The United Nations University (UNU) Macau Milestone Series’ flagship events “UNU Macau AI Conference 2025”, “AI Education Day” and the “AI for SDGs - Global Youth AI Future Innovation Competition 2025” are scheduled to take place from October 23-25 at The Londoner Macao, Galaxy International Convention Centre (GICC) and Wynn Palace respectively.
Event details were introduced yesterday at the United Nations University Institute in Macau at Casa Silva Mendes on Guia Hill by UNU Director Huang Jingbo.
Over 500 participants from different sectors and regions are expected, with strong representation from the Global South, tackling the increasingly important topic of AI, as well as addressing its issues such as generative AI, AI safety and ethics, AI for climate adaptation and AI in education, and urgent global challenges such as governance.
Huang highlighted that this edition is particularly special as this year marks the UN’s 80th and the UNU’s 50th anniversaries. It will also be more elaborate than its inaugural edition last year when the conference was held for only a day, Huang told the Post during the Q&A session, with everything from the length to the number of participants expanded.
Introducing the upcoming three programmes, Huang told the media that it will kick-off with the final round of the “AI for SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals]” at The Londoner Macao on October 23, gathering nine finalists from around the world. Themed “AI for the Environment: Ecological Environment and Green Transition Challenges”, it will showcase youth-led climate resilience and green innovation.
Teams stand to win US$1,000 and a growth-support package including pilot opportunities in the Chinese mainland, while there is also a special UNU Macau Prize for outstanding local entries, with Huang saying that the institution hopes to encourage more youngsters in Macau such as middle-school and high-school students to become “active agents” in the contest, while also preparing them for international competitions. Huang also said she hopes that more local youngsters would join AI studies and contests.
The following day, the UNU Macau AI Conference 2025 will take place at GICC in Cotai, tackling the theme “AI for Humanity: Building an Equitable Digital Future”. It is expected to draw over 100 speakers and 500 participants across more than 30 sessions, altogether gathering multi-stake holders.
Among the featured keynote speakers at the GICC event are UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary-General Tshilidzi Marwalal and Global Head of NVIDIA AI Technology Centre Simon See, while other highlights include the launch of the “UNU-Springer Book Series on Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development”, as well as a session hosted with the Macao Computer Association focusing on Macau specific AI cases.
Lastly, the AI Education Day will be held at Wynn Palace, with Huang noting that various age and occupational groups have different AI learning needs. The institute will partner with different entities to create workshops and training programmes including AI & SDG games, according to Huang. MOU signing and milestone launching events such as the unveiling of the UNU Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University are also among highlights.
Regarding the expectations, Huang told the Post during the Q&A session: “We want to build an ecosystem. We want to set up a community, our friend circle, who share similar interests in working and shaping the sustainable AI future. So we want to bring more people together and come up with more ideas and more concrete projects”, including research and capacity building.
“We hope there will be more serendipities taking place during these three days”, Huang noted to the Post, as well as contributing to Macau’s development from the youth through the competition, where there are specific tracks and awards for young locals, while Macau academics are also set to participate in dedicated sessions of the AI conference.
United Nations University (UNU) Macau Director Huang Jingbo introduces the programmes for the upcoming UNU Macau Milestone Series during yesterday’s press conference at the United Nations University Institute in Macau at Casa Silva Mendes. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
