On 02 July 2025, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri was honored to speak at the session “Smart Tech, Fair Finance – The Promise and Risks of AI for Sustainable Development”, organized by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville.
The session was moderated by ACM President Prof. Yannis Ioannidis and Prof. Virginia Dignum, Co-Chair of the ACM Technology Policy Council. It convened prominent thought leaders to explore how artificial intelligence can drive sustainable development through strategic investments in digital infrastructure, ethical deployment, and climate-resilient innovation—while simultaneously addressing the pressing risks of digital inequality and inadequate governance frameworks.
During her address, Prof. Koundouri presented the findings of “AI Policies Towards the AGI Challenge: An International Assessment”, a comprehensive global analysis of AI policies and legislation. The study highlights a widespread emphasis on ethics, safety, and risk mitigation in existing policies, yet reveals a lack of reference to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in formal documentation, as well as notable global disparities in the scope and maturity of AI governance. Read the full paper here.
Prof. Koundouri also introduced two pioneering AI tools developed by the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria (AE4RIA):
-
AE4RIA AI Skills: A tool that connects high-level policy frameworks—such as the European Green Deal—to workforce demands, enabling targeted upskilling, reskilling, and strategic planning.
-
AE4RIA SDG Tracker: A machine learning-powered web application that analyzes PDF documents to assess their alignment with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The session featured contributions from esteemed experts including Jeanna Matthews, Co-Chair of the ACM Technology Policy Council and Professor of Computer Science at Clarkson University; Mohan Kankanhalli, Member of the ACM Technology Policy Council and Professor of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore; Michael MacFarland, CEO of DTVP and Former Principal Business Architect at Fannie Mae; H.E. Kőrösi Csaba, President of the 77th United Nations General Assembly; and Eka Tkeshelashvili, Former Minister of Justice, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia.
