Research Guides: Conference primer: Innovation and Technology: Innovation and Technology 2023

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

AI For Good

AI for Good Summit 2023 | 6-7 July 2023, Geneva
The AI for Good Global Summit is the leading action-oriented United Nations platform promoting AI to advance health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities.
AI for Good Global Summit 2023 Programme
AI 2023 Summit: registrations open
AI For Good - All Year - Always Online - Programme
Check out the AI for Good programme below and click on “VIEW DETAILS” to register for the upcoming sessions or use the search filters to navigate and replay 100s of past sessions.
AI Newsroom
Check out the latest stories, interviews, videos, publications and insights from the AI for Good community. A digital media kit is available for partners, sponsors and media.

ITU Main Events in 2023

WRC-23 – World Radiocommunication Conferences | 20 November - 15 December 2023, Dubai
World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC) are held every three to four years to review, and, if necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits. Revisions are made on the basis of an agenda determined by the ITU Council, which takes into account recommendations made by previous world radiocommunication conferences.
ITU Council 2023, Geneva, 11 to 21 July 2023
The annual meeting of ITU Council, the The Council, composed of 48 ITU Member States, acts as the Union’s governing body in the interval between plenipotentiary conferences. It considers broad telecommunication policy issues and ensures that the Union’s strategy responds to changes in the telecommunication environment.
WSIS 2023 las week of events (22 - 28 May 2023)

About ITU

ITU main website
ITU Calendar of events
Infographics about Telecommunications Standards
ITU Media Center
Press releases, news, media accreditation and more.

Past Events 2023

Radio Regulations Board (RRB) 20-24 March 2023
The twelve members of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) are elected at the Plenipotentiary Conference. They perform their duties independently and on a part-time basis, normally meeting up to four times a year, in Geneva.
Meeting documentation in the six official languages.
World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2023 (13-17 March 2023)
The WSIS Forum 2023 is scheduled to be held from 13–17 March 2023 at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva, with the support of remote participation. Virtual workshops will continue in April & May. The theme of the WSIS Forum 2023 is WSIS Action Lines for building back better and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs.
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The annual World Summit on the Information Society Forum is a global multistakeholder platform facilitating the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines for advancing sustainable development, organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD, in close collaboration with all WSIS Action Line co-/facilitators and other UN organizations. It provides an opportunity for information exchange, knowledge creation and sharing of best practices, while identifying emerging trends and fostering partnerships, taking into account the evolving Information and Knowledge Societies.
WSIS 2023: Highlights, Announcements, and Key Outcomes
IISD Coverage of WSIS Forum 2023
Tracking the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda
2nd Edition of DC³ Conference – From Cryptocurrencies to Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
24-27 January 2023

The Internet Governance Forum

Internet Governance Forum 2023 to Take Place in Japan, 8 - 12 October 2023
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2023, which is organized by the United Nations, will be held at Kyoto International Conference Center (Kyoto City) from Sunday, October 8 through Thursday, October 12, 2023.
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan, 5 December 2022
Internet Governance Forum - Main page
About MAG (Multistakeholder Advisory Group)
The Secretary-General of the United Nations established the Advisory Group (now referred to as the Multistakeholder Advisory Group - MAG). Its purpose is to advise the Secretary-General on the programme and schedule of the Internet Governance Forum meetings.
Terms of Reference for the IGF Leadership Panel
IGF Leadership Panel Members

Past Events

IGF 2023 Second Open Consultations and MAG Meeting, Geneva, 10-12 July 2023
IGF 2023 First Open Consultations and MAG Meeting, 8-10 March 2023, Vienna
The meeting will focus on planning the intersessional work and the programme of the 18th annual IGF meeting hosted in Kyoto, Japan. The agenda and other meeting details (including how to participate online, when to collect the badge and more) will be shared on this page.

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO: Sixty-Fourth Series of Meetings | 6 - 14 July 2023
WIPO General Assembly: Fifty-Sixth (26th Ordinary) Session (6 - 14 July 2023)
Side Events - Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO: Sixty-Fourth Series of Meetings
Practical Information for WIPO meetings
Participation to WIPO Virtual and Hybrid Meetings
Multi-lingual, cloud-based platform enables delegates to participate remotely in formal meetings.
WIPO Webcast

UNCTAD / CNUDED

Commission on Science and Technology for Development, twenty-sixth session, 27-31 March 2023
The Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations focal point for science, technology and innovation (STI) for development, in analyzing how STI, including information and communications technologies (ICTs), serve as enablers of the 2030 Agenda.
UNCTAD eWeek 2023: Shaping the Future of the Digital Economy | 4-8 December 2023
To adapt to a changing digital landscape, the eCommerce Week becomes UNCTAD eWeek as of its 2023 edition. Organized by UNCTAD in collaboration with eTrade for all, the UNCTAD eWeek 2023 will be held from 4 to 8 December 2023 in Geneva, at the CICG (International Conference Center of Geneva) under the theme ‘Shaping the future of the digital economy’.

UN Data Forum

United Nations World Data Forum 2023, Hangzhou, China | 24-27 April 2023
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Following one of the main recommendations contained in the report entitled "A World That Counts" , presented in November 2014 by the United Nations Secretary-General's Independent Expert and Advisory Group on Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, the Statistical Commission agreed that a United Nations World Data Forum on Sustainable Development Data (UN World Data Forum) would be the suitable platform for intensifying cooperation with various professional groups, such as information technology, geospatial information managers, data scientists, and users, as well as civil society stakeholders.
World Data Forum 2023 Declaration
(High-level plenary) Welcome + Host country plenary session
UN World Data Forum 2023: Interviews and clips - YouTube
UNWDF 2023 - Online Event Platform
Follow events live
IISD Coverage of the Fourth UN World Data Forum 2023
Tracking the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda

UN, NGOs and Media reporting

AI tools like ChatGPT likely to complement jobs, not destroy them
ChatGPT is not coming for your job and might even enhance it, experts from the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a new report published this week.
UN News, 22 August 203
Generative AI and Jobs: A global analysis of potential effects on job quantity and quality
This study presents a global analysis of the potential exposure of occupations and tasks to Generative AI, and specifically to Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPTs), and the possible implications of such exposure for job quantity and quality.
ILO publication, 22 August 2023
ChatGPT is a black box: how AI research can break it open
Despite their wide use, large language models are still mysterious. Revealing their true nature is urgent and important.
Nature.com, 25 July 2023
Guterres calls for AI ‘that bridges divides’, rather than pushing us apart
The UN Secretary-General addressed the Security Council on Tuesday, emphasizing the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate human development while also cautioning against the malicious use of what is revolutionary new technology.
Un News, 18 July 2023
Humans aren’t delivering on the SDGs. Can robots do better?
From monitoring the rebuilding of refugee camps to supporting healthcare providers, robots and their creators were out in force in Geneva to show how they can provide humans with a helping hand – or bionic leg.
Geneva Solutions, published 13 July, updated 14 July 2023.
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In the bustling corridors of international Geneva, where discussions about regulating autonomous weapons systems, or "killer robots," have echoed for nearly a decade, a glimmer of good news emerged last week when the city welcomed an assembly of over 50 robots aimed at highlighting the positive uses of artificial intelligence (AI).
The robotic delegation and their creators occupied two floors of the Geneva convention centre during the AI for Good summit, the biggest United Nations event on AI, and had a dedicated stage to where they showcased their potential to boost the UN's languishing sustainable development goals.
'In 2023 governments woke up to the realities of AI'
Artificial intelligence specialist Stuart Russell says time is running out to regulate the technology.
Swissinfo, 9 July 2023
Scientist & author Gary Marcus talks to Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO, at AI For Good Global Summit 2023
Gary Marcus, scientist, author and entrepreneur in conversation with Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), at the AI For Good Global Summit 2023, Geneva, Switzerland
ITU Youtube channel, 7 July 2023
UN chief says regulation needed for AI to ‘benefit everyone’
The development of artificial intelligence, or AI, “for the good of all” requires guardrails grounded in human rights, transparency, and accountability, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday.
UN News, 6 July 2023
Meet the robots who are making the world a better place
Meet Ameca, Grace, and Sophia, some of more than 50 robots attending the UN-driven AI for Good Global Summit, which opened on Thursday in Geneva.
UN News, 6July 2023
Never underestimate a droid: robots gather at AI for Good summit in Geneva
Ai-da, Desdemona, Nadine and Geminoid join world’s largest gathering of humanoids to promote AI as force for good.
The Guardian, 6 July 2023
UN touts initiative to regulate AI at tech summit in Geneva
As AI technologies develop at frightening speed, the UN is pushing for a serious conversation on how to regulate them, and it wants to be at the steering wheel. Two experts in digital governance share their views on how the organisation could lead this effort.
A much-overlooked conference six years ago predicted that “in the near future we will see large parts of our lives influenced by AI”.
Geneva Solutions, 12 July 2023
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As the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) holds its fourth edition of the AI for Good summit in Geneva on 6 and 7 July, those words largely reflect today’s reality.
Protecting seafarers and safeguarding the marine environment
ITU's maritime experts help lay the foundations for greater connectivity and safer transport by sea, empowering seafarers with digital technologies.
ITU, 23 June 2023
Standards for trustworthy technologies and a green, inclusive future for all
Remarks by Tomas Lamanauskas, ITU's Deputy Secretary-General, at ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group meeting.
ITU, 19 June 2023
Generative AI is a minefield for copyright law
Intellectual property law wasn’t written with AI in mind, so it isn’t clear who owns the images that emerge from prompts – or if the artists whose work was scraped to train AI models should be paid.
The Conversation News, 15 June 2023
EU approves draft law to regulate AI – here's how it will work
The EU’s attempt to regulate AI is focused on specific risks posed by the technology.
The Conversation News, 14 June 2023
The rise of the machines: What does AI mean for our jobs, privacy and humanity?
This episode of The Weekly Tradecast looks at artificial intelligence and its growing presence in our lives with Angel Gonzalez, head of UNCTAD’s technology, innovation and knowledge development branch.
UNCTAD's Weekly Tradecast, 15 June 2023
UN chief calls for new era of social media integrity in bid to stem misinformation
Countries must address the “grave global harm” caused by the proliferation of hate and lies online, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, launching a key report designed to shore up information integrity on digital platforms.
UN News, 12 June 2023
Policy Brief: Connecting the World Through Digital Cooperation
In the lead up to the Summit of the Future in 2024, where a new consensus on the future of humanity is expected to be forged, the Secretary-General set up a vast multi-stakeholder consultation on the digital cooperation track.
IISD, 1 June 2023
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The outcomes will be crystallized in a Global Digital Compact – an outline of shared principles, objectives, and actions to address current gaps in digital governance.
Timely, Open, Inclusive Data Needed to Achieve SDGs: World Data Forum
The UN World Data Forum issued a declaration reflecting on the importance of high-quality, timely, open, and inclusive data to achieve the SDGs by 2030. In it, Forum participants resolve to renew commitments to working as a global community under the UN and to undertake collective action to address challenges “on the path to modernized and stronger data and statistical systems to support the achievement of the SDGs.”
IISD News, 3 May 2023
ITU teams up with European Commission to promote and measure meaningful connectivity
A new joint project by ITU and the European Commission aims to improve measurements of key connectivity enablers.
ITU News, 27 April 2023
Computer Security: The symbiosis of your life
Following a surge of technological innovation starting at the end of the twentieth century, the twenty-first century has brought a major socio-biological evolution that not even Charles Darwin would have dreamed of: the homo sapiens sapiens digitalensis, humans sociologically embedded in digital communication networks, “cyborged” with smartphones in their hands, exporting memories onto disks full of bits and bytes, and living in symbiosis with their digital devices. While they were “just” homo sapiens sapiens, humans risked becoming “just” physical prey.
CERN News, 25 April 2023
Metaverse focus group calls for contributions
ITU’s new focus group lays groundwork for technical standards for metaverse services that benefit everyone.
ITU News, 20 April 2023
UN World Data Forum 2023
At the third in-person UN World Data Forum in Hangzhou, China, delegates will seek solutions to challenges identified by the global data and statistics community, including developing more inclusive data as well as maximizing the use and value of data for better decision making.
IISD News, 20 April 2023
World Forum Leverages ICT to Accelerate SDGs and Build Back Better
Discussions focused on: bridging digital divides; enabling environment for digital technologies, inclusiveness, and access to knowledge for all; digital economy and trade; ethical dimensions of ICT; climate change; knowledge societies; and capacity building.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said governments are expected to agree a Global Digital Compact at the Summit of the Future in 2024.
IISD News, 12 April 2023
CERN/NASA Summit: “Accelerating the Adoption of Open Science”
In celebration of the 2023 Year of Open Science, CERN and NASA are jointly organizing “Accelerating the Adoption of Open Science”, a week long open science summit at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, from 10 to 14 July 2023.
CERN News, 5 April 2023
International Geneva zooming into the metaverse
Taking to the stage last February at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, Amandeep Singh Gill, the United Nations’ tech envoy, closed his intervention with a call for more responsibility in the industry involved in developing technologies for the metaverse.
Geneva Solutions, 29 March 2023
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His final questions to the audience attending the digital and tech world’s biggest event resonated like a wake-up call for an industry often in awe over its “move fast and break things” motto.
Embrace green tech revolution or risk falling behind, new UN report warns
Many developing countries may miss out on the benefits of the “green tech” revolution unless governments and the international community take decisive action now, the head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Thursday, releasing its latest report.
UN News, 16 March 2023
Digital Trends and Predictions for 2023
Watch on Youtube (happened on 12 January 2023).
What will 2023 bring for digital geopolitics, AI, data, and cryptocurrencies?
Will the ‘1998 deal’ on digital government still hold?
What issues will dominate the UN and multilateral agenda in Geneva and beyond?
What’s the ITU and why is it important?
The ITU is about to elect a new Secretary-General, who will come from either the United States or Russia.
Swissinfo, 20 September 2022

UN Innovation Network (UNIN)

The UN Innovation Network (UNIN) is an informal, collaborative community of UN innovators interested in sharing their expertise and experience with others to promote and advance innovation within the UN System.

Digital Watch Observatory

Digital Watch Observatory
The Digital Watch observatory is a comprehensive digital policy observatory, which provides a neutral one-stop shop for the latest developments, overviews, events, actors, instruments, and other resources. The observatory is part of the Geneva Internet Platform, an initiative of the Swiss authorities, operated by DiploFoundation.
Digital Watch Observatory Upcoming Events
About the Geneva Digital Atlas 2.0
The Geneva Digital Atlas represents the most comprehensive mapping of digital policy actors and Internet governance scene in Geneva.
Launched 8 November 2022

CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Restricted and Open Council - Two-Hundred-and-Twelfth Session | 22-23 June 2023
Programme and documents
“Accelerating the Adoption of Open Science” CERN/NASA Summit: | 10 - 14 July 2023
In celebration of the 2023 Year of Open Science, NASA’s new scientific information policy and the associated Transform to Open Science (TOPS) mission, and to mark the publication of CERN’s first comprehensive Open Science Policy, the two organizations are hosting a week-long event entitled “Accelerating the Adoption of Open Science”, from July 10th-14th at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.
Timetable for Council Session 2023

Conference primer: Innovation and Technology: Innovation and Technology 2023

Highlights

AI for Good Global Summit

6 - 7 July 2023, Geneva, Switzerland

ON THIS PAGE

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

AI For Good

ITU Main Events in 2023

About ITU

Past Events 2023

The Internet Governance Forum

Past Events

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

UNCTAD / CNUDED

UN Data Forum

UN, NGOs and Media reporting

UN Innovation Network (UNIN)

Digital Watch Observatory

CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)

More on Innovation and Technology

DISCLAIMER: This site contains links and references to third-party resources. It does not imply the endorsement of the content by the United Nations.

For more information about Commons events, products, and services: commons.ungeneva.org / Email: commons [at] un.org

Conference primer: Innovation and Technology: Innovation and Technology 2023

Highlights

AI for Good Global Summit6 - 7 July 2023, Geneva, Switzerland

ON THIS PAGE

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

AI For Good

ITU Main Events in 2023

About ITU

Past Events 2023

The Internet Governance Forum

Past Events

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

UNCTAD / CNUDED

UN Data Forum

UN, NGOs and Media reporting

UN Innovation Network (UNIN)

Digital Watch Observatory

CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)

More on Innovation and Technology

DISCLAIMER: This site contains links and references to third-party resources. It does not imply the endorsement of the content by the United Nations.

For more information about Commons events, products, and services: commons.ungeneva.org / Email: commons [at] un.org

AI for Good Global Summit

6 - 7 July 2023, Geneva, Switzerland