GENEVA, 8 July 2026 — The second day of the AI for Good Global Summit expanded the conversation beyond AI alone, bringing quantum technologies, creative intelligence, entrepreneurship and youth leadership into focus as global experts, researchers and innovators gathered at Palexpo in Geneva. While the opening day focused on the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, Wednesday’s programme highlighted how a broader ecosystem of emerging technologies is beginning to shape industries, societies and public policy.
One of the day’s themes was the growing role of quantum technologies. The session Quantum for Good: Industry Leadership, Innovation and Real-World Impact examined how advances in quantum computing are moving beyond research laboratories and into practical applications with implications for sectors ranging from healthcare and finance to climate science and communications. Speakers emphasised the importance of international collaboration to ensure the benefits of quantum innovation are widely shared and accessible.
The ITU Kaleidoscope academic conference also continued its programme, providing a platform for researchers exploring how frontier technologies can address societal challenges. During the Fast Forward Poster Preview session, academics presented research spanning sign language avatars, geospatial intelligence, sustainable education systems, AI governance frameworks and other innovations designed to deliver tangible social impact. The Summit’s Center Stage programme took on a distinctly creative dimension with Beyond, an artistic intelligence performance featuring artists Ösp Eldjárn and ILĀ, directed and produced by Harry Yeff (R100 STUDIOS), Chief Curator of Artistic Intelligence Visionary Initiative. Combining human vocal performance with ethically trained music models, the production explored new forms of collaboration between human creativity and machine-generated expression, offering a glimpse into how generative technologies are increasingly influencing artistic practice.
Later in the day, attention turned to the next generation of AI leaders. Organised in collaboration with the Young AI Leaders community, The AI Generation: Youth in the AI Era brought together emerging voices from around the world to discuss the role of young people in shaping the future of artificial intelligence. The discussion focused on how youth-led initiatives are building technical capacity, fostering innovation ecosystems and translating global conversations on AI into local action.
Across the Summit’s Youth Zone, participants continued to engage in hands-on workshops covering robotics, machine learning and computer vision. A standout was Planet Protectors: GeoAI heroes for climate action, led by Marta Koch (Imperial College London), where participants aged 11 to 16 used Google Earth and Google Teachable Machine to map climate risks such as flooding and heatwaves, then designed their own GeoAI solutions, all without writing a line of code. .
Entrepreneurship was another key focus as the day progressed. The Innovation Factory’s Women Entrepreneurs Shaping the Future pitching session showcased AI-driven startups led by women founders developing solutions to address challenges within their communities. Finalists competed for an opportunity to pitch on the Summit’s Frontier Stage and gain access to the AI for Good Innovation Factory Accelerator Programme, its global alumni network and connections across the United Nations ecosystem and partner organisations.
As the second day concluded, preparations were already underway for an equally ambitious programme on Day 3. Highlights include the Innovation Factory Grand Finale Pre-Final Round, the AI for Good Film Festival and a series of Center Stage discussions featuring leaders from across technology, business and the creative industries, including musician, entrepreneur and philanthropist John Legend.
With thousands of participants convening in Geneva this week, the AI for Good Global Summit continues to demonstrate that the future of technology extends far beyond artificial intelligence alone, encompassing a growing convergence of disciplines, industries and communities working to shape what comes next.
