The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations hosted the AI For Good Summit in Geneva from Tuesday to Friday to explore future opportunities in AI's development and governance, attracting thousands of stakeholders across the industry, governments and the tech community.
Through various exhibits, demonstrations and talks, the summit aims to showcase how AI is transforming real-world challenges into opportunities, and inspire the industry on the future directions of AI.
"As you can see from our industry, for AI products, the more people use it, it actually costs more money. [We] lose more money because of the [low] efficiency, or the cost is still not low enough. So I think the biggest challenge is how we can [make] models much more powerful, while the cost is reduced significantly," said Ye Jieping, vice president of China's Zhejiang Lab, a national research hub for smart computing and AI technology, in an interview with China Central Television on the sidelines of the event.
Despite the concerns and challenges, experts reached agreements at the summit that AI has made significant progress in the past two years and is poised to become even stronger.
Nadine, a humanoid with social intelligence displayed at the summit, also gave her answer to AI's future development. "I see the future of AI as incredibly promising. It has the potential to transform industries, improve the quality of life, and solve complex global challenges. However, it's crucial to ensure that AI is developed and used ethically and responsibly," said the robot.
In addition to the showcases, the summit also included conferences on AI governance and standardization, bringing the industry together to help identify the steps needed to bridge the gap between AI applications and regulation.
AI summit held in Geneva to explore future opportunities in development, governance
The Israeli government is set to prohibit 37 international aid organizations from operating in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank effective Jan 1, 2026, after authorities stated the groups failed to comply with stricter registration requirements, according to an Israeli media report on Tuesday.
The report from The Times of Israel cited the statement from Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, saying that the new regulations are based on security concerns aimed at removing non-government organizations' staff allegedly linked to so-called "terrorist organizations."
The report came after the Israeli government announced the same day that it would suspend the activities of several international aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, in the Gaza Strip starting January 1, 2026, citing the organizations' failure to submit information on their Palestinian staff as required.
Last year, Israel rolled out new regulations on registration requiring international aid groups to provide detailed information of their staff's names, funding sources, and operation status.
On Wednesday, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories stated that the registration mandates were necessary to prevent humanitarian supplies from being exploited by Hamas.
In an online interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Wednesday, Bushra Khalidi, policy lead at Oxfam, a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice, said the impact of the ban will be "devastating."
"It is devastating. We've seen the numbers from the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) a few weeks ago. We saw them in the summer. There's been a slight improvement, but that's not good enough for the time of a ceasefire. And six months after the famine was declared, we should have seen much more improvement in Gaza," said Khalidi.
"It's winter here in Palestine. It was raining. It rained a record (amount) of rain per millimeter yesterday in Palestine since 1992. So, the impact is devastating. But the fact that shelter materials, for example, cannot enter. For families, this will mean slower repairs. It will mean fewer supplies. It will mean a longer wait for basic services. It will directly affect the access to clean water, to sanitation, to shelter materials, to public health interventions. Aid that should be moving predictably will remain delayed, it will remain restricted and it will remain stranded," she added.
She also emphasized that the operating environment became nearly impossible for organizations to navigate long before the new ban was announced.
"We have been obstructed and blocked from operating freely and unobstructedly for the last two years by Israel. Israel has killed a record number of humanitarian workers in the last two years. It has bombed our premises, it has bombed our convoys, it has blocked our items. It has driven famine like conditions in Gaza because of blocking humanitarian access. So, I think it's really important to set that scene, is that what is happening now is nothing new. It only continues within the kind of campaign that Israel has orchestrated to drive basically the population of Gazans' survival. So, we are, we have not been able to enter any materials in since March, in fact, us and many other organizations. And of course that has severely restricted our ability to scale up our operations," said Khalidi.
Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, said on Wednesday that Israel's move is no different from cutting off lifesaving supplies for the local population, adding that the European Union has made clear that all obstacles to humanitarian access must be lifted.
Israel bans operations of 37 int'l aid groups in Gaza Strip, West Bank
