UNESCO, India Collaborate on AI’s Socio‑Economic Impact: Official
New Delhi/Bangkok, June 27, 2025 – UNESCO has announced a strategic partnership with India to investigate and harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in addressing critical socio-economic challenges. The effort gains momentum as India prepares to host a global summit on the socio-economic impact of AI early next year.
1. Why India?
According to Irakli Khodeli, Head of UNESCO’s Ethics of AI unit, India stands out globally for its digital innovations and its principled approach to technological deployment. “India is a shining star for the rest of the world in terms of digital transformation… addressing social and economic issues with technological innovation and the right policy,” Khodeli told PTI.
India’s input was crucial in shaping UNESCO’s “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence” recommendation—a normative framework adopted four years ago—with an Indian expert among the 24-member drafting committee.
2. From Ethics to Action
UNESCO’s collaboration with India marks a transition from defining ethical frameworks to applying them in infrastructure, governance, and delivery. UNESCO’s series of stakeholder consultations across Indian cities—New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Bangalore again—have informed development of a national AI policy roadmap. The resulting policy report aims to map India’s AI strengths, identify growth sectors, and recommend sector-wise ethical strategies.
3. Building Institutional Capacity
In April 2025, India launched its AI Competency Framework for civil servants, based on UNESCO’s global guidelines. This initiative will equip over 3.1 million government officials to responsibly deploy AI in public services, with built‑in ethical and human-rights safeguards.
Furthermore, plans are underway in collaboration with UNESCO for an “AI Readiness Assessment Methodology.” This will evaluate India’s preparedness across institutional, regulatory, and ethical dimensions.
4. Looking Ahead to the 2026 Summit
Building on two previous global AI summits (Bletchley Park in 2023 on “AI Safety,” Seoul in 2024 on “AI Safety,” and Paris in February 2025 on “AI Action”), the next summit is slated for early 2026 in New Delhi. The event aims to shift the focus from policy to measurement—showcasing real-world deployments and demonstrating AI’s measurable socio-economic impacts.
Khodeli emphasized, “It is time now for action to demonstrate AI impact,” signaling a decisive shift from theory to implementation.
5. Broader Impacts & Global Leadership
India’s AI strategy isn’t limited to digital governance. It includes:
- Empowering underserved communities with education, healthcare, and financial inclusion tools.
- Following through on UNESCO’s ethics principles—social justice, fairness, non-discrimination, and inclusive access.
Through its infrastructure initiatives like BharatGPT, IndiaAI Mission, and globally relevant startup ecosystems, India is shaping an AI trajectory that is indigenous, responsible, and socially beneficial.
6. UNESCO’s Global Role
UNESCO remains pivotal in bridging policy and practice:
- UNESCO’s globalpolicy.ai portal provides governments with best-practice AI governance frameworks.
- Its contributions at G20 on promoting inclusive AI governance reinforce equitable development .
- Dialogues with India under its RAM framework ensure that local contexts shape global norms .
Why It Matters
| Key | Significance |
|---|---|
| ✅ Ethical leadership | India transitions from drafting ethical frameworks to real-world application. |
| 🌏 Global impact | The 2026 New Delhi summit will serve as AI’s global showcase for societal deployment. |
| 👥 Inclusive development | Emphasis on access, equity, and skill-building ensures broad societal benefit. |
Final Thoughts
UNESCO’s partnership with India signals a crucial pivot from discussion to deployment in global AI ethics. India’s blend of innovation, policy, ethics, and civil‑service readiness positions it uniquely to lead measurable, socially responsible AI implementations. As the world anticipates the 2026 New Delhi summit, India aims to demonstrate how AI can tangibly improve lives—beyond frameworks and into action.
