As debate continues over the risks and governance of AI, several UN agencies are using the technology to tackle challenges in education, healthcare, climate change and humanitarian response.
One example comes from Jamaica, where a six-year-old child named Ari, who has learning difficulties, is now able to access educational materials through AI-powered digital textbooks tailored to individual learning needs.
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Global Director of Education and Adolescent Development Pia Rebello Britto said the technology is helping make learning more accessible for children living with disabilities. “There are countless more examples like Ari’s, showing what becomes possible when digital learning is designed to reach every child,” Britto said.
UNICEF’s Accessible Digital Textbooks for All initiative currently operates in 17 countries and supports nearly two million children. The programme aims to expand to 50 countries by 2030.
Artificial intelligence is also playing a growing role in the fight against climate change.
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Climate Change Division Director Martin Krause said AI is helping detect methane leaks far more quickly than traditional methods. “Everybody, every person, citizen, anywhere in the world who is concerned about climate change must have an interest in slowing down global warming, and fixing methane leaks is the emergency brake,” Krause said.
UNEP’s Methane Alert and Response System uses AI to analyse data from 30 satellites to detect methane emissions. Since its launch in 2024, the system has helped prevent emissions equivalent to those produced by about 24 million gas-powered vehicles.
Krause said AI is between 12 and 15 times faster and more accurate than human analysis in detecting methane leaks. “This is not the UN building a task force and discussing a problem and having a meeting. This is real stuff,” Krause said.
In healthcare, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is supporting the use of AI-powered systems to screen patients for tuberculosis.
WHO scientist Dr Vanessa Veronese said AI-assisted analysis of chest X-rays is helping countries diagnose TB more quickly, particularly where specialist radiologists are scarce. “It’s really helping people to move through the diagnostic cascade onto treatment much sooner,” Veronese said.
The technology is being used in countries such as Ethiopia, where miners face elevated risks of tuberculosis because of dust and silica exposure.
Beyond health and climate programmes, UN agencies are also using AI to detect landmines, assess disaster damage, monitor radioactive contamination, identify suspicious financial transactions and support scientific research.
The UN continues to stress that ethical safeguards and human rights protections must accompany the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described AI as both “humanity’s greatest opportunity in the 21st century” and one of its greatest risks. “We must ensure AI serves humanity, and not the other way around,” Guterres said.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
