AI Governance and the Global South
India hosted the AI Impact Summit 2026, steering global AI governance debates away from existential risk and towards present harms, equity and inclusion for the Global South.
India’s subsequent policy shift towards strategic partnerships and middle-power positioning has revived debates on AI governance and Global South leadership.
Key Event
India AI Impact Summit 2026
Focus Shift
From existential risk to present harms & equity
Global Forum
UN Global Dialogue on AI (Geneva)
AI Governance: Meaning, Need and Global Trends
- Meaning: AI Governance is a framework for ensuring safe, equitable and accountable development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence.
- Global South Focus: India emphasised present harms, inclusion and contextual realities instead of only catastrophic AI risks.
- Previous Summits: Earlier AI Summits prioritised existential and catastrophic risks over everyday societal concerns.
- Strategic Shift: India later emphasised AI investment, domestic adoption and middle power positioning.
- Global Dialogue: The UN Global Dialogue on AI seeks multilateral cooperation for AI governance norms.
India’s Role in AI Governance and the Global South
- India AI Summit: Positioned Global South concerns at the centre of international AI discussions.
- Global South Leadership: India can champion public purpose, user safety and strategic autonomy in AI governance.
- International Norms: India should advocate governance frameworks supporting innovation, regulation and local AI ecosystems.
- Global Cooperation: India can promote cooperation on data, compute, standards and governance across Global South countries.
- UN Global Dialogue: The Geneva dialogue offers India an opportunity to shape inclusive global AI governance.
Challenges in Building an Inclusive AI Governance Framework
- Middle Power: Strategic positioning risks weakening India’s traditional Global South solidarity.
- Strategic Autonomy: Alignment with external technology ecosystems may compromise independent policy choices.
- Infrastructure Concentration: AI infrastructure and economic value remain concentrated in a few technology powers.
- Resource Extraction: Data, labour, minerals and local resources may primarily benefit foreign technology companies.
- Community Protection: Weak safeguards expose local communities to displacement and digital exploitation.
- Innovation Gap: India continues facing challenges in foundational AI models, semiconductors and investment capacity.
The Middle-Power Paradox: India’s pursuit of strategic partnerships and middle-power positioning could dilute the very Global South solidarity that gives its AI governance leadership legitimacy.
Way Forward: Towards Responsible and Equitable AI Governance
The question is not whether India should engage strategically — it must. The question is whether that engagement can be built without diluting Global South solidarity and equitable access to AI’s benefits.
🎯 Public Purpose
Build AI policies centred on user safety, inclusion and societal welfare.
🛡️ Strategic Autonomy
Strengthen domestic AI capabilities while maintaining independent policy choices.
🤝 Global South Cooperation
Develop shared governance frameworks, interoperable standards and institutional partnerships.
📚 Capacity Building
Enhance regulatory, technical and innovation capacities across Global South countries.
💰 Economic Value
Ensure AI-driven economic gains accrue within national markets and local ecosystems.
🌍 Shared Governance
Promote multilateral AI norms balancing innovation, accountability and equitable benefit sharing.
Source: The Hindu — “India, AI governance and a voice for the Global South”
Content curated for UPSC Civil Services Mains | GS Paper 3 — Science & Technology
Content curated for UPSC Civil Services Mains | GS Paper 3 — Science & Technology
