PURE Global Calls for Institutional Action to Close the AI Opportunity Gap

Digital@UNGA session urges schools, governments and companies to measure youth agency, not only access

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — PURE Global convened an official Digital@UNGA affiliate session on September 20, 2026, titled “From Access to Agency: Closing the AI Opportunity Gap for the Next Generation.” The virtual discussion brought together youth, education, technology and human-centered AI perspectives to examine why access to digital tools alone does not create meaningful opportunity.

Hosted and moderated by Dr. Shyla Talluri, Founder and CEO of PURE Global, the session featured Sanjana Chamarty, National Student Director of PURE Youth; Wanjiku Kamau, Founder of TealBridge and Creator of The Human Guide to AI; Fredrik Kocon, Founder of the Comptelligence Foundation; and Natalie Byrne, Founder of BE Human and Founder and CEO of blank space.

The speakers explored how young people can move from passive AI consumption toward informed creation, responsible participation and meaningful influence. Chamarty brought a youth and classroom lens, emphasizing STEM literacy and student-led problem solving. Kamau framed access as a starting point rather than an outcome, calling attention to who is building, deciding and represented. Kocon discussed human-centered AI transformation, capability building and institutional readiness. Byrne examined the job skills, leadership practices and narratives needed to ensure AI amplifies rather than diminishes humanity.

The conversation advanced a broader definition of the AI opportunity gap across five dimensions: access, literacy, guidance, participation and opportunity. Speakers considered what young people need to understand and question AI, how institutions can provide responsible guidance, and whether young people have genuine influence over decisions shaping their education, work and communities.

“Young people should not be prepared only to live in systems designed by others. They should have the knowledge, support and opportunity to help shape those systems,” said Dr. Talluri. “The real measure of progress is not simply who can access AI, but who can understand it, question it, shape it and use it to create meaningful opportunity.”

The session identified three priorities for institutional action:

1. Measure agency, not exposure. Success should be assessed by whether young people gain judgment, creative capability, influence and pathways to opportunity, not only access to platforms.

2. Evaluate institutional readiness. Schools, governments and companies must examine whether their policies, staff capacity, safeguards and support systems are prepared for responsible AI adoption.

3. Place youth voice inside decision-making. Young people should participate before systems and policies are finalized, especially those from communities most likely to be excluded.

PURE Global will carry these priorities forward through its education, youth leadership and global engagement work, with a continued focus on turning technological access into informed participation and human agency.

About PURE Global

PURE Global is an education and youth development nonprofit working with schools, educators, volunteers and communities across countries. Its programs advance education access, youth leadership, health, wellbeing and community development, with a focus on enabling people to move from participation to meaningful agency. Learn more at thepureglobal.org.

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Dr. Shyla Talluri, PURE Global
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Dr. Shyla Talluri
PURE Global
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