World leaders are convening this week in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, focusing on the theme "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation." Among the key subjects expected to dominate discussions is the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), with particular attention on how to rebuild public trust in technology by safeguarding the openness of the internet.
Concerns about declining trust in technology are mounting globally. Many users feel increasingly exploited as their personal data is harnessed to train AI models, while communities bear the environmental costs associated with extensive data center operations. Simultaneously, the rise in online scams and fraudulent activities exacerbates public skepticism.
Decision-making regarding frontier AI development appears concentrated among a limited group of governments and leading technology firms, raising questions about transparency and inclusivity. Although researchers and civil society groups are sometimes invited to provide input, the process lacks clear mechanisms to ensure that their feedback influences outcomes meaningfully.
Experts emphasize that protecting the public interest need not hinder innovation. The history of the internet exemplifies how cooperative governance among governments, private sector entities, and civil society can foster technological transformation that serves broad economic and social goals. The internet’s foundational elements—open technical standards, secure systems, and resilient infrastructure—emerged from this collaborative model rather than central control by any single party.
A notable example is the World Wide Web, initially developed at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) to facilitate information sharing among scientists. In 1993, CERN released the web software into the public domain, waiving intellectual property rights to encourage unrestricted use and development. This decision helped transform the web into a globally transformative platform supporting economic growth and social interaction.
Proponents argue that the AI sector could benefit from a similar open approach, where accessible infrastructure and multinational collaboration enable faster diffusion and development of new technologies. Many tools that underpin AI advancements originated from efforts to make the internet more accessible and participatory, reflecting a longstanding tradition of cross-border public-minded cooperation.
Organizations like the Internet Society have actively worked with diverse stakeholders to maintain an open and interoperable internet. Although consensus-driven processes can sometimes lag behind rapid industry developments, advocates warn that the alternative—concentrating control in the hands of a few powerful corporations and governments—poses significant risks.
Currently, trends toward industry consolidation and geopolitical fragmentation threaten this openness. Governments increasingly form national intranets or impose internet shutdowns, fragmenting the global network into isolated “walled gardens” controlled by single entities. This limits access, restricts information flow, and can hinder economic and civic participation. In addition, many regions remain disconnected due to insufficient digital infrastructure.
Experts assert that rebuilding trust in technology demands more than improving individual systems' safety or reliability; it requires protecting the underlying open internet infrastructure from being commandeered by narrow interests. An open and accessible internet supports a robust digital economy by enabling ideas and innovations to travel freely across borders and empowering communities worldwide to develop technologies aligned with public needs.
The emergence of the internet demonstrated the transformative potential when openness and collaboration are prioritized. As AI development accelerates, ensuring that the foundational principles of openness persist will be essential to sustaining innovation and preserving technology’s capacity to benefit society broadly.