Information for All Programme (IFAP)

Since 2020, the UNESCO Information For All Programme (IFAP) Working Group on Information Accessibility (WGIA) has hosted the Artificial Intelligence for Information Accessibility (AI4IA) Conference. AI4IA is hosted annually on 28 September, in commemoration of UNESCO’s International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), and has enjoyed the support of partners from all over the world, including the Kule Institute for Advanced Studies (KIAS) and AI for Society (AI4S), both at University of Alberta, Canada; the International Centre for Information Ethics (ICIE); Future Africa at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED) in ORF, India; and the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica. The aim of this specific event is on promoting, but also understanding the barriers to, inclusive artificial intelligence. AI can be very beneficial to society but if abused it can also be very harmful. The theme therefore raises a range of issues, including the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Law, AI and Ethics, media and our right to know, creativity and innovation. It is necessary to understand how AI can be made inclusive, thereby enabling the widest cross-section of society.