With robots greeting delegates at the entrance to the venue, the AI for Good Global Summit opened on Thursday in Geneva, bringing together thousands of participants from all sectors around the world to discuss the hopes and fears about artificial intelligence (AI) development.
Organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the annual forum is the place where humans meet artificial intelligence. It is popular to the extent of being oversubscribed for attendance, with the queue to enter stretched for hundreds of metres, along one of Geneva's biggest conference centres, and internet bandwidth barely coping with the flood of digital information.
The venue has become a showcase for advanced technology, including AI-powered robots, brain-controlled tools, generative AI solutions as well as the hardware, the backbone of the global AI ecosystem.
However attractive to the eye and entertaining, the machines are not the highlight of the summit.
With people in mind
On the centre stage, both metaphorically and literally, are the people. The two-day summit's main stage will see a tight line-up of presentations and panels discussing all aspects of human interaction with artificial intelligence, both pros and cons.
Opening the summit, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the ITU Secretary-General, underscored the transformative potential of AI and emphasised the necessity for inclusive and secure AI governance.
"Artificial intelligence is changing our world and our lives," Ms. Bogdan-Martin stated. "But, one third of humanity remains offline, excluded from the AI revolution and without a voice. This digital and technological divide is no longer acceptable."
Underlining the critical digital divide - with 2.6 billion people globally still without internet access - she urged collective action to bridge this gap, stressing that equitable access to AI technology is essential for inclusive progress.
Global coordination
"The increasing pace of AI development forces us to act faster than those who came before us," she said. "We need global coordination to build safe and inclusive AI that is accessible to all."
To secure that, the ITU said three key aspects should be observed - risk and security management, infrastructure and resource development and international collaboration.
Ms. Bogdan-Martin praised initiatives like the UN General Assembly's historic resolution promoting trustworthy AI systems and ITU's collaboration with UNESCO on applying existing laws to AI. She called for continued momentum, particularly highlighting the upcoming UN Summit of the Future.
Bionic limbs and prenatal care
The ITU chief shared inspiring examples from the AI for Good Innovation Factory, including the start-ups Bioniks, a Pakistani-led initiative designing artificial limbs, and Ultrasound AI, a US-based women-led effort improving prenatal care.
Speaking to UN News at the forum, founder and CVO (Chief Visionary Officer) of Bioniks Anas Niaz explained that the idea behind his start-up was to produce affordable prosthetics for amputees, including children. Use of a smartphone for scanning, brain-controlled technology and simplified fitting process, which does not require travelling to a hospital, help to reduce costs, making the company's products 'the world's most affordable bionic limbs".
"You can send the measurements by a mobile phone, and we send your prosthetics to your doorstep. These prosthetics are waterproof, and people in humid climate can use them for practically anything. Kids are writing with them," Mr. Niaz explained, adding that being a social enterprise, Bioniks helps find sponsors for those who need a bionic limb, but cannot afford to buy it.
Fighting fake news during world's largest election year
As 2024 marks the largest election year across the world in history, Ms. Bogdan-Martin warned of the threats posed by deepfakes and disinformation. She announced ITU's commitment to developing robust standards for AI watermarking and digital content verification, stressing that "standards build trust; they're the cornerstone of responsible AI."
Some of such solutions are already used by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), who helps governments to apply AI to identify misinformation and disinformation attacks.
"When we deliver electoral support to countries during their elections, we have an AI-based platform that serves as a misinformation detection platform and flags suspicious content for [further] human fact check," UNDP's chief digital officer Robert Opp told UN News.
