AI Leaders Urged To Address Opportunities, Risks

LAGOS – A new wave of autonomous AI – capable of reasoning, acting inde­pendently, and scaling at unprece­dented speed – is rapidly reshaping the technological landscape.

The rise of “agentic AI” and pow­erful, low-cost AI models is making artificial intelligence cheaper, more widely available, and potentially more energy efficient – but also hard­er to regulate.

With some prominent CEOs pre­dicting human-level AI within two to three years, concerns are mounting over safety risks, weakened guard­rails, and the challenge of responsi­ble governance.

These issues will be at the centre of the AI for Good Global Summit 2025, the United Nations platform ad­vancing AI in service of sustainable development, in Geneva, Switzerland from 8 to 11 July 2025.

The expanded, four-day gathering will also showcase progress on ad­vanced robotics, autonomous mobil­ity, quantum computing, AI in space, and brain-computer interfaces.

Organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency for digital technologies, the goal of AI for Good is to identify trustworthy applications of AI, build AI skills and standards, and strength­en global dialogue on AI governance for sustainable development.

“As AI development accelerates, so does the urgency to keep innova­tion aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals,” says ITU sec­retary-general Doreen Bogdan-Mar­tin. “AI for Good is where the world comes together to ensure these tech­nologies are safe, responsible, and leave no one behind.”

At the AI for Good Global Sum­mit 2025, leading experts from gov­ernments, industry, academia, civ­il society, and the UN will explore how AI is reshaping our world, tackling urgent challenges such as safety, employment, sustainability, privacy, security, governance, and its broader societal and economic impacts.

Responding to the Global Digital Compact, adopted last year by the UN General Assembly, the AI for Good Global Summit 2025 will pro­vide a global platform for dialogue to advance AI governance, standards, and capacity building. As AI adop­tion accelerates, the Summit aims to inform policies and drive solutions that ensure AI is developed and de­ployed responsibly, fairly, and for the benefit of all.

Yet, a global AI governance gap persists—an ITU survey found that 55% of Member States lack a na­tional AI strategy, and 85% have no AI-specific regulations.