This publication presents research findings that highlight practical changes to make “AI as Digital Public Goods” become a credible implementation pathway, as well as addressing current challenges experienced in meeting existing Digital Public Goods standards.
AI systems are increasingly being positioned as potential Digital Public Goods (DPGs) yet very few currently meet the DPG standard in practice. With major global commitments to “develop, disseminate and maintain safe and secure open-source software, open data, open artificial intelligence models and open standards” there is a need to move from aspirational labels to implementable pathways. Public institutions and development partners are increasingly seeking AI-enabled solutions that are reusable, interoperable, and locally adaptable, but without clearer, evidence-based criteria for what must be open (and what can be governed through managed access), and without clearer accountability across the AI value chain, the “AI as Digital Public Goods (AIDPG)” label risks becoming unattainable (blocking public-interest innovation) or diluted (undermining trust and safety). This publication aims to address some of the key challenges and solutions though analysis of research commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and conducted by United Nations University (UNU) in partnership with UN Office of Digital and Emergent Technologies (UN ODET).