Reflections at the UN: AI and Innovation Must be Human-centered
By Carmen Skipworth
WFWPI Global Women Peace Ambassador
AI Strategist, Author and Founder, Lead with Carmen
San Diego - Attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in New York City gave me a chance to reflect on this year's theme, "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All." Those words carry special weight at a time of extraordinary change. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we work and communicate, climate and environmental challenges are affecting communities around the world, and advances in science and technology are opening new possibilities for health and human development.
Carmen Skipworth with women leaders at the UN HQ in New York City.
Yet amid all this progress, one question remains: How do we ensure that transformation truly benefits everyone? For me, the answer begins with people and communities, which is where the mission of Women's Federation for World Peace International and initiatives such as Permaculture Garden can help turn a global vision into local action.
Restoring trust starts with strengthening the relationships between people, communities, and the institutions and technologies that increasingly shape our lives. Women play an important part in this work. As leaders, educators, caregivers, entrepreneurs, and peacebuilders, we often connect global challenges with the everyday realities of families and communities. A garden is a powerful illustration of that connection. Across cultures and generations, women have shared knowledge about growing food, working with the land, and caring for one another. Permaculture Garden can help preserve and expand that knowledge while creating opportunities for education, sustainability, community engagement, and cross-cultural exchange.
Carmen speaks at the WFWPI New Jersey Farmacy and Peace Garden launch on July 25, 2026 in Union, NJ.
At UNGA, I was especially drawn to conversations about artificial intelligence and how we manage technological change responsibly. AI offers remarkable opportunities to expand access to information, education, research, and economic opportunity, and it can help preserve knowledge and connect people across geographic and cultural boundaries. But innovation must remain human-centered. Managing transformation means asking not only what technology can do, but what it should do, who benefits from it, and how we keep people at the center of the decisions that shape their lives. This connects directly to the idea of delivering for all, because progress cannot stay within conference rooms, institutions, or technology companies. It has to reach families and communities.
A garden begins with a seed. We may not immediately see what that seed will become, but with the right environment, attention, and care, it can flourish. Peace works much the same way. When we invest in women, education, health, sustainability, responsible innovation, and dialogue across cultures, we plant seeds that can strengthen communities for generations.
My experience at the UNGA reinforced a simple idea: global transformation becomes meaningful through local action. From the United Nations to the garden, women can help restore trust, manage transformation responsibly, and build a future that truly delivers for all.
