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AI For Good Global Summit

A growing gathering working to ensure artificial intelligence technologies are developed and deployed ethically, for the benefit of humanity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpQ1aiRAd7c&t=33s&rel=0

The AI for Good Global summit was initiated in 2016 from the observation that the impact of AI on society is going to grow significantly. As part of a partnership between the Xprize Foundation and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) it was determined that a gathering around the topic of AI for good would be timely.  

The inaugural AI for Good Global Summit took place in Geneva, Switzerland in 2017, bringing together over 400 top minds in AI, including Stuart Russell, Yoshua Bengio, and Fei-Fei Li1.

Mandate and Mission

The platform’s founding mission is to leverage the transformative potential of artificial intelligence to drive progress toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AI for Good is now guided by Resolution 214 of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and amplified by Resolution A/78/L.49 of the UN General Assembly, with its role further defined in Resolution COM4/AI at WTSA-24.

The platform focuses on three key objectives:

  • Identifying practical applications of AI

  • Accelerating progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Scaling solutions for global impact

The AI for Good summit is organized today by ITU in partnership with over 40 UN Sister Agencies and co-convened with the Government of Switzerland.

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, AI for Good has grown into a global community with 37,000 contributors from more than 180 countries. The platform has made significant impact through various initiatives:

Global Initiatives that resulted from the summit

  • AI and Data Commons

  • AI for Health (in partnership with WHO)

  • Resilience to Natural Hazards through AI Solutions

  • AI and Multimedia authenticity standards collaboration

  • AI for Road Safety (in partnership with UNECE)

Tangible Outcomes

  1. Machine Learning 5G: Created the ITU-T Focus Group on Machine Learning for 5G Networks, which produced several technology standards including Y.3172, Y.3173, and Y.3176.

  2. AI for Health: Established the ITU-WHO Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health, which created the AI for Health Framework.

  3. Innovation Factory: An UN-based startup acceleration platform that helps AI-powered startups scale their SDG-driven solutions through business matchmaking, mentoring, and fundraising opportunities5.

  4. Impact Initiative: Launched at the 2024 Summit, this initiative aims to accelerate and scale AI-driven solutions across all SDGs and regions through global collaboration, with over US$2 million in financial commitments already secured.

  5. Innovate for Impact: This initiative promotes equal access to AI benefits through collaborative capacity building, receiving 219 use case submissions from 38 countries and selecting 13 scholars from 118 applications.

The platform continues to expand its reach, hosting over 160 virtual events annually and planning its first regional summit in India in October 2024. The 2025 global summit is scheduled for July 8-11, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland.