Over 11,000 participants from 169 countries gathered in Geneva for the Summit, in addition to a web audience of thousands, to explore the ways in which AI can serve humanity and address global challenges without generating problematic externalities. 

As part of a broader presence at the AI for Good Summit, the Institute engaged across a variety of high-level discussions and thematic panel discussions. The Institute also held a booth, hence showcasing our existing pedagogical and research contributions on the societal, environmental, and geopolitical implications of AI. 

Speaking at the “AI Skills Coalition Partners Lunch” on 9 July, Marie-Laure Salles, Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute, addressed the need to demystify AI and ensure that individuals acquire the knowledge and critical skills necessary to understand artificial intelligence and approach technology as a tool designed to serve humanity. She emphasised the importance of fostering agency and responsibility in using AI: “The future is in our hands, and it is up to us to make deliberate, thoughtful choices”. 

Jérôme Duberry, Managing Director of the Tech Hub and Co-Director of Executive Education, shared Marie-Laure Salles’s position: “We must ensure that technological development serves the real needs of humanity while respecting planetary boundaries. AI is not neutral — its design is political, and its code carries societal, environmental, and ethical consequences. As such, social science institutions must not only contribute to the governance of AI but also assert their relevance in its design. Because design is power.”

Both Marie-Laure Salles and Jérôme Duberry emphasised the need to avoid repeating past mistakes with previous technological revolutions, from the generation of negative externalities to environmental costs or the failure to engage and cater to the needs of more fragile communities. 

“To avoid repeating the mistakes made with social media, we must foster deeper collaboration between AI researchers and social scientists,” said Jérôme Duberry. “Only by centering the voices of the most affected and fragile communities — starting with youth — can we develop and govern AI technologies that will be inclusive, responsible, and just. This is precisely our mission at the Geneva Graduate Institute, a mission we pursue in all our activities – from teaching and research to public engagement.”