The AI for Good Global Summit included a session focused on artificial intelligence (AI) in health care and traditional medicine \u2013 with keynotes from the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).<\/p>\n
Held annually, the Summit<\/a> is the United Nations\u2019 (UN) leading platform on AI to solve global challenges. The 2025 Summit ran from 8\u201311 July in Geneva, Switzerland and was organized by ITU in partnership with over 40 UN agencies and co-convened with the Government of Switzerland.<\/p>\n It examined AI-driven solutions for critical global challenges, including climate change, health inequality, humanitarian action and disaster response \u2013 while also championing ethical and sustainable AI development.<\/p>\n The Summit featured a Centre Stage Keynote<\/a> session examining the progress and future priorities for the Global Initiative on AI for Health<\/a> (GI-AI4H), which was launched in July 2023 by WHO, ITU and WIPO.<\/p>\n Although traditional medicine has been instrumental to the health and well-being of people for centuries, responsible use of AI could unlock even greater potential for good. \u201cFor us at WHO, AI is nothing short of a game changer in public health, in clinical medicine, and in maintaining our well-being as individuals,\u201d said Alain Labrique, Director for the Department of Digital Health and Innovation, WHO.<\/p>\n In the session, Dr Labrique explained that WHO will be focusing its efforts and expertise on some key priority areas: governance \u2013 asking if countries are ready to take on AI-based systems within their health system; regulation \u2013 assessing if countries have the necessary regulatory and assessment frameworks to evaluate whether an AI tool is good; and localization \u2013 evaluating if an AI tool is appropriate for the context in which it is being deployed.<\/p>\n The session unveiled findings from GI-AI4H\u2019s most recent initiative, Mapping the application of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine: technical brief<\/a>, examining the use and future potential of AI in traditional medicine.<\/p>\n \u201cThis first joint AI publication fittingly begins with traditional medicine in bridging the historical foundations and technological frontiers of knowledge,\u201d said Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, Director a.i. of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre. \u201cIt advocates for responsible AI applications across time, scientific advances, and cultures in contributing to planetary health and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n