UN Under-Secretary-General Marwala at T4IS2026: "AI Can Support 79% of SDGs, Current Path at 18%" — Proposes 4 Pillars of AI Regulation

At the "Tech for Impact Summit 2026" held in Tokyo, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNU Rector Tshilidzi Marwala delivered a keynote on global AI governance. He highlighted that while only 18% of SDGs are on track, AI has the potential to support 79% of the targets if managed responsibly. Marwala outlined four critical elements for AI regulation: Data, Algorithms, Computing, and Application. He warned against "regulatory arbitrage" and stressed the need for international cooperation, sharing UNU's ongoing initiatives to build global frameworks.