A CHANGING WORLD OP-ED: UNIDO
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by AI and interconnected data, runs on digital intelligence that scales at near-zero marginal cost.”
Source: Figuier - Les Merveilles de la science, 1867 - 1891, Tome 1.djvu
Bridging AI challenges in development The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) recognizes that no country can build these capabilities alone. The scale, speed and complexity of AI demand international collaboration between governments, industry, academia and development partners. This recognition led to the launch in 2023 of the AIM Global Alliance 1 – a platform designed to move beyond dialogue toward practical industrial solutions.
Today, the Alliance connects over 200 partners across 40 countries, including industry, governments, academia and technology leaders, to share knowledge, align approaches and help countries turn the application of AI into tangible productivity gains.
At the operational level, this collaboration takes shape through a growing global network of more than 20 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Arab States. In practical terms, the CoEs are where AI meets the factory floor. They provide live demonstration facilities, hands-on workforce training and direct support to startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing concrete production challenges. An enterprise can arrive with a problem – downtime, quality control, energy inefficiency – and leave with a tested solution, trained staff and a roadmap for adoption. Through a hub-and-spoke model, each CoE combines a central hub with core infrastructure, demonstration facilities and training programs. Meanwhile regional spokes deliver hands-on support to local SMEs. Managed by a non-profit entity, the model ensures that day-to-day operations, skills training and technology transfer are coordinated and sustainable. This setup helps SMEs tackle production challenges, adopt AI and advanced manufacturing tools while achieving measurable results. That means higher productivity, better quality, reduced downtime and a workforce confident in using digital technology. By linking knowledge, infrastructure and local support, the hub-and-spoke model distributes proven solutions efficiently across regions and industries.
Jason Slater
Jason Slater is Chief AI, Innovation and Digital Officer at UNIDO, where he leads global initiatives harnessing AI, digital transformation and innovation to drive sustainable development and inclusive growth. Before joining the UN system, he led finance transformation projects in the UK public sector and held senior finance roles in a multinational corporation. He is a Chartered Management Accountant and holds an MBA in financial management and business transformation.
1 UNIDO’s Global Alliance on AI for Industry and Manufacturing (https://aim.unido.org/)
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