The second day of the IndiaAI Summit in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, saw international delegations unite to deliberate and reach a consensus on advancements and regulations for making AI work for all in the Global South.

The event featured keynote speeches from S. Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY, Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary (NEST Division) of MEA, and Sushil Pal, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation Division) of MeitY.

Singhvi emphasised the importance of increasing participation, presenting local celebrations, discussions, and dialogue on AI, and developing a global AI governance framework.

“There are more than 119 countries which have not even participated in any of the global discussions on AI. That said, it is also important to ensure global AI cooperation before issues about the Global South. These include the need for democratization of political innovation, getting the scale access to a computer system and responsible use of data, cooperation and investment which hinder the potential of countries including Saudi Arabia and France.”

Emphasising the ‘Fear of Missing Out’ (FOMO) induced by AI, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan said AI regulation is still developing worldwide.

“Design thinking in terms of context, realized as a collective global south that is not yet lost. It is an area where we can still participate and move forward. And it is in that context that India acknowledges the need for the global south's voices to be empowered in the international aid discourse,” he said.

He also pointed out that the AI applications in India, from unified mobile applications, benefit farmers to vaccination during COVID-19.

Cuba, Malaysia, South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius, Rwanda, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka were among the countries whose delegates attended the summit.

Abel Aballe Despaigne, Charge d'Affaires & Malena, and Rojas Medina, Second Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in India, represented Cuba.

Speaking of AI for the global data interest, the delegation spoke of applications for students in the form of practice tests and batted for training more local communities to come together and think about how to address challenges with AI devices.

On the other hand, the delegation from South Africa and Malaysia spoke on how multilateralism could be strengthened. Dr Mohamed Hairul bin Othman, Principal Assistant Secretary, Incubator Division, Ministry of Digital Malaysia, Bryan Yeoh Quan Jin, Manager, Digital Transformation, Malaysia Centre 4IR, MyDigital Corporation, Ministry of Digital in the country, and Charge d'Affairs Cedrick C. Crowley, South African High Commission, and Peter Mahafha, First Secretary Political, South Africa, deliberated on the possibilities.

H.E. Gabriel Sinimbo, the High Commissioner of Namibia, said that the country is known for its cultural heritage and is making strides in AI. Sinimbo noted that even though Namibia is not a tech hub, it is focusing on AI for sustainable development, healthcare, and agriculture and investing in education to prepare young people for jobs of the future. He also emphasised optimising potential and complementing expertise.

The delegation concluded that one does not need to reinvent the wheel.

“If you look at different policies of nations, if you look at different conferences, the overall observation is that we all have what is required to set output and implement what we have what we have decided to do,” Pal said.