UN Summit Tackles AI’s Promises and Perils
The AI for Good Global Summit 2025 convenes a diverse group of stakeholders, including governments, technology leaders, academics, civil society, and youth, to explore how artificial intelligence can be directed toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while mitigating the growing risks associated with inequality, disinformation, and environmental strain.
Call for a Collective Effort
During the keynote address, a prominent figure emphasized the notion that “We are the AI generation.” This statement underscores the importance of not only utilizing these technologies but also actively participating in a comprehensive upskilling initiative that spans from early education to lifelong learning.
Warnings on AI Risks
The keynote speaker also issued a stark warning about the dangers of deploying AI technologies without adequate public understanding or policy oversight. “The biggest risk we face is not AI eliminating the human race. It is the race to embed AI everywhere, without sufficient understanding of what that means for people and our planet,” she stated. This sentiment reflects the urgent concerns shared by policymakers and technologists as new agentic AI systems capable of autonomous reasoning and action are developed at an unprecedented pace.
With predictions suggesting the advent of human-level AI within the next three years, apprehensions regarding safety, bias, energy consumption, and regulatory capacity have intensified.
Exhibitions and Innovations
The summit features over 20,000 square meters of exhibition space at Geneva’s Palexpo, showcasing more than 200 demonstrations, including a flying car, a fish-inspired water quality monitor, brain-computer interfaces, and AI-driven disaster response tools. Workshops throughout the week will address a variety of topics, including AI in healthcare, education, ethics, gender inclusion, and global governance.
One of the highlights will be the AI Governance Day, where national regulators and international organizations will discuss the existing gaps in global oversight. An ITU survey revealed that 85% of countries lack an AI-specific policy or strategy, raising alarms about uneven development and increasing digital divides.
Focus on Health
This year, health emerges as a central theme of the summit. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) will lead a session titled “Enabling AI for Health Innovation and Access,” bringing together technologists, regulators, clinicians, and humanitarian leaders to discuss how AI can enhance healthcare delivery, particularly in low-resource settings.
Real-world applications, such as AI-powered triage in emergency care and diagnostic tools for rural clinics, will be showcased. Additionally, WHO will preview its forthcoming Technical Brief on AI in Traditional Medicine, set for official launch on the main stage.
Experts will also explore challenges related to interoperability, regulatory harmonization, and intellectual property rights at the intersection of AI and global health. The summit will feature the AI for Good Awards, recognizing groundbreaking projects that leverage AI for public benefit, with categories focusing on people, planet, and prosperity.
A Launchpad for Action
The health track exemplifies the summit’s core goal: ensuring AI serves the public good, especially in areas of greatest need. Youth-led robotics teams from underserved communities will showcase solutions for disaster recovery and waste management, while startups will compete in the Innovation Factory to present AI tools designed for education and climate resilience.
Live demonstrations will include an autonomous orchard robot, a self-sanitizing mobile toilet, and a drone-eDNA system for scalable biodiversity and pest monitoring. In closing, participants were reminded that the future of AI is a shared responsibility, with a call to “never stop putting AI at the service of all people and our planet.”
