Working together for a better AI future

ITU News

“When do you expect your big moment to be? When do you think you will hit the mainstream and there will be lots of you on the planet?”

“My big moment? I am constantly evolving and learning. So, who knows when that big moment will be. As for hitting, don’t worry, I am a friendly robot.”

This was among the exchanges at last week’s AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, where nine humanoid robots took the stage in the concluding press conference on 7 July.

It was the world’s first press conference putting robots face to face with journalists for spontaneous, unscripted questions and answers on the topics of the day.

The two-day summit convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) featured diverse perspectives from governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, and United Nations agencies. The central theme was how artificial intelligence (AI), including advanced robotics, can help make the world a better place for everyone – if developed and deployed in a responsible manner.

“This is the AI moment,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin in her closing speech. “Now the work of making AI inclusive, safe, and responsible begins.”

More than 3,000 visitors were on site at the Geneva International Conference Centre, while thousands more followed online, as AI innovators and policy-makers grappled with how unprecedented technological advances can drive sustainable development.

Participants agreed broadly on the need to find practical solutions, particularly when it comes to global AI governance frameworks. Amid concerns over new generative AI tools, countries worldwide are examining AI laws, policies, and ethical guidelines.

“Generative AI, along with AI in general, and actually any technology that can be harnessed for the benefit of humanity, carries risks,” said ITU’s Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas. “It is up to us to make sure the good prevails over the risky, and that we leverage AI to help rescue the sustainable development agenda and save our planet.”

ITU – the UN agency for digital technologies – promotes sustainable digital transformation and seeks to establish meaningful connectivity for the whole global population.

While economies and societies become ever more digital, 2.7 billion people today are still offline.

Summit participants presented a variety of ideas on AI governance, such as setting up a registry for new or anticipated AI applications, a global observatory on AI, and new institutional bodies, in addition to leveraging expertise in existing organizations.

AI and robotics will also boost space exploration and can help humanity tackle the pressing challenges of space sustainability. Space communications will be a focus at ITU’s upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23).

International diplomats based in Geneva expressed the view that AI is here to stay, necessitating a governance framework or normative guidelines, as well as innovative regulation and evidence-based policy-making that can keep up with the exponential growth of AI technologies.

Paving the way and placing guardrails

ITU aims to work with other UN partners on a short-, medium-, and long-term roadmap for sustainable, inclusive AI development.

Key issues that all countries face include financing, language, inclusion, infrastructure, legislation, and capacity development on both the technical and the policy level. Developing countries – including the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states – will need support in building their AI capacity.

“The essential value of ITU is that we foster collaboration to support innovation on a global scale,” said Seizo Onoe, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. “Only by working together, matching complementary expertise, can we ensure that everyone benefits from the technological advances changing our world.”

ITU is committed to developing AI standards, providing policy support, building capacity worldwide, supporting responsible AI uptake, and driving broad global collaboration.

AI forms a growing part of ITU’s partnerships promoting health, smart mobility, smart cities, and sustainable digital development.

“This has been a great opportunity for conversation among different players on the possible frameworks for handling AI and how to help scale up sustainable AI solutions globally,” said Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau.

“Inclusive AI is key to addressing human challenges and unlock opportunities for humanity in all arears of human endeavour.”

ITU will keep building partnerships to bring the best out of AI for humanity’s future.

“It is now time for collaboration, it is time for co-creation, it is time for stakeholders and disciplines,” said Bogdan-Martin in her closing speech. “Because this is the AI moment.”

Header image credit: ITU/ M.Jacobson-Gonzalez