Telecom Union Calls for Global Action to Bridge AI, Internet Gaps
As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries worldwide. During its inaugural public meeting and an open online event titled “AI for Good,” the organization announced the formation of its Steering Committee to advance AI literacy and skills development globally.
The AI Skills Coalition, launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in March, has brought together governments, companies, experts and advocates to make learning opportunities on AI available to everyone, everywhere.
The global training initiative aimed to equip at least 10,000 individuals around the world with essential AI skills by the end of 2025. ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, emphasised the transformative potential of AI in society and the workplace, as well as the need to connect everyone to AI opportunities, including the estimated 2.6 billion people worldwide who remain completely offline today.
“Those 2.6 billion people risk missing out altogether on this AI transformation revolution,” she said, adding “We can’t let that happen.” The AI Skills Coalition now boasts more than 40 committed partners and over 60 AI training opportunities through its platform.
“The real measure of progress is going to be seen when we look at the number of lives and livelihoods that are transformed by new or strengthened AI skillsets,” said Bogdan-Martin.
Founder of Personal Robots Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cynthia Breazeal, called for a new understanding of AI literacy, one that starts as early as primary school.
“70 per cent of teens have used at least one type of generative AI,” she said, citing a Common Sense Media report.
“It’s also really important that our students are prepared to become engaged, productive citizens, who can use AI and understand its societal implications, so they have an informed voice in terms of how they want AI to be integrated into society,” said Breazeal, as she outlined the major goals of bringing AI literacy to K12 students.
Through MIT’s free, open-source Day of AI curriculum, students and teachers across all disciplines can gain hands-on experience with AI concepts, ethics, and system design.
According to a recent Microsoft Work Trends Index 2025 survey, organizations are under pressure to build productivity to keep pace with competition and workforce constraints, while workers are overwhelmed by busy work and interruptions.
“80 per cent of workers felt that they lacked the energy and the time to do their work,” said the General Manager for Digital Inclusion and Community Engagement at Microsoft Philanthropies, Naria Santa Lucia.
The survey, Santa Lucia added, also revealed that companies want to accelerate and reward AI-skilled workers: “79 per cent of leaders see AI as a career accelerator,” she said.
Microsoft offered many tools, including the AI Skills Navigator, to help workers upskill and pivot toward more strategic, high-value tasks.The five-person Steering Committee, formally introduced at the session, is tasked with ensuring AI Skills Coalition outputs remain globally relevant and inclusive.
“The Steering Committee,” explained ITU’s Chief of Telecommunication Standardization Policy, Bilel Jamoussi, adding, “will help us shape the coalition’s direction and ensure we remain aligned with our global mission.”
The coalition’s open platform is designed to enable collaboration, coordinate efforts and help scale up innovation across regions and sectors. As the session closed, ITU issued a call to all stakeholders: Stay engaged, bring your expertise, and help build an AI future that serves everyone, not just a few.
