Un agency collaborates with swiss group to develop AI tools independent of U.S. cloud providers

A United Nations agency, the UNDP, is partnering with the DFINITY Foundation, a Switzerland-based organization, to assist governments in developing AI-powered software without relying heavily on U.S.-based cloud providers. This initiative aims to address growing concerns over data sovereignty and control over sensitive citizen information stored on foreign infrastructure. The collaboration involves launching a pilot program to enable governments to test AI applications that offer greater control over data storage and computing resources. Robert Pasicko, who leads the UNDP's Alternative Finance Lab, explained that selected countries will work with both organizations to transform specific needs or problems into projects using DFINITY's technology. Pasicko noted that the pilot was inspired by increasing concerns among member states about data storage locations and reliance on U.S. tech giants. Dominic Williams, DFINITY's founder and chief scientist, emphasized that the AI boom is heightening the stakes for countries dependent on foreign technology providers for digital infrastructure. The UNDP plans to assess the pilot projects based on factors such as cost, ease of use, and whether officials believe the technology is worth scaling.