AI for Good Global Summit, AI meets ancient healing

[Ravenlocke]

From Sputnik Africa,
🌿🤖 When AI meets ancient healing: At the recent AI for Good Global Summit, a brief showcased AI's transformation of Traditional Medicine (TM), with highlights from BRICS and African countries.

The future of health is ancient and digital. Dive into our thread to see how👇

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🇿🇦 South Africa – Rooibos Genomics Programme

Using machine learning (ML), scientists sequenced the rooibos genome, identified genes linked to medicinal compounds & drought tolerance, analyzed 12 transcriptomes, and developed a neural network predicting novel plant protein functions. A step towards climate-resilient phytomedicine.

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https://x.com/sputnik_africa/status/1943744076643545243

🇬🇭 Ghana – AI for Medicinal Plant ID

Researchers used Log Gabor filters, mimicking human visual cortex, to analyze leaf textures for plant classification. Accuracy reached up to 98%, outperforming traditional methods. Combining these features with deep learning “could greatly enhance” TM plant recognition for conservation & research.

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🇧🇷 Brazil – Virtual Health Library on Traditional Medicine

Developed by PAHO/WHO’s Latin American and Caribbean Center, this library promotes the presence, access, use, and publication of scientific, technical, and educational content on TM and Indigenous Knowledges in the Americas.

Supported by Brazil’s Ministry of Health to create a dedicated knowledge platform for Brazilian TM.

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https://x.com/sputnik_africa/status/1943744089377145222

🇧🇷 Digital Health and Indigenous Knowledge Integration in Brazil

Brazil has also initiated efforts to incorporate digital technologies into TM practices, particularly within Indigenous Peoples and local communities, supporting projects that combine traditional Indigenous Knowledges with modern technologies to improve health care delivery and access in remote areas.

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🇮🇳 India – Traditional Knowledge Digital Library

The world’s first digital library documenting Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani & Yoga to prevent biopiracy. Its structured data feeds AI models for drug discovery while enabling patent searches in multiple languages under strict confidentiality, protecting India’s TM heritage.

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https://x.com/sputnik_africa/status/1943744100878234112

🇮🇳 Ayurgenomics – AI meets Ayurveda

This emerging field integrates ML algorithms with Ayurvedic constitution types to identify genetic disease markers and personalize prevention.

It also explores genomic and molecular bases of herbal formulations for modern disease repurposing, uniting ancient and precision medicine. 🧬🌿

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🇮🇳 AI-based Medicinal Plant ID Systems

India developed an ML system using the ExG-ExR vegetation index for leaf-background separation under variable lighting. Combined with logistic regression classifiers, it achieves 93.3% accuracy in identifying TM plant species, saving expert time in real-world conditions. 📸🌿

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https://x.com/sputnik_africa/status/1943744110738780172

🇨🇩 DR Congo – AI Validates Traditional Influenza Treatments

🧪🌱Ethnobotanical surveys identified 40 plants for flu care, including lemon grass & African basil. AI molecular docking & dynamics simulations showed strong receptor binding, validating traditional use and suggesting pharmaceutical potential for essential oils.

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🇨🇳 China – Bank of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Sun Yat-sen University built this resource cataloguing TCM medicines, ingredients, diseases & gene targets. It combines intelligent document identification with manual verification, creating a robust knowledge network to support AI-powered drug discovery grounded in TCM science.

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https://x.com/sputnik_africa/status/1943744122516320423

[Ravenlocke]

About the AI For Good Summit
From Anadolou English,

The AI for Good Global Summit concludes in Geneva

Frederic Werner of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) says the initiative has evolved from hype to real-world impact, delivering solutions in health, accessibility, governance, and youth empowerment since its 2017 launch http://v.aa.com.tr/3628335

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/ai-f...ential/3628335

AI for Good Summit closes with bold vision for standards, inclusion, human potential

As the AI for Good Global Summit wraps up in Geneva on Friday, Frederic Werner of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said the initiative, launched in 2017, has matured from promise and hype into real-world impact, driving solutions in health, accessibility, governance, and youth empowerment.

When AI for Good was created in 2017, it was very much based around "the hope, the fear of a promise, and the hype of AI," Werner, the head of strategic engagement at the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, said. "Central to its mission was always, how can we use AI to help solve the world's most pressing challenges?"

From AI-powered voice diagnostics that can detect blood sugar levels to brain-computer interfaces enabling locked-in patients to speak using AI-generated replicas of their own voices, the summit spotlighted a wave of life-changing innovations. "These are life-changing technologies," he said, while also raising critical concerns: "If you can know how much sugar is in my blood, what else can you tell with my voice? Am I telling the truth right now? You might not know. So that raises all types of ethical questions."

Werner emphasized the importance of brain-computer interface technologies not only for persons with disabilities but also for broader well-being. "A lot of these non-invasive brain-computer interface technologies can tell how stressed you are and how tired you are. It can also be like a bit of a coach that could help you get through your life," he said.

For these technologies to scale ethically and effectively, international standards are essential.

AI-related standards

"None of that works without standards," he said, and added that ITU has 400 standards that are published or in development. To address this need, the ITU officially launched the International AI Standards Exchange Database during the summit. Developed with partners including ISO/IEC, and other global standardization bodies, the platform brings together a wide range of AI-related standards in one centralized, user-friendly portal.

Werner said the goal is to support startups and innovators who often struggle to locate relevant standards scattered across various sources. The database makes it easier for them to access existing frameworks that can guide development in areas like autonomous mobility, healthcare, and robotics -- while also serving as a foundation for shaping future standards, he added.

Global AI literacy gap

He also stressed the need to close the global AI literacy gap. "Whether you're in a developed country or a developing country, it's a huge, huge concern," he said. In response, the ITU launched the AI Skills Coalition with over 50 partners and 70+ online courses in 80 languages. Pop star and tech advocate Will.i.am helped draw attention to the issue, Werner said.

"He was very well placed to really be a beacon and put a spotlight on the urgency of AI skills," he added.

Werner shared an analogy from Will.i.am during the summit that resonated with many. "What if it was optimized for your goals, to help you learn, to help you train… so kind of like an AI-powered GPS for life," he quoted the artist, contrasting it with AI's current focus on engagement and attention.

Among the practical innovations showcased was a $10,000 AI-powered walking stick, designed to serve as a scalable alternative to seeing eye dogs. "A seeing eye dog is excellent, but it actually costs about ... $400,000 to train," he said, noting that "with a $10,000 device, you basically have an AI-powered seeing eye dog."

Youth were also at the heart of the summit, as kids from 22 countries participated in a disaster response competition in which they were trying to figure out a better way to work on big global challenges using AI and also several other workshops.

Governing AI

Looking ahead, Werner said AI is moving too fast for any one entity to govern alone. "If (a) government did it alone, it would never work. If the UN did it alone, (it would) never work. If industry did it alone, not good. We need civil society. We need NGOs. We need young people," he said. "The goal of a summit is really bringing all of these people together… and hopefully it triggers a lot of collaborations."

According to Werner, over 10,000 people participated in person at the summit, which took place between July 8 and 11. Meanwhile, a similar number of people followed it online.

Hosted by the ITU in collaboration with the Swiss government and over 40 UN agencies, the four-day summit has been held at the Palexpo convention center, with an aim to drive concrete solutions using AI to tackle global challenges, including health, climate change, education, and inclusive development.


Also,

Protests against the Summit

Activists protested outside the opening of the
@AIforGood
Global Summit in Geneva.

They accused major tech companies of being complicit in war crimes against Palestinians.

The summit is being hosted by
@ITU

https://x.com/ClaudaTanios/status/1942857170837438520

Text:
Big tech’s role in Israel’s genocide against 2.3M Palestinians in Gaza takes center stage at UN "AI for Good” summit in Geneva.

Dr. Abeba Birhane (
@Abebab
), a leading responsible AI and AI ethics researcher, calls out big tech’s complicity in war crimes.

#NoTechForGenocide

https://x.com/BDSmovement/status/1942635415669719061

[ExomatrixTV]

• A.I. is Progressing Faster Than You Think! (1,317+ Replies 249,411+ views)

[Ravenlocke]

Thank you so much John, for the link!