 

She concluded with a call for collective action, inviting all stakeholders, governments, private companies, non-profits, and universities, to contribute to the hub and share ideas. For her, the AI Hub is both a technical initiative and a collaborative space where the UN community and its partners can come together to accelerate innovation in line with shared values. 

Reflections on responsibility and collaboration 

The session closed with a sense of shared purpose. Chauhan, Schneider, Hamid, and Grecuccio each underscored the importance of partnerships, inclusivity, and responsible governance as AI becomes more deeply embedded in public institutions. Their perspectives converged on the idea that the UN system has a unique role to play in shaping how AI is scaled responsibly across the globe. 

As Grecuccio summarized, the goal is not simply to deploy new technology but to do so in ways that respect rights, protect vulnerable communities, and foster trust.  

“The invitation is to come together, act collectively, efficiently, ethically and responsibly in the face of this unprecedented opportunity,” Grecuccio said.

The launch of the UNICC AI Hub reflects that ambition, offering a foundation for the UN and its partners to harness AI while upholding their shared commitment to serve people everywhere.