Since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, artificial intelligence has dominated discussions at international forums, with debates spanning from its potential to improve daily life to fears about existential risks and the challenge of regulating it without stifling innovation. Against this backdrop, the AI for Good Summit, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), returns to Geneva as a key venue for exploring practical uses for artificial intelligence and fostering meaningful dialogue among global leaders, innovators, and advocates focused on its societal implications.
Founded in 2017, the AI for Good Summit serves as a bridge between technology developers and organizations engaged with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The ITU, a UN agency established in 1865, has historically set global telecom standards and now aims to ensure broader internet access, particularly in underserved regions. The summit is a showcase for breakthroughs in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and tools leveraging artificial intelligence to tackle pressing issues like climate change. It also spotlights efforts to reduce the digital divide by connecting innovators with partners who can amplify positive impact worldwide.
This year’s expanded event at Geneva’s Palexpo convention center gathers thousands over four days to address the technology’s role in shaping the future of work, education, and policy. Highlights include keynotes from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on agentic, self-improving artificial intelligence and musician-turned-ITU ambassador will.i.am on workforce training. The summit features startups and established companies unveiling innovations such as interactive robots and passenger-carrying drones, alongside programming dedicated to youth engagement and global standards for artificial intelligence regulation. A crucial underlying theme is the persistent gap in connectivity: 2.6 billion people remain offline, and 700 million lack access to electricity, underscoring how benefits from artificial intelligence disproportionately favor developed nations like the US and China while many in the Global South risk falling further behind. Summit discussions are calling for greater global cooperation and inclusion so that artificial intelligence-driven prosperity and solutions are shared far more equitably across the world.
