Glossary
AI Capacity Building
Efforts to strengthen the skills, institutions and infrastructure needed for societies to govern and benefit from AI.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22
In plain language
Capacity building is a recurring theme in UN, UNESCO, ITU, UNDP and UNCTAD work. It includes public-sector skills, research ecosystems, connectivity, evaluation capacity and participation in international standard-setting. Poorly designed programs can import vendor lock-in. Good programs are demand-driven and include regulatory and civic capacity, not only model training.
Why it matters for AI governance
Without capacity, formal AI strategies remain paper. International cooperation on AI is increasingly judged by whether it transfers usable public-interest capability.
Authoritative sources
- UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance (opens in a new tab) — United Nations