Keynote-Brad Smith
19 Feb 2026 13:15h - 13:30h
Keynote-Brad Smith
Summary
The opening of the AI summit for the Global South highlighted the need to examine how artificial intelligence can affect economies and societies in developing regions [5-7]. Smith argued that the persistent economic gap between the Global North and South stems largely from a technology divide, historically illustrated by uneven access to electricity and now by disparities in AI adoption [9-11]. He identified three priority actions: building physical AI infrastructure such as data centers, compute capacity, connectivity, and reliable electricity, which will require massive investment [17-21]. Microsoft has committed to spending $50 billion by year-end to support these efforts, and stresses that additional private capital, government funding, and demand generation are essential to scale AI in the South [22-27].
Beyond hardware, Smith emphasized that skills development is crucial, noting that governments, the United Nations and private firms are already investing in training programs and that Microsoft’s Elevate initiatives will equip teachers and workers with AI competencies [31-38]. He warned that AI must work equally well in all languages, and announced new investments in multilingual data, tools and measurement to improve linguistic diversity in AI systems [48-50]. Concrete applications were cited, such as AI-driven improvements in Indian agriculture and a joint initiative to enhance food security across Africa, illustrating how technology can address pressing local challenges [55-57].
Smith suggested that if infrastructure, skilling, and real-world problem solving are achieved, future summits will shift focus to AI’s impact on work and jobs [58-60]. He acknowledged widespread public concern about AI’s effects on families and urged the tech community to demonstrate that AI can create brighter futures for all people [62-68]. Emphasizing human curiosity as the engine of progress, he framed AI as a new platform that can amplify human capability when responsibly deployed [71-79]. To ensure sustained progress, Smith called for “bridges” between successive AI summits, with clear goals, common metrics and annual accountability checks [90-96]. He concluded that coordinated measurement, transparent objectives and collective responsibility will allow the global community to harness AI for a better world [97-101]. The discussion ended with a reaffirmation that the summit’s purpose is to translate AI advances into tangible benefits for people worldwide [102-104].
Keypoints
– Closing the technology gap with physical infrastructure – Smith stresses that the economic divide between the Global North and South is rooted in a “technology divide” and that the first step is to bring AI-related infrastructure-data centers, compute capacity, connectivity, and reliable electricity-to the Global South. He cites Microsoft’s commitment to invest $50 billion by year-end to make this possible [17-22][24-26].
– Investing in people through skilling and education – Beyond hardware, the speaker argues that “skilling for people” is essential for any general-purpose technology to scale. Microsoft is launching initiatives such as Microsoft Elevate for Educators to give teachers and students the tools to use AI, and he calls on employers, governments, and NGOs to participate in up-skilling every generation [33-39][40-45].
– Making AI linguistically inclusive and problem-focused – A third priority is to ensure AI works “as effectively in every language as it is in English,” requiring better multilingual data and measurement tools. He also highlights concrete use-cases-improving agriculture in India and food-security projects across Africa-as examples of AI solving real challenges for the Global South [48-57].
– Addressing societal impact and future of work – Smith raises concerns about how AI will affect jobs, families, and broader society, noting that many parents are asking “What will AI mean for my kids?” He urges the community to prove that AI can create brighter careers and improve health, positioning AI as a catalyst for human curiosity and capability [59-68][71-79].
– Calling for continuous, accountable collaboration – The talk concludes with a plea to “build bridges” between successive AI summits, set clear goals, develop common measurement systems, and assess progress each year. This framework is presented as essential for turning AI advances into tangible benefits for people worldwide [90-100][101-104].
Overall purpose / goal
The discussion is a strategic call to action for governments, private firms, and civil society to jointly accelerate AI adoption in the Global South. By outlining three concrete pillars-infra-structure, skills development, and culturally relevant AI applications-and by emphasizing ongoing measurement and accountability, Smith aims to mobilize resources and partnerships that will narrow the economic divide and harness AI for inclusive, real-world impact.
Overall tone
The tone begins with a hopeful, unifying optimism (“important day when the world comes together”) and quickly becomes urgent and pragmatic as concrete needs (infrastructure, investment) are laid out. It then shifts to an inspirational, human-centric tone when discussing education, curiosity, and the transformative potential of AI. The closing segment adopts a rally-calling, accountable stance, urging sustained collaboration and measurable progress. Throughout, the tone remains constructive and forward-looking, moving from broad vision to specific commitments.
Speakers
– Brad Smith
– Role/Title: Vice Chair and President of Microsoft [S1]
– Areas of Expertise: Technology policy, privacy, cybersecurity, AI regulation, corporate diplomacy, author of Tools and Weapons [S1]
– Speaker 1
– Role/Title: Moderator / event host (introducing the keynote) [S4]
– Areas of Expertise:
Additional speakers:
The summit opened with Speaker 1 welcoming Microsoft Vice-Chair and President Brad Smith, describing him as the company’s “conscience and chief diplomat” who has shaped policy debates on privacy, cybersecurity and AI regulation, and noting his book Tools and Weapons as a clear guide to the responsibilities of tech firms [1-4]. Smith began by celebrating the gathering of global leaders under one roof and positioning the event as the first AI summit in the Global South, a setting he said was “the right place to start … by focusing on AI and what it means for the Global South” [5-8].
He framed the persistent economic gap between the Global North and South as fundamentally a “technology divide”. Citing the historic diffusion of electricity-how its spread spurred productivity and prosperity while 700 million people still lack power-he argued that AI, “perhaps more than any other technology this century”, will determine whether the divide widens or narrows [9-13]. This observation set the stage for his three-pillar strategy for closing the gap.
Infrastructure and investment formed the first pillar. Smith stressed that AI cannot thrive without physical foundations: data-centres, compute capacity, reliable connectivity and electricity [17-21]. He noted that Microsoft is on track to spend $50 billion on AI infrastructure by year-end [22-26], highlighting India as a major investment focus. He added that private capital, additional tech-company funding and government resources must be mobilised, and that generating demand for AI solutions in the South is essential to “get the wheels of the market spinning” [27-29]. This aligns with broader policy calls for multistakeholder financing of compute resources [S1][S16][S55].
People-centred capacity building was the second pillar. Smith argued that infrastructure alone is insufficient; “skilling for people” is equally critical [31-34]. He pointed to the growing number of government, UN and private-sector programmes that invest in training, and announced Microsoft Elevate for Educators-a new initiative that equips teachers with AI tools for their classrooms [35-38]. He urged employers to open their doors to AI tools and to invest continuously in up-skilling employees across generations, noting that such corporate commitment is vital for every generation [40-45]. These points echo international recommendations that education and lifelong learning be central to AI diffusion [S17][S67].
Localisation and real-world impact comprised the third pillar. Smith highlighted the current English-centric performance of AI models and called for “AI as effective in every language as it is in English” [48-50]. Microsoft will invest “upstream” in multilingual data, tools and measurement systems to improve linguistic diversity and data provenance [51-53]. He illustrated concrete applications: AI-driven improvements in Indian agriculture and a joint initiative to enhance food security across Africa, examples of how AI can address sector-specific challenges in the Global South [55-57]. He repeatedly stressed that AI must be deliberately deployed for the Global South, solving problems that matter to its people [70-73]. Such use-cases are consistent with global agendas that link AI to agriculture and food-security goals [S57][S59].
Having outlined the three pillars, Smith turned to the future of work and jobs. He acknowledged that many parents worldwide are asking “What will AI mean for my kids?” and stressed that the tech community must prove AI can create brighter careers, improve health and amplify human curiosity rather than displace workers [58-68][71-79]. Smith emphasized that human capability is not fixed; he likened AI’s potential impact to the washing-machine revolution, which turned six-to-eight-hour chores into thirty-minute tasks, freeing time for people to pursue higher-value activities [84-88].
In his call for continuous, accountable collaboration, Smith warned that each summit must not become an isolated “island.” Instead, participants should build bridges between meetings, set clear, measurable goals, adopt common metrics, and evaluate progress each year [90-96]. He reminded the audience that expectations come not only from those inside the summit but also from the millions of people outside its walls [100-103], echoing calls for coordinated AI governance and monitoring frameworks [S66][S68][S70].
He concluded by reaffirming the summit’s purpose: to translate AI advances into tangible benefits for people everywhere and to hold the global community accountable for delivering on that promise [97-104].
In sum, Smith’s keynote presented a strategic roadmap that links massive infrastructure investment, widespread skills development, linguistic inclusivity and problem-oriented AI deployments to the broader goal of narrowing the North-South economic divide. He framed these actions within a hopeful yet urgent tone, moving from macro-level analysis to concrete commitments, and finished with a rallying call for measurable, collaborative progress across successive AI summits.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to now welcome Mr. Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President Microsoft. Mr. Brad Smith has been Microsoft’s conscience and its chief diplomat through some of the most consequential debates in technology policy, from privacy and cybersecurity to AI regulation. His book, Tools and Weapons, remains one of the most lucid accounts of the responsibilities tech companies carry in the modern world. So please welcome the Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, Mr. Brad Smith.
Good afternoon. It’s always an important day when the world comes together under one roof, as we have today. It gives us an opportunity together to ask important questions, even hard questions, and think about how we want to answer them. As we think about this summit, the first AI summit in the global south, it’s only right that we start, I believe, by focusing on AI and what it means for the global south. In some ways, I think the best way to start thinking about AI is to look more broadly and think about the state of the world in which we live. We live in a tumultuous time and in a fragmented world, but I think in so many ways, the deepest and most enduring divide has been the economic divide between the global north and south.
And what I believe we need to recognize is that this economic divide is a result, more than anything else, of a technology divide. The technology divide created by unequal access to electricity. electricity became one of humanity’s most important general purpose technologies meaning it spread across economies it was applied in every industry it boosted productivity where electricity went economic development and prosperity followed but as we all know electricity did not spread everywhere at the same pace it was literally 144 years ago that the first electrical power plant started operating in lower manhattan and yet we come together today and we still live in a world where 700 million people lack access to electricity now comes ai ai perhaps perhaps more than any other technology this century will play a bigger role either in closing this economic divide or in exacerbating it and making it even wider?
That is perhaps the single most important question for us, I would suggest today, as we think about the role of AI in the global South. How can we do better? Because we need to do better. What will it take? I think it’s going to take a few things that will require that we all come together and work together. First, the obvious. We need to bring infrastructure to the global South. That means data centers and compute. It also means more connectivity. It means more electricity. That is going to take not only the world’s best technology, it’s going to require an enormous amount of investment. That’s why we at Microsoft announced yesterday morning that we’re on pace to spend $50 billion by the end of this year.
We’re going to be able to do that. We’re going to be able to do that. to bring AI to the global South. And of all the countries in which we are investing, India, not surprisingly, is one of the largest. But we’ll need to harness private capital, investments from tech companies, other sources of private capital, government funding. We’ll need governments and others to generate demand for the use of AI in the global south, because that is the only way to get the wheels of the market spinning and to do what we need to do together. That’s the first thing we need to do together. There’s a second thing we need to do. We’ve talked about it here already today, and it is so clear when you study the history of technology.
Infrastructure is not only hardware. It’s not only wires and grids. It’s skilling for people. Because the key to enabling a country and a population to use a general purpose technology at scale is to give people across the country access to the skills they need to put it to work. And that’s why it’s such good news that we see so many governments supported by the United Nations and supported by private companies investing in more skilling. It’s actually something that should speak to all of us. Certainly as a tech company, we’re committed. We’ve launched through Microsoft Elevate new initiatives, including one we’re announcing this week, Microsoft Elevate for Educators, to equip teachers with access to help their students learn how to use AI.
But in the truth, it doesn’t matter where you work. You have a role to play. Because the lesson of digital technology, I was an example of this, was that it took employers to open their doors. It took employers to computing. It takes employers today to open their doors to new AI tools. It will take employers to invest in the skilling of their employees. it’s not just for the next generation. It’s for every generation that this fully matters. Then there’s a third challenge for the Global South. We need to make AI work effectively for the Global South, and that requires some special initiatives, at least two. First, we need to make AI as effective in every language as it is in English, and today it is not.
Performance tests show that’s the case. That’s why one of the good things to come out of this week is new announcements to invest upstream in better data in other languages, to provide better tools and measurement systems for AI that is built in other languages, to build out data providence with a view to linguistic diversity, diversity that we need to advance around the world. And we need to use AI in the Global South. We need to use AI in the Global South. We need to use AI in the Global South. We need to use AI in the Global South to solve the problems that matter to the Global South. Oftentimes, as we’re doing here in India, that’s about improvements in agriculture.
Or as a number of partners, including Microsoft, are doing this week, launching a new initiative to address food security across Africa. These are just two of the myriad of opportunities we have to put AI to work in ways that will bring faster benefits to countries in most of the world. If we do those three things well, build infrastructure, invest in skilling, address real -world problems, then I think it may create the foundation to think more and do more about the question I am willing to bet will be a bigger part of the conversation in the next few AI summits. What will AI mean for the future of work and jobs? Within these walls, I think we’re going to have a lot of questions.
We’re mostly enthusiastic about the future of AI. But outside these walls, I think we need to recognize that increasingly around the world, and especially in some countries, many parents are asking a common question. What will AI mean for my kids? What will AI mean for my family? What will AI mean for our future? I get it that some people are excited and they’ll do well, but what about us? Us, meaning most of the people who live on this planet. I think we have something to prove. I think we have something to prove not only to communities and countries and our customers, but to ourselves, that we can not only embrace but pursue a brighter future for people.
It’s great to come to conferences like this and hear people talk about all of the advances in technology, but let’s remember one other thing as well. Human capability is neither fixed nor finite. It’s great to think about what it would mean to have computers in a data center that would be like a country of geniuses, but let’s also recognize this. Compared to the people who lived in the Bronze Age, all of you, all of us, are already geniuses. Whenever technology advances, it creates a new platform, a new foundation that enables people to stand taller and reach higher if, and only if, we’re committed to using that technology well. As AI makes it possible to cure more diseases, then it is right that we expect that it will improve human health.
As we use AI already every day to find faster solutions. And when we find faster answers, it gives us the opportunity to ask more questions. The fundamental fuel of human capability has always been the same. curiosity. We need to look at AI as the next great generator for human curiosity. And we need to take some inspiration because we all know the world could use a little more inspiration. I often think about the following. Before the invention of the washing machine, it took someone, almost always a woman, between six and eight hours to wash a load of laundry. But as the washing machine improved, that was compressed to 30 minutes. But do you know what happened? One thing happened more than anything else.
Everyone wanted to wear cleaner clothes. Everyone expected to wear cleaner clothes. People did their laundry a lot more often. They had better clothes and they had more time and they put that time to work to do more with their lives. ultimately that is the question for us and this too is not just a question for companies this is not what tech will do to people it is people will use technology to do for people and it’s not people who create products it’s every government it’s every company it’s every non -profit it’s every employer because we all have the opportunity to work with our people to manage through the change that is coming to show people how with the right ai skills they can create jobs and careers that will be brighter for their future that will not be easy but if that’s not our goal then we’re missing the big picture as we come away from this ai summit it reflects so much progress but i would say one thing as well each of the these ai summits is a proud moment for a great nation But we have an opportunity.
Rather than have summits that are islands that are disconnected from the summits before or that follow, we need to build bridges. We need to build bridges between these summits. We need to define clear goals. We need to have common measurement systems. And every year, we need to ask the same question. Did we make 12 months of progress in the year that just preceded our meeting? So how can we build on that progress to do more and move faster in the year ahead? For those of us who come to these meetings in different countries every year, I hope we will take that away. Let’s aim higher, not just for technology, but for what technology can do for people.
Let’s be clearer in defining what we want to accomplish. Let’s put in place the ability for us to measure our progress and all hold ourselves accountable as a global community. If we can do these things, then we can use these summits and we can use this next generation of technology to build a better world. I know that’s what we within these walls want us ourselves to do. But even more than that, I know that the people outside these walls are hoping and expecting us to do just that. Thank you very much.
“Brad Smith is Microsoft’s Vice‑Chair and President who has shaped policy debates on privacy, cybersecurity and AI regulation, and authored the book *Tools and Weapons*.”
S2 confirms Smith’s role as Vice‑Chair and President and his leadership on critical policy issues; S68 highlights his involvement in global AI governance, supporting the description of his influence on privacy, cybersecurity and AI regulation. The book *Tools and Weapons* is not mentioned in the knowledge base.
“The event is the first AI summit in the Global South.”
S1 records Brad Smith’s opening remarks that this is the first AI summit in the Global South, and S38 reinforces the focus on Global‑South partnerships.
“The persistent economic gap between the Global North and South is fundamentally a “technology divide”, with 700 million people still lacking electricity.”
S20 discusses the technology gap between developed and developing nations; S72 and S73 provide the historical analogy of electricity diffusion and its impact on productivity, echoing the claim about electricity access and its relevance to today’s AI divide.
“AI cannot thrive without physical foundations: data‑centres, compute capacity, reliable connectivity and electricity.”
Both S16 and S80 emphasize infrastructure—data centres, compute resources, connectivity, and power—as essential prerequisites for AI capacity building.
“Microsoft is on track to spend $50 billion on AI infrastructure by year‑end.”
Public announcements list a $3 billion AI and cloud expansion in India (S82) and a $17.5 billion commitment to AI in India (S83); no source corroborates a $50 billion total spend, indicating the figure is unsubstantiated.
“India is a major focus of Microsoft’s AI investment.”
S82 and S83 detail multi‑billion‑dollar AI and cloud investments in India, confirming the country as a primary investment target.
“Mobilising private capital, tech‑company funding and government resources, and generating demand for AI solutions in the South, are essential to close the gap.”
S11 stresses the need for demand for AI to drive adoption, while S16 discusses multistakeholder financing of compute resources, providing nuance to the claim.
“People‑centred capacity building and skilling are critical for AI diffusion.”
S53 highlights the importance of skilling alongside infrastructure, and S81 notes Microsoft’s commitment to train 20 million Indians by 2030, underscoring the emphasis on people‑centred capacity building.
“Employers should open their doors to AI tools and continuously invest in up‑skilling employees across generations.”
S53 and S80 discuss the necessity of up‑skilling and continuous learning for AI adoption, aligning with the recommendation to employers.
“Current AI models are English‑centric; Microsoft will invest upstream in multilingual data, tools and measurement systems to improve linguistic diversity.”
S53 mentions democratizing AI and improving linguistic diversity through multilingual data and tools, supporting the claim about upstream investment for multilingual capability.
The transcript shows strong internal consensus around six core themes: (1) the technology‑driven nature of the North‑South economic divide and AI’s pivotal role; (2) the need for massive infrastructure investment and coordinated financing; (3) the equal importance of skills, education and multilingual AI; (4) the application of AI to concrete regional challenges; (5) addressing societal concerns about jobs by framing AI as an enabler of human curiosity; and (6) establishing linked, measurable AI summits for accountability.
High consensus among the sole substantive speaker (Brad Smith) and a subtle reinforcement from the introductory remarks, indicating a unified vision that AI can be a development catalyst provided that infrastructure, capacity building, localization, responsible governance and collaborative financing are pursued. This consensus suggests that policy discussions and future initiatives are likely to prioritize coordinated investment, skill development, multilingual inclusivity and measurable outcomes.
The transcript contains only an introductory remark by Speaker 1 and a single, cohesive presentation by Brad Smith. No other speakers articulate contrasting positions, so explicit disagreement among participants is absent. The discussion is largely unified around the need for infrastructure, skills, localisation, societal impact considerations, and governance of AI in the Global South.
Minimal – the lack of opposing viewpoints suggests strong consensus on the identified priorities, implying smoother coordination for policy and investment actions but also indicating limited debate on alternative strategies.
Brad Smith’s remarks sequentially expanded the conversation from a macro‑level framing of the AI‑driven economic divide to concrete infrastructure commitments, human‑skill development, linguistic inclusivity, sector‑specific use cases, and societal concerns. Each pivot introduced a new dimension—technical, educational, ethical, or governance—that deepened the dialogue and redirected attention toward actionable pathways. By interweaving historical analogies, personal stakes, and a call for measurable collaboration, his comments transformed the summit from a purely rhetorical gathering into a roadmap for coordinated, accountable progress in deploying AI for the Global South.
Disclaimer: This is not an official session record. DiploAI generates these resources from audiovisual recordings, and they are presented as-is, including potential errors. Due to logistical challenges, such as discrepancies in audio/video or transcripts, names may be misspelled. We strive for accuracy to the best of our ability.
Related event
