Good morning, everyone.
And welcome to the AI for Good Global Summit.
You heard the words of the UN Secretary-General very clearly: It is our joint responsibility — and he counts on us all — to ensure AI reaches its full potential, while preventing and mitigating harms.
This need for global cooperation, for what's possible when actors with different interests and expertise come together — that's what this Summit has always been about.
That's exactly what the world needs right now.
And it's something that runs deep in the DNA of the ITU.
For over 158 years, we've been bringing together governments, industry, leaders, and experts under one roof with one purpose: and that is to bring out the best in technology, while leaving no one behind.
Think about it for a second.
ITU was there when the telegraph took off — when the telephone, the television and the radio came into our homes and into our lives.
When satellites went into space, when a small group of computer scientists sent the Internet's first message, and when the first mobile phone call was made.
These defining moments have changed the world and they brought us together.
And ITU was there every step of the way — to harmonize the radio-frequency spectrum, satellite orbits, to develop global technical standards, and to support digital transformation in the developing world.
We're on the cusp of another technological leap — perhaps the most profound and the most important of them all.
When generative AI shocked the world just a few months ago, we had never seen anything like it.
Nothing even close to it.
Even the biggest names in tech found the experience mind-blowing.
And just like that, the possibility that this form of intelligence could get smarter than us got much so closer than we ever thought — including those behind the technology.
We've spent the last six years preparing for this very moment.
Our first summit back in 2017 was the starting point of an AI for Good and for the global movement that we've created.
AI for Good now has a community of 20,000 people worldwide on our Neural Network platform — and it's rising – I think as we speak, Fred.
It's standards.
It's machine learning challenges, it's start-up competitions, and it's much more.
It's a collective effort to scale beneficial AI globally, both inside and outside the United Nations.
And what a journey it's been.
I want to thank the leaders in government, business, academia, civil society and of course in the United Nations who have given their time, their energy, and their effort to address the great possibilities but also the challenges and risks presented by AI.
I look around this room and I see our UN sister agencies — over 40 in total — and they've helped to make AI for Good the UN's primary platform for AI.
Together, they recently reported on more than 280 projects harnessing AI to mitigate things like climate change, transform education, fight hunger, eliminate poverty, and tackle other pressing issues covered by the SDGs.
Because ultimately, technology is but a means — and sustainable development for all is the end.
But ladies and gentlemen, we're running out of time.
Almost eight years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the SDGs are off track.
Poverty and hunger are on the rise — and we're faced with a triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss that has pushed humanity to the brink.
Only 12% of the SDG targets are on track, while progress on others has stalled.
Using AI to help put the 2030 Agenda back on track is no longer just an opportunity, it's actually our responsibility.
And as the deadline looms closer, I see three possible scenarios.
The first one: let's imagine it's September 25, 2030.
We're inside the UN General Assembly and it's 15 years to the day after the adoption of the SDGs and we're inside that UN GA Hall all 193 countries are back to declare victory.
Because AI lived up to its promise.
Medical research harnesses AI to find cures for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's.
Precision agriculture increases crop yield and reduces food waste.
AI helps provide clean energy, mitigate climate change and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The world sees a marked decrease in poverty, in inequality, and in environmental degradation.
In the second scenario, the global community falls short of harnessing AI's potential for sustainable development.
AI puts the jobs of millions at risk.
Disinformation spreads widely online, undermining trust and cooperation.
AI-driven industries take a toll on the environment and on our planet's resources.
Unchecked AI advancements lead to social unrest, geopolitical instability, and economic disparity on a scale we've never seen before.
The third scenario:
AI makes breakthroughs in healthcare, energy, education and other key areas possible.
But it comes at a cost as the concentration of power increases exponentially.
Wealthier countries are the ones who are reaping the benefits.
As AI races at warp speed, digital inclusion cannot keep up.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Many of our questions that we have on AI have no answers yet.
Should we hit pause on giant AI experiments?
Will we control AI more than it controls us?
And will AI help humanity, or destroy it?
Here's what we know for sure:
- AI development will not wait.
- The Sustainable Development Goals will not wait.
- And failure is not an option.
That's the moment we're in.
It's actually a historic moment — and it's a moment that calls for action.
And today, I'm calling on each of you to use this Summit to help the world to better understand what kinds of regulations what kinds of guardrails we need to put in place right now for the development and the deployment of AI that is inclusive, that is safe and that is responsible.
We have in the room and online some of the leading experts behind the growing calls for AI governance and regulation.
This is the time and this is the place to make concrete proposals to find a way forward.
It's time to put human values first.
And I'm calling for AI that benefits everyone, including the 2.7 billion people who are worldwide that remain offline.
Those who are left behind are at the very heart of the SDGs.
And they need to be at the heart of how we design AI.
Let's make sure that the countries with low technological capabilities receive the support that they need.
I'm calling for an AI that is non-discriminatory.
It's essential that we address all the forms of bias— and that we develop ethical and rights-based systems that ensure transparency and accountability.
I'm calling for an AI that uses data that works for people, not against them.
These are not just core UN values — they're universal and human values.
So, going back to the three scenarios I described before, what's the deciding factor?
In the last scenario — the one plagued by rampant inequality — we turned a blind eye to growing digital divides and we let AI become another source of division.
The guardrails that we put in place for AI were not as ambitious — or inclusive — as we need them to be.
The second scenario — where AI goes unchecked — we failed as a global community to come together on what these regulations should be.
We let our differences get in the way of progress and we didn't put human interest first.
In the first scenario — where AI lives up to its promise — we knew that we had to act fast to prevent AI risks from spiralling out of control.
It was instrumental in having AI help rescue the SDGs.
And we did the right thing by enacting global governance frameworks allowing innovation to flourish while addressing all ethical, safety and accountability considerations.
Ladies and gentlemen, that's the choice before us.
What are you going to choose?
I choose the scenario where AI lives up to its promise.
Are you with me?
Will you stand for digital equality?
Will you stand for the SDGs?
Will you stand for AI for Good?
Before closing, let me give a shout-out to our sponsors – our terrific sponsors.
Thank you for your support. Thank you for your commitment.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The era of generative AI is just beginning.
And the future of AI has yet to be written.
So together, let's make it innovative, let's make it safe, and let's make it responsible for all.
Thank you very much.
