AI for Good Global Summit 2025 Reinforces Global Commitment to Responsible AI and Skills Development

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ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. Photo: ITU

AI for Good Global Summit 2025 Reinforces Global Commitment to Responsible AI and Skills Development

Geneva, Switzerland – The AI for Good Global Summit 2025 concluded this week in Geneva, Switzerland, strongly reinforcing the global commitment to AI governance, skills, and standards amidst rapid innovation in artificial intelligence. The event, held at Geneva’s Palexpo convention centre, saw the participation of over 11,000 attendees from 169 countries, with many more joining online.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General, highlighted the summit’s success, stating, “This year’s AI for Good Global Summit has shown that when people come together, dialogue can lead to inclusive cooperation, concrete action, and hope”. She urged a recommitment to treating AI as “a means to do good, for the benefit of all humanity, everywhere”. The summit was organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency for digital technologies, with support from over 50 UN partners and co-convened with the federal government of Switzerland.

Advancing AI Governance and Skills

A significant focus of the summit was on global dialogues for AI governance, ensuring the inclusion of developing countries in shaping the digital future. The AI Governance Dialogue, organized by ITU and 53 other UN partners, brought together ministers, high-level government officials, and stakeholders to chart pathways for responsible and impactful AI. This dialogue was co-chaired by Majed Al Mesmar from the UAE and Anne Bouverot from France. Their summary report outlined a vision for AI that bridges innovation, inclusion, and sustainability.

In a move to bolster AI capacity, the summit announced the appointment of will.i.am, the award-winning musician and tech entrepreneur, as the Goodwill Ambassador for ITU’s AI Skills Coalition. This Coalition is dedicated to developing AI capacity and skills for policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, professionals, and future tech innovators. Its ambitious goal is to train 10,000 people globally on AI skills in 2025, with a particular emphasis on developing nations.

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Progress on Global AI Standards

The four-day event also showcased significant progress in AI standards across diverse sectors, including:

Networking and multimedia.
Energy efficiency.
Healthcare, food security, and road safety.

Key outcomes related to standards include:

The launch of the Global Initiative on AI for Food Systems. This initiative, led by ITU, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), aims to leverage AI to boost productivity, efficiency, and global food security.
The release of two landmark resources on standards and policy considerations for multimedia authenticity. These resources were developed by the AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standardization Collaboration, driven by ITU, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and other standards communities. The collaboration is actively developing standards to detect deepfakes and verify multimedia authenticity and provenance.
The introduction of a new AI Standards Exchange Database designed to support cohesive standards development and application. This database currently incorporates standards from ITU, ISO, IEC, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and it welcomes contributions from all AI standards communities. The database is expected to facilitate coordination among standards developers and help stakeholders apply comprehensive standards suites.

Looking ahead, ITU, ISO, and IEC will convene standards developers and stakeholders at the International AI Standards Summit in the Republic of Korea from 2 to 3 December. Additionally, the next regional event, AI for Good Impact Africa, will be held in partnership with AI Expo Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 29 to 31 October. The next AI for Good Global Summit 2026 is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 7 to 10 July.