United Nations agencies are deploying artificial intelligence across education, health and environmental programmes to expand services to underserved populations. The initiatives range from personalised digital textbooks for children with disabilities to faster detection of tuberculosis in developing countries and improved identification of climate-warming methane leaks.
UNICEF's Accessible Digital Textbooks for All programme uses AI to convert existing educational materials into interactive formats tailored to individual students' needs. The initiative, now operating in 17 countries and reaching nearly two million children, aims to address learning barriers for the approximately 240 million children worldwide living with disabilities. UNICEF's Global Director of Education and Adolescent Development Pia Rebello Britto told UN News that "the real impact is what this means for children," adding that the programme demonstrates "what becomes possible when digital learning is designed to reach every child." Six countries have joined the programme this year, with the goal of expanding to 50 countries by 2030.
The UN Environment Programme has launched an AI-powered system to detect methane leaks from satellite data and alert governments and companies to take corrective action. Since launching the Methane Alert and Response System in 2024, UNEP has issued 7,500 alerts that triggered 42 mitigation actions over the past two years, preventing emissions equivalent to 24 million gas-powered cars, according to UNEP Climate Change Division Director Martin Krause. Because AI detects methane leaks 12 to 15 times faster and more accurately than humans, companies often take prompt action to avoid product loss, Mr. Krause said.
The World Health Organization is assisting developing countries in using AI to analyse chest X-rays for signs of tuberculosis, accelerating diagnosis in areas with limited medical specialists. The technology generates a tuberculosis likelihood score quickly, helping radiologists in low-resource settings, which is important because many die from TB without prompt treatment, said Dr. Vanessa Veronese, a scientist at WHO's Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. Earlier diagnosis also reduces transmission in communities, a key step toward TB elimination. WHO officially recommended the technology in 2021 and has since supported developing countries in adopting it, providing implementation guidance and monitoring health outcomes.
As UN agencies expand AI programmes, the organisation is establishing governance frameworks to ensure the technology advances development while protecting human rights and democracy. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described AI as "humanity's greatest opportunity in the 21st century" and "one of its greatest risks," calling for inclusive oversight. In 2025, the UN established a Global Dialogue on AI Governance and an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, and launched a global network to expand AI capacity in developing countries. UNESCO adopted the first global AI ethics standard in 2021, while WHO provides ethical guidance on AI in health applications.
