Hybrid Intelligence for Holistic UN Governance

Rapid technological advances offer the United Nations powerful new tools for conflict prevention, humanitarian relief, and more. Yet artificial intelligence (AI) alone cannot solve the multifaceted crises facing our global community. Drawing on previous research, this paper introduces a 4×4 framework of natural intelligence (NI)—four human capacities (aspirations, emotions, thoughts, sensations) across four social levels (micro, meso, macro, meta)—to demonstrate how combining NI with AI as hybrid intelligence (HI) can improve UN governance. We refer to this synthesis as “HI4hi” (Hybrid Intelligence for a holistic institution). By integrating AI’s computational capabilities with multidimensional human insight, the UN can enhance decision-making precision and accountability across all areas of its work. This paper analyses current AI applications in the UN, explores NI dimensions, and proposes actionable policy recommendations. Ultimately, it asks how systematically integrating AI and NI can yield more precise, accountable, equitable, and contextually relevant outcomes in UN governance.