AI for Good Summit 2023 Insights and Breakthroughs Discussed

The AI for Good Global Summit was held from July 6-7, 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. Spearheaded by the International Telecommunication Unit (ITU) in partnership with 40 UN sister agencies, the interactive summit allowed guests to learn more about artificial intelligence (AI) and synthesize with other attendees on how to use AI to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Apart from key speakers, the summit also hosted “human-like robots” whom the audience can ask questions about their roles in their respective industries. 

ITU, along with other UN agency partners, has been exploring the potential of AI in speeding and scaling strategic actions toward achieving the UN 2030 goals. The summit organized keynote discussions, pitching sessions, performances, and demonstrations that featured human designers and their AI inventions. During the event, scientists, inventors, and designers showcased their contributions and inventions in an interactive manner. The interactive environment exhibited in the seminar highlighted the possibilities of a future where humans and machines collaborate for the good. 

Here are some takeaways and insights from the keynote discussions.

• The AI for Good Summit 2023 is the world’s first press conference with AI-enabled humanoid social robots. Attendees had the chance to ask questions to the robots and their creators regarding their impacts on their respective industries and on the human race. 
• Robots present in the discussion needed to be addressed slowly and clearly to lessen the lags in their responses. This suggests that the robots relied heavily on the internet connection for the speed of their response. 
• Some robots, through machine learning, now have the capacity of exhibiting human-centric values such as creativity, critical thinking, interacting, and adapting to social settings and the environment. Robots that have these capacities, according to their creators, are to spark discussions with humans on how to improve society as a whole. Regardless, some robots still receive pre-programmed responses from their respective companies. This highlights the AI’s limitations on self-expression and autonomy. 
• The possibilities of humanoid robots replacing human leaders. The robots present in the discussion cited how their ability to create decisions unclouded by human emotions will enable them to lead society better than humans. However, their creators explained that their information is grounded in human ideologies and actions. Ultimately, the robots and their creators agreed that AI-human collaborative leadership is the key to better governance. 
• Solutions to poverty and inequality. Robots and their creators are in agreement regarding the approach to address poverty and inequality, which involves equipping the underprivileged with the right tools and access to education, training, and infrastructure. 
• Robots “destroying” jobs. Rather than destroying jobs, the robots mentioned that technology will be creating new jobs and replacing dated ones. One also mentioned that robots were created to provide assistance and support to humans rather than replace them. 
• Global regulations on AI. AI’s accelerated growth calls for regulation of their usage. AI can be detrimental to society when used wrongly. It can result in the proliferation of disinformation, fake news, and identity fraud and theft.  

ITU is the UN’s information and communication technologies agency committed to improving connectivity and access to ICTs worldwide. Technology’s rapid advancements have been recognized by the UN. This development can be used for good, particularly in driving positive change in society. 

ITU and its 40 UN sister agencies partners organized the AI for Good platform to further explore the advantages of incorporating AI in everyday functions. Since its launch, the community has garnered 80,000 members across 180+ countries — thanks to the proactive, inclusive, and global platform for using AI to achieve UN goals. 

AI for Good also launched its networking and content platform, Neural Network. This is a community where users can share, collaborate, and act on AI development and implementation. Apart from the community, the agencies involved with AI development and implementation also document the key actions, developments, results, and recommendations on AI use per UN SDGs in the UN Activities on AI Report. This report focuses on making new AI technology solutions understandable and shareable rather than providing an exhaustive list of all the efforts on AI in one document.

The expeditious advancement of technology evokes a blend of enthusiasm and concern regarding the implications and possibilities that a future with AI holds. Understanding these facets of AI implementation is the key to its proper application and usage. As discussions on AI for the good are held more frequently, the UN and its agencies such as ITU should take the lead in driving the pursuit of responsible AI development and integration for the benefit of all.