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.
He elaborated on AI’s multifaceted applications, noting its capability to revolutionise sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, housing and disaster management. He also illustrated how AI could deliver educational and healthcare services to remote areas, enhance agricultural productivity, design eco-friendly housing and transportation systems and provide early warnings for natural disasters.
“AI could be a game-changer for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” UN chief asserted. However, he cautioned that realizing AI’s full potential requires addressing its risks, including bias, misinformation and security threats.
“We need global coordination to build safe and inclusive AI that is accessible to all,” he said, commending ITU for its early work on AI standards and for convening the summit.
Business community aboard
These calls by leaders of international organisations are well-heard by the digital community. Talking to UN News, Melike Yetken Krilla, head of international organisations at Google, discussed a handful of projects that the data giant is assisting the UN with.
That includes one where Google data and AI are used to track progress toward the SDGs and to map it around the globe, and a project developed jointly with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to create a flood hub, allowing users to forecast natural disasters up to seven days in advance as part of an early warning system.
“Last year, with the creation and launch of large language models and generative AI, it was the year of ‘Wow!’ I would assert that this year is the year of ‘How?’ How we are going to partner with international organisations to identify and establish AI rules of the road and the guardrails,” Ms. Yetken Krilla said, adding that the UN is leading the process by drafting and creating the Global Digital Compact and other initiatives, including the Summit of the Future.