By Sonny Aragba-Akpore
Riding on the crest of innovation and evolution, scientists and global tech players have raised the bar for technology, as more ways to get things done without the human factor takes centre stage.
Elsewhere in the global communities, artificial intelligence rules were robots power industries, shipping, hotel services, home deliveries and financial services.
There is already globalisation of this technology as many more organisations zero in on ways to reduce costs of human capital and leave responsibility to science to manage.
While many tech companies grow the artificial intelligence in their various corners of the world, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the global technology regulator, is rearing to unify the technology in such ways as to create standards for open platform.
In a few months, tech gurus will converge on Geneva, the ITU headquarters in Switzerland to strategize on the way forward for Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Good.
“The goal of AI for Good is to identify practical applications of AI to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and connect AI innovators with public and private-sector decision-makers to help scale up AI solutions globally,” according to the ITU.
In 2017, the landmark AI for Good Global Summit marked the beginning of a global dialogue on the potential of AI to act as a force for good. The action-oriented 2018 and 2019 summits gave rise to numerous AI for Good projects including several standardisation initiatives of the ITU.
Such standards relating to the opportunity in investigating the standardisation requirements for high-potential AI use cases will dominate the upcoming AI for Good Global Summit 2023 expected to hold in Geneva that combines 2,500+ participants and online participation from the over 15,000 members of the AI-powered community platform, the AI for Good Neural Network, making it the world’s largest and most inclusive AI solutions and matchmaking event.
AI is about computers or machines carrying out tasks that were traditionally thought to require human function to carry out. It is associated with concepts like automation and big data.
Customer data collection combined with the improvements to computer technology, mean that artificial intelligence can be utilised for a huge range of functions, from basic customer service, to personalisation tasks, more advanced problem-solving, and even for sales processes and direct messaging.
Artificial Intelligence, refers to the performance of seemingly intelligent behaviours by computers or machines. Artificial intelligence, as a concept, has existed since the 1950s, but it is only in recent times that technology has advanced to the point where it can be considered reliable enough to deploy for important business tasks.
Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in hospitality management, primarily because of its ability to carry out traditionally human functions at any time of the day. This potentially means that hotel owners can save significant money, eliminate human error and deliver superior service.
In the aviation sector, air travel passengers are projected to reach four billion in 2024, exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
To deal with such a huge number of passengers, airlines need to innovate and integrate with emerging technologies like AI and machine learning. AI in aviation has the potential to increase urban air mobility, improve airline safety, automate flight scheduling, and enable predictive maintenance of airplanes.
AI can also monitor transport costs and supplier charges, finding the most cost-effective ways to purchase, deliver, and distribute goods to-and-from warehouse operations. It can provide buyers with recommendations, and update routings, ensuring the fastest service for customers.
The financial sector also benefits from AI as “Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in finance encompasses everything from chatbot assistants to fraud detection and task automation. Most banks (80%) are highly aware of the potential benefits presented by AI, according to Insider Intelligence’s AI in Banking report,“ according to analysts.
The analysts say that “the decision for financial institutions (FIs) to adopt AI will be accelerated by technological advancement, increased user acceptance, and shifting regulatory frameworks. Banks using AI can streamline tedious processes and vastly improve the customer experience by offering 24/7 access to their accounts and financial advice services. “
That is why Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics innovators—and their high-tech creations—will join humanitarian leaders in Geneva, Switzerland, July 6-7, 2023, for the latest edition of the global summit advancing AI to drive sustainable development.
The two-day AI for Good Global Summit to be hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will demonstrate how new technologies can support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in areas such as combatting the climate crisis and bolstering humanitarian response.
“It’s in our collective interest that we can shape AI faster than it is shaping us,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, adding, “this summit, as the UN’s primary platform for AI, will bring to the table leading voices representing a diversity of interests to ensure that AI can be a powerful catalyst for progress in our race to rescue the SDGs.”
The AI for Good Global Summit will feature eight humanoid social robots and over 20 specialized robots, being brought together for the first time under the same roof. The robots will showcase capabilities ranging from fighting fires and delivering aid, to providing healthcare, and farming sustainably.
The event will also feature talks from thought-leaders as well as demos of state-of-the-art AI solutions that could achieve global scale with the support of the international AI for Good community.
Two high-level roundtables – featuring government officials, industry executives, academics, and UN partners – will explore the policies, regulations, and standards needed for AI to advance sustainable development. The event will also host the final round of the AI for Good Innovation Factory where start-ups from around the world will pitch their AI solutions to advance the SDGs.
AI for Good is being hosted by ITU, the UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies, together with 40 partner UN agencies. The summit is co-convened by the government of Switzerland.
ITU’s global membership includes 193 Member States and – uniquely in the UN system – over 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations.
Member states at ITU’s governing Plenipotentiary Conference in 2022 adopted a resolution supporting the tech agency’s work across the UN system to realise the benefits of AI for sustainable development.
The two-day AI for Good Global Summit at The International Conference Centre Geneva is preceded by machine learning workshops on July 5, 2023 led by experts from the AI of Good Discovery series. The ITU event is open to all.
▪︎ Aragba-Akpore, a telecoms analyst, lives in Abuja, and sent this material via WhatsApp.