AI Systems as Digital Public Goods -- Evidence and Recommendations from a Multi-Stakeholder Assessment

Abstract

AI systems are increasingly being positioned as potential Digital Public Goods (DPGs) to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, despite major global commitments, most notably the Global Digital Compact's call to "develop, disseminate and maintain safe and secure open-source software, open data, open artificial intelligence models and open standards that benefit society as a whole", very few AI systems currently meet the DPG Standard in practice. This report explains why, and what must change for "AI as Digital Public Goods" (AIDPGs) to become a credible, implementable pathway rather than an aspirational label. Commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and produced by United Nations University (UNU) in partnership with UN Office of Digital and Emergent Technologies (UN ODET), this assessment combines: (i) a structured desk review of policy, legal, and technical frameworks on DPGs, openness, and AI governance; (ii) key informant interviews with cross sector experts spanning the UN system, governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector; and (iii) a global survey to test whether interview themes hold across a broader sample and to surface where perspectives diverge by region, sector, and AI readiness.