The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UN partners convened the 2024 edition of the annual AI for Good Global Summit. The Summit sought to identify practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI), accelerate progress towards the SDGs, and scale solutions for global impact.

AI for Good is an online community platform, also known as the Neural Network, which brings together 30,000 participants from 180 countries, including academics, industry leaders, executives, and experts, as well as 47 partners from the UN system, to identify AI solutions that can help accelerate the SDGs. The Summit took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 30-31 May 2024.

In her opening remarks, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, underscored “unimaginable opportunities” of AI that 2.6 billion people cannot benefit from as they are “excluded from the AI revolution.” “This digital and technological divide is no longer acceptable,” she emphasized.

“[AI] can turbocharge sustainable development.”

— UN Secretary-General António Guterres 

Stressing that AI needs to be safe, inclusive, and sustainable, Bogdan-Martin called attention to the common underlying principles that began to take shape in a bid to drive inclusive growth and innovation and help build a safer and more secure digital future for all. These, she said, are crystallizing around three pillars:

• Risk and security management, with harmonized AI standards that ensure a rights-based approach to addresses safety, security, and ethical practices;
• Infrastructure and resource development, to create robust and unbiased AI systems; and
• International collaboration, to maximize the benefits of AI and manage its risks responsibly.

Bogdan-Martin welcomed the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) recent “historic” resolution on AI that promotes safe, secure, and trustworthy systems. She identified the Summit of the Future (SoF) in September and the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) as “crucial opportunities for unifying our efforts and acting in a coordinated manner.”

In a video message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted “the transformative potential of AI in advancing sustainable development worldwide.” He emphasized AI’s “immense promise,” underscoring the need for its responsible and inclusive governance.

Speaking with UN News, Melike Yetken Krilla, Head of International Organizations, Google, noted that with the launch of large language models and generative AI, last year was the year of ‘wow.’ She said this year is the year of ‘how,’ including how the private sector could partner with international organizations “to identify and establish AI rules of the road and the guardrails.”

At the 2024 AI for Good Global Summit, some “25,000 enthusiasts – and robots – from 145 countries added their voices to longstanding calls for checks and balances on the all-conquering tech,” according to a UN news story. The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum High-Level Event convened in parallel.

The Global Digital Compact – one of the anticipated outcomes of the Summit of the Future – is expected to enhance international governance of emerging technologies, including AI, for the benefit of humanity. [UN News Story on Forum’s Opening] [UN News Story on Forum’s Closing] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on 2023 AI for Good Global Summit]