Progress on human development is on a 35-year-low. AI is and will be a game changer. From the printing press to the internet, technology has shaped human progress—but not by accident. As AI rapidly transforms societies, technology is not something that just happens to us while we idly wait. We have an agency. And we have a responsibility to ensure that technological innovation serves us all, not drives us further apart.
Join Pedro Conceição (Human Development Report Office, UNDP) and Rose Mutiso (African Tech Futures Lab) for a deep dive into how AI can serve human development and advance sustainable development in Africa and globally —if we make the right choices. This session challenges the dominant narratives of technological determinism, emphasizing the crucial role of human agency in steering AI for the benefit of human development. Topics will include new benchmarks for AI impact, rethinking policy frameworks, and ensuring that AI aligns with human development goals. Rather than trying to predict the future, this session aims to inspire choices for shaping the future.
