Room W
Workshop

Open source (generative) AI for public services innovation

In person
  • Date
    10 July 2025
    Timeframe
    14:00 - 17:15 CEST
    Duration
    3h 15 minutes
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    Workshop outline:

    With the acceleration of generative AI, governments worldwide are exploring its transformative potential to develop innovative new digital public services, whether through intelligent chatbots, decision-support systems, or accessible citizen portals. However, unlocking this potential requires trustable, auditable, and inclusive AI solutions, which open source uniquely enables.

    This workshop, organized under the Open Source Ecosystem Enabler (OSEE) program and supported by ITU, GIZ, IEEE, and partner UN agencies, showcases real-world action:

    • Kenya’s pioneering work to build an open source AI chatbot as part of its digital government efforts, supported by the GovStack and OSEE initiatives.
    • The IEEE <> ITU GenAI for Good Challenge, harnessing a global developer community to advance generative AI for sustainable development, using the same open source AI reference implementation promoted by ITU’s OSPO and Working Group.

    Key Themes Throughout the Workshop

    • Trust, transparency, and equity in AI for the public sector
    • Open source AI as a digital public good
    • Capacity building and local ownership through OSEE
    • Global-local collaboration: From national deployments to hackathon-scale prototyping
    • Sustainable innovation aligned with SDGs 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 13


    Note:

    We are pleased to welcome Fabien Scotti, photographer for the Enquête photographique genevoise commissioned by the City of Geneva, whose presence brings an artistic and documentary perspective to our workshop. His project, which explores alternative approaches to dominant digital models, including openness, digital sovereignty, and ethical governance, aligns deeply with the mission of this event. Fabien’s contribution offers a unique opportunity to capture the human and visionary dimensions of our collective efforts to shape inclusive and open digital futures.

  • Schedule

    Kickoff, context-setting, and explanation of the workshop’s bi-nuclear structure:

    1. The IEEE HT <> ITU GenAI for Good Challenge showcasing innovation driven by the open source AI reference implementation.

    2. The Kenya case study as a leading example of open source AI in government, and associated DPI considerations;

    3. Introduce OSEE’s role, the importance of digital sovereignty, resilience and inclusion, ITU’ support and capacity building programmes and projects.

    This keynote, delivered by the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Director, sets the stage for the workshop by highlighting the transformative potential of open source generative AI in advancing inclusive digital public services. The address will underscore ITU’s commitment to open, interoperable and rights-based AI through initiatives like the GENIE AI framework, GovStack Global, and the Open Source Ecosystem Enabler. 

    It will also introduce the forthcoming GenAI for Good Community Challenge, developed in partnership with IEEE, to mobilize global innovation for key public service domains such as health, agriculture, and climate resilience. The keynote will call for broad collaboration to ensure that generative AI serves all communities equitably.

    GenAI for Good Challenge: Global Action Through Innovation

    Panel discussion on how open source AI can mobilize interdisciplinary talent worldwide for deep SDG impact, motivated by real-world needs. This session highlights the upcoming GenAI for Good Challenge, co-designed by ITU and IEEE aiming for AI experts to leverage open generative AI architectures and public service data to tailor AI assistants for high-impact use cases in health, agriculture and extreme weather, developed in conjunction with WHO, FAO and WMO. The challenge will award the best teams and partner with them to shape their prototypes into functioning solutions of wide social impact.

    Topics:

    • AI reference implementation and interoperability with public services
    • Challenges and incentives in AI for good hackathons
    • Expected outputs and community impact

    Kenya’s Vision / Mrs Mary Kerema, Secretary at State Department of Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy, Republic of Kenya

     

     

    Mrs. Mary Kerema, Secretary at the State Department of the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy of the Republic of Kenya, will share Kenya’s strategic vision for harnessing open source AI to build sovereign, citizen-centric digital services. Reflecting on the country’s engagement with initiatives such as GovStack and OSEE, the session will explore how open technologies are shaping resilient digital infrastructures and driving inclusive innovation.

    Open Source AI for building thriving ecosystems / Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Member of the Board, GIZ, Germany

     

    Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Member of the Board at GIZ, will highlight the organization’s commitment to leveraging open source AI to support sustainable development and strengthen public service ecosystems. Drawing from GIZ’s broad portfolio of digital cooperation projects, the session will reflect on how open and collaborative AI approaches can enhance capacity building, promote innovation, and foster inclusive digital transformation in partner countries. 

    Kenya’s Digital Leap, Open Source AI for Digital Public Goods

    A deep dive into how Kenya is pioneering the use of open source generative AI, the joint support from GovStack and OSEE, and the challenges and enablers of building digital public services with transparency and trust.

    Topics:

    • Kenya chatbot: architecture, implementation, and goals
    • Digital public infrastructure and AI-readiness
    • Role of ITU and capacity building through OSEE

    Understanding Open Source AI: From Open-Weight Models to Truly Open Ecosystems. What’s Really Open?

     

    A forward-looking discussion: How can open source (generative) AI help countries leapfrog and localize digital innovation in public services? How open is open source AI? How deep should we go when developing digital public services?

     

    1. Summary of key insights

    2. Link between country use-case and global community efforts

    3. Conclusion

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