30-06-2025
UNESCO rallies global support for ethical AI at Bangkok forum
Four years after UNESCO's AI ethics recommendation adopted, over 1,200 participants convene to discuss progress, challenges
BANGKOK — With AI reshaping everything from industries to daily life, UNESCO gathered government officials, business leaders and experts from around the world in Bangkok, calling for stronger international cooperation to steer the ethical development and use of this transformative technology.
The third edition of the UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI drew over 1,200 participants from 88 countries last week in the Thai capital, evaluating how far the world has come since the adoption of the 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, the first global standard of its kind endorsed by all 194 member states.
'Artificial intelligence is profoundly reshaping how we live, how we work, how we learn, how we connect, how we relate one to another, placing humanity at a historic and critical turning point,' said UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay at the opening ceremony on Wednesday. 'It is up to all of us to collectively steer it in an ethical direction according to the values we want to support.'
'It requires international cooperation,' Azoulay urged. 'And this is what UNESCO, our common organization, is working to do: to prepare the world for AI and to prepare AI for the world.'
The summit unfolded against the backdrop of escalating AI arms race between the US and China, hindering efforts for collaboration in this rapidly advancing technology where international cooperation is more critical than ever.
This tech rivalry between the two superpowers has placed pressure on many countries to take sides. But Thailand, the host nation, said it is not picking one over another.
Wisit Wisitsora-At, permanent secretary at Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, told the press conference Wednesday that it is not going with either side. 'We can live with the two systems,' he said, adding that Thailand is encouraging domestic investment to build its own AI ecosystem.
Thailand used the forum to signal its determination to become a key player in AI innovation. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra laid out her country's sweeping AI visions, a $15.4 billion investment in AI infrastructure, development of domestic talent and a national data center.
She also reaffirmed Thailand's support for UNESCO's ethics vision. Thailand is developing a tool to track member states' implementation of the AI ethics recommendations and will also launch the region's first AI Governance Practice Center in collaboration with UNESCO, aimed at sharing ethical AI practices and foster collaboration across sectors.
'As leaders, we must ensure that AI delivers real, inclusive, sustainable and lasting benefits for all,' she said. 'AI must be a force for truth, not deception. An instrument for inclusion, not exclusion. And a tool for progress, not peril."
No one-size-fits-all in AI governance
More than 35 government ministers, mostly from Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America, participated in the forum, discussing how to translate UNESCO's nonbinding recommendation into real national policy, while sharing their progress on implementation.
In an interview with The Korea Herald, Irakli Khodeli, the head of UNESCO's Ethics of AI unit, emphasized that 'finding the right balance between access and sustainability, and between regulation and innovation' is critical in policy innovation
But how that balance is defined is up to each country's unique priorities and conditions.
'There is no one strategy that can be taken from one country and applied to the other country, because it is all about their national priorities and the problems that they are facing,' said Khodeli, adding that countries vary widely in their AI purposes, available talent, computational resources and regulatory capacity.
'They are all very different and we work with every country from highly advanced and to countries in a very sort of developmental context,' he said. "We do it on an individual basis because every country is different."
Khodeli also underscored the importance of regional cooperation, pointing to initiatives like the EU's AI Act, and collaborative efforts in Africa and Southeast Asia. Such collaboration, he said, helps standardize data practices and makes AI tools more compatible across borders, ultimately benefitting companies and governments alike.
Asked about trilateral cooperation among Korea, Japan and China — three technologically advanced but structurally different neighbors — Khodeli was optimistic.
'China, Japan and South Korea have a shared interest to promote this technology for the benefit of their citizens,' he said. 'I think that they can really learn from each other, both in terms of technological innovation and policy innovation.'
Ethics impact bottom line
The three-day forum also delved into how AI ethics frameworks are being applied across different sectors, from business to academia and civil society.
In a session titled 'Rethinking Corporate Responsibility in the Age of AI,' officials from LG AI Research, Microsoft, SAP, Universal Musical Group and the Thomson Reuters Foundation shared efforts to embed ethical principles into their operations.
LG AI Research, the sole Korean company participating in the forum, is developing a massive open online course with UNESCO to train AI researchers, developers and policymakers in applying ethical frameworks in their own context.
'We believe creating ethical AI requires planting seed of AI ethics in the minds of those who build AI system,' said Kim Myoung-shin, principal policy officer of LG AI Research.
Set to launch in the first half of next year, the course will feature case studies from companies, government and civil society organizations.
Panelists also shared challenges in applying ethical safeguards in their businesses. Katie Fowler, director for responsible business at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, said that 'the biggest barrier is money.'
'The imperative for us to build a business case around responsible AI is so incredibly large because executives, boards and investors still want to talk through that lens,' said Fowler.
But she stressed that as seen in the fast fashion industry, informed consumer and workforce demand can push companies to change.
Jasmine Begum, director of corporate, external and legal affairs for Southeast Asia at Microsoft, echoed Fowlers' stance, adding that ethical practices can align with profitability.
'The more trusted you are, the more transparent you are and you are building that into your entire product development cycle … it matters to the bottom line. It really makes a difference to the business,' said Begum.
