This week, leaders across government, civil society, research, and industry converge in New Delhi at a critical juncture in the global trajectory of AI. The India AI Impact Summit (February 16 - 20) is significant for several reasons. It comes as the world is shifting from AI model development and testing to real-world deployments. It’s the first event of its kind held in the Global South. And it’s another step in an ongoing shift in global power: from the initial U.S.-centric AI power players to the current multi-polar AI landscape.
Alongside the Summit, the Participatory AI Research and Practice Symposium, or PAIRS, (February 17 and 18) introduces a diverse set of ideas within a collaborative space to explore participatory development and governance of AI.
The Summit and PAIRS are both focused sharply on implementation: how AI systems are actually built, governed, and deployed in ways that serve the public interest.
"India is convening the world to make AI useful, safe, and accessible—so benefits reach more countries and communities. It is the first time that a summit of this nature and scale is being held in a country from the Global South,” according to Summit organizers.
This moment is significant for many reasons, but for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, this is an opportunity for alignment, amplification, and partnership. Conversations in India reflect many of the same questions we’re grappling with alongside our community every day: how to move from AI principles to practice; how to build governance that works in real-world contexts; and how to ensure that power over AI systems is shared widely and not concentrated among a small group of powerful actors.
As new models are announced and high-level ethics debated, the Summit and PAIRS are about building the practical foundations and connections that determine whether AI supports sustainable development and shared prosperity—or deepens existing inequities. We look forward to continuing these conversations at the 2026 Global Data Festival and the Kenya Space Expo & Conference in Nairobi, where our community will come together to move from dialogue to sustained collaboration on data and AI for development.
What we’re hearing from our network in New Delhi
AI systems are only as strong and fair as the data and governance structures that underpin them. That means investing in strong national data systems, embedding transparency and accountability into data practices, and ensuring that communities affected by AI have meaningful opportunities to shape how systems are designed and deployed. Governance must be built into how systems are designed, how data is collected, shared, protected, and stewarded, and in who gets a say in these decisions.
Success for this week’s convenings will be measured by whether they strengthen institutions, build durable partnerships, and build consensus around governance frameworks that address inequalities and harms. Among our network partners who are participating in Delhi and through PAIRS, consistent themes have surfaced:
- The data matters. Governance of that data is what enables responsible AI. From transparency to interoperability and accountability, the hard work happens long before an AI tool is deployed.
- Building fair AI systems requires shifting power. AI development and deployment are concentrated among a small group of companies and countries shaping who makes decisions, who benefits, and who bears risk. Without stronger governance and meaningful participation, this concentration of power will deepen rather than reduce inequality.
- Partnerships amplify benefits and enable progress. No single institution can create a global AI ecosystem that catalyzes development, protects the environment, shares benefits equitably, and shields people from harm. Durable solutions depend on coalitions that span regions and sectors.
What applied governance looks like in practice
Many of our partners in New Delhi this week are focused on building coalitions to support real-world implementation of equitable AI governance.
The Global Center on AI Governance is emphasizing applied governance: policy collaboration roadmaps, market restructuring, regulatory experimentation, and AI safety evaluation. Their work pushes conversations beyond abstract frameworks toward the concrete mechanisms— infrastructure, data sharing agreements, safety systems, and capacity building—that make governance real.
The Open Data Charter’s work underscores the importance of data governance, transparency, and protection as foundational to trustworthy AI systems. PARIS21 is bringing a practical lens to these conversations, emphasizing that “local AI” must be co-created, institutionally grounded, and supported by strong data foundations to move from experimentation to public value. Their focus on AI readiness, including governance, skills, and investment in open, trusted data systems, reinforces that responsible AI depends on sustained support for national statistical systems and long-term data capacity.
Global convenings and conversations like the Summit are important to drive momentum. That’s why Connected by Data is advocating for citizen tracks within global AI governance processes, emphasizing that public participation must be embedded structurally, not treated as an afterthought.
The Datasphere Initiative’s work on sandboxes reminds us that AI makes digital public infrastructure more powerful and higher risk, which is precisely why governance must be included from the start, not after deployment. Sandboxes allow for experimentation and learning to test small-scale examples before widespread deployments.
Taken together, these efforts reinforce the idea that implementing responsible AI systems requires intentional, institutional work and strong partnerships.
Shifting power, not just access
Across sessions, there is also a clear push to rethink who leads this work and who is included in these discussions and decisions.
As Connected by Data and the Aapti Institute, co-leads of PAIRS, have argued, participation without power is performance. Democratic governance of AI requires mechanisms that allow diverse communities to influence decisions, negotiate trade-offs, and exercise real control, not to simply attend consultations.
The Global Center on AI Governance is centering Global South actors as agenda-setters and market shapers. This reflects a broader shift toward leadership, ownership, and institutional capacity in the regions most at risk of experiencing adverse impacts of AI.
The Government of Kenya’s Special Envoy on Technology has established clear leadership on this issue, most recently at an AI-focused conference that wrapped up last week.
“This [Summit] signals a new phase: from ambition to action—shared standards, collaborative research, and partnerships that help countries build capabilities, not outsource their intelligence,” Ambassador Phillip Thigo wrote on LinkedIn. “Looking forward to what comes next, and to ensuring the Global South is not just consulted—but positioned as a co-creator of this future.”
Kenya’s continued engagement in global AI governance conversations, including through its convening role in Nairobi later this year at the 2026 Global Data Festival and the Kenya Space Expo & Conference, reflects this commitment to positioning the Global South as a shaper of standards, institutions, and long-term digital futures.
For those of us working at the intersection of data and development, this resonates deeply. Governance is ultimately about who has the power to influence decisions.
Partnership as infrastructure
Collaboration is a throughline across our network. From South–South networks and cross-sector coalitions, partners are building the connective tissue to govern AI across borders. Convening roles that bring together civil society, governments, researchers, and industry are as important as technical expertise.
Development Gateway: An IREX Venture’s approach reflects this well. While not hosting a specific Summit event, their goal is to test messaging, learn from peers, and identify implementation partners. Their work focuses on four pillars we see echoed across the field: strengthening data pipelines and governance, supporting pragmatic AI visioning, identifying the right tools, and guiding adoption, especially in sectors like agriculture, education, and online safety. Meanwhile, Data.org is focused on connecting, convening, and catalyzing work during the Summit that drives the adoption of data and AI for impact.
This is what partnership looks like in practice: learning and building together.
From New Delhi to Nairobi: bringing it all together
These themes mirror the Global Partnership’s approach. Our work on data governance, digital public infrastructure, and AI for development starts from the understanding that good outcomes depend on strong foundations: trusted data systems, accountable institutions, and inclusive processes. Progress happens faster when we work as a network rather than alone, which is why we’ve outlined a strategy for collaboration in our AI Strategy.
The conversations happening in New Delhi next week are not isolated moments. They’re part of a broader, global effort to ensure AI serves the public good. That momentum will carry forward to Nairobi in June 2026, where the Global Data Festival and Kenya Space Expo & Conference will convene governments, technologists, researchers, and communities to power resilience, innovation, and partnership through data and technology.
We invite our network and the wider data ecosystem to help shape that agenda. Call for session proposals is now open, and registration is underway. If you are working at the intersection of data, AI, governance, and development, this is an opportunity to move from dialogue to practical collaboration on a global stage.
We’re proud to stand alongside our partners in that effort by amplifying their leadership, sharing lessons from their experience, and building the partnerships that responsible AI requires.
