AI for Good Workshop to Discuss Open Source Generative AI Pilots

Public-service uses of open source generative AI will be discussed at an AI for Good Global Summit 2026 workshop on 9 July 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland. The session, From Challenge to Change: Piloting Generative AI for Real-World Impact, is scheduled for Room S from 14:00 to 17:15 CEST. It is listed as an in-person workshop in the Leaders Gold Discovery track. The programme says the discussion will draw on work in health, agriculture, and climate resilience across three nations.

The workshop’s relevance lies in its focus on public-service delivery rather than broad claims about generative AI. The event listing says the session is built on the GenAI for Good Challenge, with selected teams moving through a three-month pilot sprint before one winner per focus area launches a full pilot under operational conditions. The listing does not name the countries, systems, datasets, evaluation methods, or public agencies involved.

The GenAI for Good Challenge is described as a joint effort led by the International Telecommunication Union, IEEE Humanitarian Technologies, United Nations agencies, and participating governments. According to the programme, the challenge is rooted in national priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Winners from the challenge will be announced during the workshop.

Listed speakers include Linda Raftree, founder of MERL Tech Initiative; Grayson Randall, chair of the IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board; Mary Ellen Randall, 2026 president and CEO of IEEE; and Mariela Machado Fantacchiotti, senior director of technology for social impact and sustainability at IEEE. The programme also names Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at ITU; David Manset, senior project coordinator for open source ecosystem enablement for public services innovation at ITU; Agustina Maria Grossi, programme officer for digital diplomacy and partnerships at the Food and Agriculture Organization; Mary Kerema, OGW Secretary ICT, E-Government and Digital Economy at Kenya’s Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy; and Lea Gimpel, director of policy and AI lead at the Digital Public Goods Alliance.

The event page frames the session around digital public goods, resilient public infrastructure, and partnerships for public benefit. Those claims remain part of the organiser’s framing until the challenge outcomes are published. The workshop is scheduled to conclude with a networking cocktail reception.