New Global Agreements on AI and Metaverse at ITU Standards Conference
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New Global Agreements on AI and Metaverse at ITU Standards Conference
Two expert groups were consolidated to create the new ITU-T Study Group 21 on technologies for multimedia, content delivery, and cable TV.
Members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have agreed on priorities for standards and capacity development in areas from artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse to sustainable digital transformation at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) which closed on October 24 in New Delhi, India.
The conference reviewed and modified existing guidance and agreed eight new resolutions reinforcing the organization’s standards work to meet fast-evolving global needs.
“The outcomes of WTSA-24 remind us that humanity has one Earth, one human family and one shared digital future,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “Together with the global standards community, ITU is committed to ensuring that our digital future is technically strong, with innovation, inclusion and sustainability at its core.”
The conference set out the strategy, structure and working methods of ITU’s standardization arm (ITU-T). The conference also appointed the new leadership teams of standardization expert groups and established their mandates and scope of work for the next four years.
Two expert groups were consolidated to create the new ITU-T Study Group 21 on technologies for multimedia, content delivery, and cable TV.
ITU’s standardization work is driven by the contributions and consensus decisions of ITU’s membership, including 194 Member States and over 1000 member companies, universities, and international and regional organizations.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurated WTSA-24 on 15 October with an emphasis on the importance of universal connectivity, ethical AI, consensus decisions, and meaningful digital inclusion.
Prior to the main conference, ITU’s Global Standards Symposium (GSS-24) and celebrations with partners of World Standards Day on 14 October explored innovation and standards to propel sustainable AI, smart cities, virtual worlds, and more.
The opening week also featured the first International AI Standards Summit, organized by the leading developers of international standards, ITU, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The new summit finished with AI for Good Impact India, kicking off a new series of regional AI for Good events.
Other high-profile special events during WTSA-24 raised awareness in India and globally about how ITU standards can ensure new technologies are a force for good.
Courtesy: ITU
