KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
- More than 600 young people gathered at UN Headquarters in New York to discuss AI and its impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Youth delegates presented a declaration on AI policy and governance intended to inform future UN-led discussions.
- Participants highlighted concerns over unequal access to AI infrastructure, skills and financing, particularly in developing countries.
NEW YORK (United Nations) — August 14, 2026: More than 600 young people from around the world gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York to discuss the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence and its growing impact on education, employment and society.
The summit, held on August 12 as part of International Youth Day activities, focused on the role young people can play in shaping AI policy and global governance.
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Following discussions and workshops organised by the International Organization of Youth, participants presented a Youth-led Declaration on AI Policy and Governance. The declaration is intended to contribute to future UN-led discussions on artificial intelligence, including work linked to the Global Digital Compact.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier said young people would live with the consequences of decisions being made about AI for the longest period.
“Young people are sometimes included in these conversations, but they’re actually included only at a few moments,” Paullier said.
“Meaningful youth participation is not about being consulted in a tokenistic way at the end of a process. It’s about involving them at the beginning.”
The summit also highlighted concerns about the representation of developing countries in global discussions over artificial intelligence.
Ambassadors and participants from countries including the Bahamas, Dominica, Pakistan and Tonga discussed ways to ensure that countries with fewer technological and financial resources are not left behind as AI adoption expands.
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Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail, who participated in the summit, warned that technological progress alone would not guarantee broader social and economic benefits.
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“Technological progress will not automatically translate into human progress if developing countries lack access to the infrastructure, computing capacity, skills, finance and knowledge,” Mandokhail said.
He called for greater participation by developing countries in discussions surrounding AI standards and governance.
Mandokhail also urged young people to play an active role in determining how AI develops.
“The future of AI should not simply happen to your generation. Your generation must actually help shape it,” he said.
He encouraged young participants to “learn, question, innovate and lead” as they work toward what he described as fairer and more sustainable societies.
AI Adoption among Children Raises Concerns
The summit’s discussions came amid growing evidence of rapid AI adoption among children.
UNICEF reported in June that its analysis of data from 10 countries estimated that at least 20 million children had used AI, with many adopting the technology at rates more than three times faster than adults. The agency also found that children were using AI for learning, advice and other activities while raising concerns about misinformation, scams, privacy and manipulated images.
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UNICEF has called for child rights, safety, transparency and accountability to be incorporated into AI governance as children’s use of the technology expands.
The UN summit also addressed the potential impact of AI on employment.
According to the material presented at the event, the International Labour Organization’s latest youth employment research found that young people continue to face difficulties entering the labour market, while some occupations are increasingly exposed to AI-related changes.
Speakers argued that young people should be equipped with skills that allow them to adapt to technological changes rather than being treated only as potential recipients of AI-driven disruption.
Calls for more Inclusive AI Governance
Paullier said AI development remains concentrated among a relatively small number of large companies in wealthier countries and argued that global governance should address this imbalance.
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“We want AI to help to reduce inequalities, not to deepen inequalities,” he said.
The summit also featured discussions on AI’s relationship with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the need to ensure that technological development contributes to broader social and economic progress.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a message for International Youth Day, highlighted the role of young people in global decision-making and recognised challenges including economic uncertainty, digital inclusion and climate change.
The New York gathering adds to ongoing UN efforts to involve young people in discussions over artificial intelligence, including the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and other technology and development forums.
The discussions underscored a central issue in the global AI debate: how to expand access to the technology while establishing governance frameworks that address inequality, safety, accountability and the interests of younger generations.
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