The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) kicked off its 3rd annual AI for Good Global Summit yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland. The summit is targeted at showcasing how AI will accelerate sustainable global development.
Organized in partnership with the XPRIZE Foundation, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and about 30 other United Nations agencies, the 3rd annual AI for Good Global Summit is designed to generate ‘AI for Good’ projects.
And to do this, the summit is connecting AI innovators with public and private-sector decision-makers to build collaboration and maximize the impact of ‘AI for Good’.
The summit has brought together about 2,000 participants from over 120 countries to join leaders in Artificial Intelligence and humanitarian action for inclusive dialogue on AI.
Artificial intelligence (AI) have been on the rise in certain sectors of the global economy. However, the gap between the sectors benefiting and those that are not is pretty huge, the chances of catching up are pretty slim.
This is why the 2019 summit is leading discussions that highlight AI’s value in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes – education, healthcare and wellbeing, social and economic equality/development, space research, as well as smart and safe mobility.
In addition to highlighting the importance of AI in the various sectors, the Summit is also pushing for a safe and inclusive development of these AI technologies and equitable access to their benefits.
“AI also raises complex questions about privacy and trust and poses other challenges, from job displacement and potential bias in algorithms to autonomous weapons and social manipulation. What’s clear is that no one nation, no one organization, no one company and no one community can meet these challenges alone. The path to a transformative but also a safe, trusted and inclusive AI will require unprecedented collaboration between government, industry, academia and civil society.”
Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General.
The Summit continues till Friday, 31st May. It will still host debates around unintended consequences of AI as well as AI’s relationship with art and culture. There will also be a ‘learning day’ where AI enthusiasts will have a discussion with leading AI experts and educators.
Furthermore, it will feature demos of various cutting edge AI innovations such as the IBM Watson debater; the Fusion collaborative exoskeleton; RoboRace, the world’s first self-driving electric racing car; and AI-powered solutions to assist persons with disabilities.
The Summit also promises attendees AI-inspired performances from musician Jojo Mayer and vocal and visual artist Reeps One.
