World leaders at the UNCTAD16 conference call for inclusive digital cooperation, fair access to data and skills and urgent investment to close widening tech divides.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and the wider digital economy are reshaping global growth, but without decisive action, developing countries risk being left behind, ministers and experts warned at the 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD16).
At two high-level ministerial roundtables on AI for development and the digital economy, leaders called for bold cooperation to close technology gaps, build trust in digital governance and ensure that the benefits of innovation serve people everywhere – not just the few.
“AI’s trajectory isn’t predetermined,” said UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan. “Whether it widens divides or closes them depends on the choices we make now – about investment, governance and whose voices shape the rules.”
Digital divides deepen amid rapid transformation
The global AI market is expected to multiply 25-fold within a decade, reaching nearly $5 trillion, according to UNCTAD’s latest Technology and Innovation Report.
Yet fewer than a third of developing countries have national AI strategies, and 118 mostly developing nations remain absent from global AI governance discussions.
Developing economies crossed the $1 trillion mark in digitally deliverable services exports last year, but least developed countries still struggle: Just 20% of their exports are digitally based, and only one in ten adults shop online in much of Africa.
Speakers warned that this uneven growth risks reinforcing inequalities.
Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, noted that Africa holds less than 1% of global data capacity and would need $2.6 trillion in investment by 2030 to bridge the infrastructure gap.
Turning opportunity into inclusion
Despite the risks, participants agreed that AI and digital technologies hold enormous promise to advance the Sustainable Development Goals – if countries act now to build the right foundations.
From AI-enabled health diagnostics in Brazil to precision farming in least developed countries, examples showcased how digital tools can improve public services, strengthen governance and unlock new industries.
Countries like Finland and Türkiye shared approaches focused on skills training, research and open data systems.
Ghana’s Minister for Trade, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said her country’s 10-Year National AI Strategy aims to transform job displacement fears into new opportunities through its One Million Coders initiative.
A call for shared governance and cooperation
Leaders emphasized that inclusive digital transformation requires interoperable global governance, with coherent rules on data, privacy and ethics that balance innovation with accountability.
UNCTAD’s proposal for a shared global digital facility – a cooperative model inspired by the European Organization for Nuclear Research – was highlighted as an avenue to expanding access to AI infrastructure and knowledge.
“Maybe we cannot reproduce the infrastructure needed for AI in every country,” Ms Grynspan said.
“But if we come together, we can share infrastructure that allows for diffusion of technology and regional collaboration.”
From divides to dialogue
Across both roundtables, a clear message emerged: digital progress must be people-centred, trusted and sustainable.
Ministerial speakers from Costa Rica, Cuba, Estonia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Portugal and Zimbabwe called for the establishment of data governance frameworks, investment in infrastructure, digital literacy and small business capacity.
The Digital Cooperation Organization urged countries to align efforts on digital trade to ensure shared prosperity.
The roundtable concluded that AI can be a force for good – but only if inclusion, ethics and cooperation guide its development, and that the promise of technology must translate into progress for all.