The 2025 AI for Good Global Summit opened in Geneva with calls for international standards, cross-border collaboration, and capacity-building to ensure that artificial intelligence benefits populations worldwide. Organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in cooperation with multiple United Nations agencies, the summit serves as a platform to highlight responsible AI development and deployment.
In her opening remarks, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin emphasized the importance of equipping individuals, especially younger generations, with the skills needed to critically engage with AI technologies. She stated that the core risk lies not in the technology itself but in its application without sufficient understanding of its societal and environmental consequences.
Healthcare applications featured prominently at the summit, with several exhibitors showcasing AI-based tools. Micol Spitale, Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Milano, presented two social robots initially developed at the University of Cambridge. The first, named “Nao,” administers a mental health questionnaire to help users identify psychological risks. The second, “QT,” employs facial recognition and speech analysis to monitor emotional well-being and support confidence-building. According to Spitale, both robots were developed with ethical oversight and include safeguards to prevent misuse.
Ethical concerns related to human-robot interaction were also discussed. Rob Knight, founder of The Robot Studio, described the psychological challenges that arise when individuals form emotional attachments to AI systems, particularly in life-saving contexts. Knight, who began by designing anatomically realistic humanoids, now focuses on affordable, functional robotic solutions, such as devices capable of performing simple tasks.
The summit also addressed global disparities in digital access. With 2.6 billion people still offline, Bogdan-Martin highlighted the risk of AI advancements exacerbating existing inequalities. She advocated for inclusive governance mechanisms, broader digital inclusion efforts, and educational initiatives to close the digital divide.
Now in its largest edition since its inception in 2017, this year’s summit includes 15,000 registered participants and 150 exhibitors, 100 of which are focused on robotics. Attendees represent a range of sectors including government, industry, academia, and civil society.
Youth participation is a key component of the event. The AI for Good Youth Robotics Challenge, which involves participants aged 10 to 18 from 22 countries, mostly in the Global South, culminates in a final competition in Geneva. The challenge tasks teams with programming autonomous robots to simulate disaster response scenarios, reflecting real-world humanitarian needs.
