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Press release

ITU’s AI for Good Global Summit 2024 puts tech to the test for people and planet

UN tech agency mobilizes global action to drive safe and responsible AI development




Geneva, 01 February 2024

​​​​​​​​Global leaders and innovators in artificial intelligence (AI) will join the humanitarian community at the AI for Good Global Summit 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland on 30-31 May to explore how new technology can drive sustainable development. 

This year's edition of the AI for Good summit event will showcase innovations in generative AI, robotics,​ and brain-machine interfaces that can accelerate progress in areas such as climate action, accessibility, health, and disaster response. 

Summit speakers, including some of the world's foremost AI luminaries, will explore the latest breakthroughs in AI and examine actions to ensure that AI works to humanity's benefit. 

“ITU's annual AI for Good Global Summit brings together a diverse set of voices to look at the latest AI developments and find ways to ensure this technology remains a force for good, driving inclusive growth and sustainable and equitable progress for all," said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “This summit and our year-round AI for Good platform are powerful tools for accelerating progress in our race to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030."

​On 29 May, discussions dedicated to AI governance will explore the surge in global efforts to craft AI policy, regulation, and governance frameworks. AI Governance Day – bringing together representatives of governments, companies, academia, civil society, and UN agencies – aims to forge pathways to transform dialogue around AI governance into impactful action.

​The UN platform for AI powered by ITU

AI for Good identifies practical applications of AI to accelerate progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals and connects AI innovators with public and private-sector decision-makers to help scale up AI solutions globally.

ITU, the UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies, organizes the yearly AI for Good Global Summit together with 40 partner UN agencies. The event is co-convened by the Government of Switzerland.  

AI for Good discussions foster international cooperation and innovation to create equitable access to new technologies. The discussions support ITU in spurring timely policy exchanges, developing best practices and technical standards, and catalysing partnerships for AI solutions to contribute to sustainable development. 

Thought leaders and thought-controlled machines 

In addition to talks by AI thought leaders, this year's summit will host machine learning masterclasses, curated by experts for experts, covering topics from deepfakes and climate change to brain-machine interfaces, AI for public services, explainable AI, and machine learning in communication networks.

Start-ups, young people and creatives will demonstrate their ideas at the AI for Good Innovation Factory Grand Finale, Robotics for Good Youth Challenge, and Canvas of the Future art contest

The summit's exhibition space will feature an array of cutting-edge demos, including AI for accessibility, collective drone swarms, bio-inspired rescue robots, a RoboCup robot football tournament, performance-boosting exoskeletons, and AI-inspired art.

Exhibition highlights will include demos of brain-machine interfaces – an AI advancement that promises to open new frontiers for neurotechnology. A press conference on brain-machine interfaces will highlight new technologies enabling mind-controlled movement and communication for persons with disabilities, offering insights on how progress in the field could impact the future of human performance, mental health, and wellbeing. 

The 2024 edition of the summit comes in conjunction with the WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event. The World Summit on Information Society event brings together the world's digital development community to discuss concrete actions to advance sustainable development. 

The AI for Good Global Summit will take place at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG)

Registration for media accreditation for reporters wishing to cover the AI for Good Global Summit is open. Registration for the public​ is also open and is free of charge. Registrants can attend either in person or online to connect with an expected 2,500 participants in Geneva and over 25,000 professionals worldwide who are part of the AI for Good Neural Network. Capacity is limited and early registration is encouraged.  

Confirmed speakers include:   ​
  • Doreen Bogdan-Martin - ITU Secretary-General
  • Geoffrey Hinton - Advisor for the Learning in Machines & Brains, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (presenting remotely)
  • Sam Altman - CEO, OpenAI (presenting remotely)
  • HRH Princess Beatrice - United Kingdom
  • Abeba Birhane - Senior Fellow in Trustworthy AI, Mozilla Foundation, Time 100 AI 
  • Stuart Russell - Professor of Computer Science at University of California, Berkeley, and author of "Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control"
  • Daron Acemoglu - Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and New York Times bestselling author of "Why Nations Fail: Power, Prosperity, and Poverty"
  • Gary Marcus - Scientist, best-selling author, and serial entrepreneur, New York University
  • Nicholas Thompson - CEO, The Atlantic
  • Fatmah Baothman - CEO, Alothaim Investment AI and R&D Company
  • Vincent Vanhoucke - Senior Director of Robotics, Google DeepMind 
  • Mo Gawdat - Former Chief Business Officer at Google X, and best-selling author of "Scary Smart" and "Solve for Happy"

See all of the AI for Good Global Summit 2024 speakers here.  

​Demos of robots, drones, and brain-machine interfaces include: 

The AI for Good Global Summit 2024 is supported by Immersion4 (Diamond sponsor), DLA Piper (Diamond sponsor), AWS (Gold sponsor), Alibaba DAMO Academy (Gold sponsor), ZTE (Gold sponsor), and KUKA (Networking sponsor). 

Editor's Notes: 

About AI for Good:​
The goal of AI for Good is to identify practical applications of AI to accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals and connect AI innovators with public and private-sector decision-makers to help scale up AI solutions globally. The landmark AI for Good Global Summit 2017 marked the beginning of a global dialogue on the potential of AI to act as a force for good. The action-oriented 2018, 2019, and 2023 summits gave rise to numerous AI for Good projects including several ITU "pre-standardization" initiativ​es investigating the standardization requirements for high-potential AI use cases. The upcoming AI for Good Global Summit 2024 (30-31 May, Geneva) combines 2,500+ participants and online participation from the over 25,000 members of the AI-powered community platform, the A​I for Good Neural Network, making it the world's largest and most inclusive AI solutions and matchmaking event. For more information, ​visit: https://aiforgood.itu.int/​.


About ITU:
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 193 Member States and a membership of over 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations. Established in 1865, it is the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, improving communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishing the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to cutting-edge wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, oceanographic and satellite-based earth monitoring as well as converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world. Learn more: www.itu.int. ​​