The AI for Good Global Summit featured a dedicated session on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in both modern health care and traditional medicine, with keynote addresses from leading international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
As the United Nations’ flagship platform for leveraging AI to address global issues, the 2025 edition of the Summit was held from July 8–11 in Geneva, Switzerland. Organized by ITU in collaboration with more than 40 UN agencies and co-hosted with the Government of Switzerland, the event brought together global experts and stakeholders to explore AI-driven innovations in response to pressing global challenges.
Key topics included climate change, health inequities, humanitarian emergencies, and disaster preparedness. A significant emphasis was placed on ensuring that the development and deployment of AI technologies are both ethical and sustainable.
A featured Centre Stage Keynote highlighted the Global Initiative on AI for Health (GI-AI4H), an interagency collaboration between WHO, ITU, and WIPO, which began in 2023. This session reviewed the initiative’s progress and set priorities for the future, particularly focusing on the integration of AI into health care systems.
Traditional medicine was spotlighted as an area with long-standing health benefits that could be further enhanced through responsible use of AI. WHO identified several core focus areas, including the readiness of national health systems for AI integration, the robustness of regulatory and assessment frameworks, and the need for contextual adaptation of AI tools.
The session also introduced key findings from a new technical brief titled Mapping the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Medicine, developed under GI-AI4H. The brief explores current trends and emerging possibilities in applying AI to traditional medicine practices.
In a related workshop, Enabling AI for Health Innovation and Access, the technical brief was discussed in greater depth. This session detailed the existing applications of AI in traditional medicine, outlined current knowledge gaps, and addressed the associated risks and challenges involved in responsible AI deployment.
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