Panel Discussion AI & Cybersecurity _ India AI Impact Summit
20 Feb 2026 17:00h - 18:00h
Panel Discussion AI & Cybersecurity _ India AI Impact Summit
Summary
The session focused on launching and advancing the United Nations-backed Global Network of Centres for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building, aimed at democratizing AI knowledge and keeping humans central to its development [1][7]. Indian officials highlighted domestic efforts to embed AI across education, from university curricula to third-grade school classes, and to retrain the existing workforce [2-4].
Amit Shukla warned that without coordinated action, AI could widen the gap between countries, especially affecting the Global South, and stressed the need for collective capacity-building [13-18]. He cited India’s long-standing ITEC programme, which has trained thousands of officials from 160 countries and offers about 10,000 fully funded in-person courses annually, including AI modules that will be expanded [20-24]. Shukla welcomed the new network, noting participation from 14 countries and the contribution of IIT Madras as the first Indian centre [33-36].
Abdurrahman Habib described Saudi Arabia’s Women Elevate initiative, which delivered a fully online AI training to 6,000 women in a year, achieving an 89 % certification rate and reaching over 86 countries [72-82]. He also highlighted Ethiopia’s AI Institute and the broader regional push to develop AI policy, curricula, and research capacity through collaborative networks [196-199]. Seydina Moussa explained that the network’s cooperation framework, first adopted in Dakar, enables centres to offer services, develop a “blueprint” for new centres, and plan multi-country projects [162-170].
Balaraman Ravindran argued that AI capacity building must teach not only technical skills but also how to use AI across all sectors, and that a scientific panel should engage a globally representative expertise base [117-124][134-136]. He projected that within five years the network could raise all participating nations to the highest AI-readiness tier, prompting the UN to revise its categorisation [235-239].
Vilas Dhar emphasized that the network creates institutional innovation, fostering cross-sector collaboration and translating AI governance frameworks into practice [255-263][268-270]. Anne Meldgaard reinforced the network’s role in bridging the digital divide by focusing on upskilling, reskilling, and inclusive community building, arguing that shared purpose and agency are essential for equitable AI adoption [297-304][311-319]. Representatives from Brazil confirmed national support and the enrollment of two Brazilian universities, linking the network to the Global Digital Compact and multilateral AI governance [337-346].
The discussion concluded that the network represents a concrete step toward equitable AI capacity worldwide, with commitments to expand participation, develop shared resources, and embed diversity and purpose in future AI initiatives [249][282-284].
Keypoints
Major discussion points
– Inclusive AI education and capacity-building for the Global South, women, and youth – Governments are embedding AI curricula from primary school through higher education and retraining the existing workforce ([1-4]); the need to close the AI capacity divide is highlighted, with India’s ITEC programme offering thousands of fully-funded training slots, including AI courses ([13-24]); Saudi-run “Women Elevate” aims to certify 25 000 women (6 000 already completed) across 86 countries, achieving > 86 % certification rates ([72-84]); African labs (e.g., Ethiopia) stress regional collaboration to avoid being left behind and to share locally-relevant expertise ([191-205]).
– Creation and rapid expansion of the Global Network of Centres for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building – The network is positioned as a UN-backed initiative that brings together diverse regional expertise ([25-28]); 14 countries have already nominated institutions, with India’s IIT Madras taking the first step ([33-36]); the idea originated from a Saudi-Kenya call at the UN General Assembly and is being operationalised through joint centres in Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Ethiopia, etc. ([48-56]); a cooperation framework and blueprint for new centres are being drafted, with plans for further meetings in Riyadh ([162-169]); the network is seen as a catalyst for institutional innovation and AI governance practice ([255-267]).
– Role of scientific and academic panels in providing evidence-based guidance and ensuring Global South representation – The scientific panel’s mandate is to deliver data-driven assessments of AI impacts, which requires broad expertise and capacity worldwide; otherwise its recommendations would be “futile” ([133-138]); panelists stress that capacity-building must enable all stakeholders to use AI, not just to develop it ([117-119]).
– Vision for the network’s impact by 2030 and alignment with the UN 2030 Agenda – Participants envision a thriving global dialogue where every country contributes, with the network’s platform enabling exponential growth of training and knowledge sharing ([219-227]); they anticipate a re-classification of AI readiness such that all nations reach the highest tier ([235-239]); the goal is to distribute both compute and human talent so that no one is left behind, directly supporting the Sustainable Development Goals ([214-216]).
Overall purpose / goal of the discussion
The session was convened to review progress, galvanise commitment, and chart the way forward for the newly-launched Global Network of Centres for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building. Speakers highlighted existing initiatives, announced new centre memberships, and called for coordinated, inclusive capacity-building that aligns with UN priorities (e.g., the 2030 SDGs) and bridges the AI divide between the Global North and South.
Overall tone and its evolution
The conversation maintained a constructively optimistic and collaborative tone throughout. It began with policy-driven statements emphasizing inclusivity ([1-4]), moved into a collective acknowledgment of challenges and the need for joint action ([13-18]), progressed to enthusiastic sharing of concrete achievements and network expansion ([25-36], [48-56]), and culminated in forward-looking, hopeful visions for 2030 and beyond ([219-239]). Intermittent remarks on diversity, community, and purpose (e.g., by Vilas Dhar and Anne Meldgaard) reinforced a tone of inclusive ambition rather than confrontation, underscoring a shared commitment to equitable AI development.
Speakers
Speakers (from the provided list)
– Vilas Dhar – President, Patrick J. McGowan Foundation; member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on AI - Philanthropy, AI policy, international AI governance [S1][S2][S3]
– Anne Marie Engtoft Meldgaard – Technical Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark - Digital diplomacy, AI governance, international cooperation [S4][S5][S6]
– Balaraman Ravindran – Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Madras; member of the International Independent Scientific Panel on AI - AI research, AI education, capacity-building [S7][S8][S9]
– Fitsum Assamnew Andargie – Representative, Ethiopia (AFRD Labs network) - AI capacity building, regional AI collaboration [S10]
– Abdurrahman Habib – Representative, UNESCO Centre, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - AI capacity building, women-empowerment in AI [S11][S12]
– Seydina Moussa Ndiaye – Entrepreneur, educator; member of the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI (Senegal) - AI policy, capacity building, digital inclusion [S13]
– Eugenio Garcia – Ambassador for Technology and Innovation, Government of Brazil; Director for Science, Technology, Innovation & Intellectual Property, Brazil - AI governance, multilateral cooperation, capacity building [S14][S15][S16]
– S. Krishnan – Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India - AI policy, AI education, national AI strategy [S17][S18][S19]
– Mehdi Snene – Senior Advisor to the UN Secretary-General’s Tech Envoy; facilitator of the panel - AI governance, capacity-building, UN-level coordination [S20][S21]
– Moderator – Session moderator (name not specified) - Session facilitation
– Amit Shukla – Joint Secretary, Cyber Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India - International AI diplomacy, AI capacity-building initiatives [S25][S26]
Additional speakers (not in the provided list)
– Sri A. Revan Threaty – Honorable Chief Minister of Telangana, India - AI & cybersecurity policy, state-level AI implementation.
The opening remarks set the tone for the session, which was convened to launch the United Nations-backed Global Network of Centres for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building. The moderator welcomed the audience and highlighted the aim of “democratising access to AI resources while keeping humans at the centre” [7]. S. Krishnan then outlined India’s domestic strategy to make AI education truly inclusive: the higher-education department is integrating AI into every university programme, the school-education department will introduce AI from the third-grade level [2-3], and existing workers will be retrained to adapt to an AI-enabled economy [4]. Krishnan’s remarks emphasized confidence that the new network will reinforce these national efforts [5-6].
Joint Secretary Amit Shukla positioned AI as a catalyst for welfare and economic growth, warning that “only countries with AI capabilities can reap the full benefits” and that, without coordinated action, the technology could widen the global divide [11-16]. He advocated a collective response to bridge the “AI capacity divide” that especially hampers the Global South [17-18] and cited India’s long-standing ITEC programme, which since 1964 has trained thousands of officials from 160 countries and now offers around 10 000 fully-funded in-person courses annually, including AI modules that will be expanded [20-24]. Shukla welcomed the UN-initiated network, noting that 14 countries-including Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and India-have already nominated institutions, with IIT Madras taking the first Indian step [33-36].
After a brief photo-op, the moderator announced that the Chief Minister of Telangana would deliver the upcoming keynote on AI & cybersecurity [??].
UN senior advisor Dr Mehdi Snene introduced the panel, thanking the speakers for setting the discussion on the network and outlining its genesis: a call from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during a General Assembly meeting in Kenya urged member states to build a “global network on AI capacity building that could truly leave no one behind” [48-56]. He then invited the panelists to elaborate on the network’s development and future direction [44].
Dr Abdurrahman Habib (Saudi Arabia) described the Women Elevate initiative, which aims to certify 25 000 women worldwide in AI. In its first year the programme delivered 6 000 online courses, achieving an 89 % completion-rate and awarding Microsoft AI-900 certificates; participants spanned 86 countries and included public-servant women in Kenya [72-84][85-94]. Habib highlighted the broader regional ambition to empower a young, eager population and to use the network to share programmes and success stories across the Global South [95-96].
Professor Balaraman Ravindran (IIT Madras) expanded the discussion from technical training to a broader definition of AI capacity. He argued that capacity-building should enable everyone to “use AI to do whatever you want better” rather than merely producing more researchers [117-119]. Ravindran warned that the scientific panel must engage a globally representative expertise base, otherwise its evidence-driven recommendations would be futile [133-138]. Looking ahead, he suggested that within five years the UN may have to revise its AI-readiness categories because many nations could reach the top tier [235-239].
Seydina Moussa Ndiaye (Senegal) outlined the co-operation framework adopted at the Dakar workshop, which allows each centre to list services on an “offer sheet” and is working toward a detailed “blueprint” for establishing new centres [162-170]. He announced plans for a third meeting in Riyadh before the July summit, signalling an intention to scale multi-country projects and deepen collaboration [176-177].
Fitsum Assamnew Andargie (Ethiopia/AFRD Labs) stressed the need for continental collaboration. He noted Ethiopia’s substantial investment in an AI Institute that is shaping national policy, curricula and research, and argued that the network enables African labs to “lean on our neighbours” to avoid being left behind [191-199][200-206].
Dr Mehdi Snene then posed the 2030-vision questions. Habib responded that the network could drive exponential growth in training and foster shared dialogue across regions [??]. Assamnew emphasized the need to develop both human skills and compute infrastructure so that “no-one is left behind” [??]. Ravindran reiterated that the UN may need to revise its AI-readiness categories as more countries achieve higher levels of capability [235-239].
Vilas Dhar (Patrick J. McGowan Foundation) highlighted the institutional innovation required to match the rapid pace of AI technology. He argued that the network provides a platform for building the institutions that will guide AI’s future, stressing that governments-not the private sector-must set policies that enable data sharing and regional centres of excellence [255-264]. Dhar linked this to the Global Digital Compact, asserting that the network helps translate high-level AI-governance frameworks into practical, “muscle-memory” collaboration [268-270][271-276].
Anne Marie Engtoft Meldgaard (Denmark) framed the network’s importance in terms of human-centred technology. She introduced four pillars-identity, community, agency and purpose-as essential for meaningful coexistence with AI [303-310]. Meldgaard argued that upskilling and reskilling, especially for women, bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive communities, noting that shared purpose and agency are needed to ensure technology serves humanity rather than the reverse [311-330].
Eugenio Garcia (Brazil) confirmed national support for the network, announcing that two federal universities-the Federal University of Pernambuco and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul-have already joined [342-345]. He linked Brazil’s participation to the Global Digital Compact and multilateral AI governance, pledging continued backing for the initiative [337-346].
Across the discussion, participants repeatedly agreed that inclusive AI education, capacity-building for women and youth, and multilateral cooperation are central to the network’s mission. They highlighted concrete programmes (India’s ITEC, Saudi Arabia’s Women Elevate, Ethiopia’s AI Institute) as models to be shared, and they endorsed the cooperation framework, offer sheet and blueprint as tools for scaling [1-4][20-24][72-84][162-170][255-264].
The panel identified several action items: finalising the cooperation framework and offer sheet; completing the blueprint for new centres; organising the Riyadh meeting; expanding AI courses within ITEC; scaling the Women Elevate target to 25 000 women and extending it to public-servant females; integrating Ethiopia’s AI Institute into the network; and formalising Brazil’s university participation [162-169][176-177][20-24][72-84][342-345]. Unresolved issues include the lack of detailed funding mechanisms, the need for robust metrics to monitor training outcomes and AI-readiness, insufficient representation of Global-South experts on the scientific panel, and the persistent compute-infrastructure gap for many countries [133-138][235-239][337-346].
In conclusion, the session portrayed the Global Network of Centres for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building as a concrete step toward equitable AI development. By aligning national education reforms, international training programmes, gender-focused initiatives and multilateral governance frameworks, the network aspires to ensure that no country-or individual-remains behind in the AI era, thereby advancing a shared, human-centred future for artificial intelligence [249][282-284].
Industry bodies, we are working on retraining. Through the higher education department, we are looking at making sure that AI is taught across all courses in all universities and all institutions so that everyone, irrespective of which branch they study, are aware of how AI can make a difference to them. And our school education department has announced as a matter of policy that AI would be taught to school children right from class three, from third grade. So in that sense, we are looking to make AI truly inclusive and train the next generation to adapt to AI and ensure that those who have already joined the work stream are also retrained for this purpose. I’m once again delighted that this event is taking place and it will generate more commitments to further strengthen this global network of institutions.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Krishnan, for these insights. delightful remarks, especially around democratizing access to AI resources as well as keeping humans at the center. Now I would like to call upon Sri Amit Shukla, Joint Secretary, the Cyber Diplomacy Division from the Ministry of External Affairs. Can we have a round of applause for Mr. Shukla, please?
Sri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT, my dear friend, Professor Ravindran, Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Artificial intelligence has emerged today as an enabler for the welfare and progress of humanity. Whenever AI is deployed with purpose, it can catalyze economic growth and social empowerment. government for all. Yet, only countries with AI capabilities can reap actual AI benefits to their fullest potential. We must collectively address this anomaly and ensure that the benefits of AI is equitably shared. Else, this very revolutionary technology could only bring the widest unfathomable divide among countries. Countries, especially from the global south, face resources and access constraints. This inhibits their pursuit to harnessing AI for economic and development opportunities.
A collaborative international effort becomes highly relevant to bridge this emerging AI capacity divide. India, with this conviction, has been a strong proponent for international AI capacity building cooperation, especially for the global south. Our long -standing ITEC program is the testimony to this belief. Under the ITEC program, we have imparted training to thousands of officials from 160 countries since 1964. We have deployed our vast and rich network of institutions and training facilities for this purpose. Annually, around 10 ,000 fully funded in -person training opportunities programs are offered to nearly 400 courses at 100 eminent institutes in India. Some of these training courses are AI courses and we intend to expand this further. In this spirit, we stand with the initiatives of the United Nations and welcome the establishment of the Global Network of Centres for Exchange and Cooperation on Capacity Building.
The network would bring unique expertise and perspectives from different regions of the world. This diversity would only enrich the purpose of the network in its assessment of local AI capacity needs. The network must truly facilitate sharing of expertise, training use cases and developing infrastructure for countries. We have developed our expertise in successful, innovative AI technologies. . Our achievement on integration of DPI solutions and adoptions. into AI to leverage technology for social and economic progress could add value to the network. The AI capacity building models under India AI mission would be relevant for the network. I congratulate all the participating countries on launching of the framework for the network. As we stand today, we have 14 countries already nominating institutions.
These are Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vietnam. It is a matter of satisfaction that IT Madras from India took the initial steps in this endeavor. Let today’s steps of the network build tomorrow’s bigger strides. Thank you.
Sorry, could I make a quick announcement to have all the panelists and the speakers on the stage for a quick photo? Mr. Shukla? We will have a quick photo opportunity with all of the featured speakers for this session and we will proceed with the panel right after. Thank you for your patience. Thank you. S. Krishnan and Joint Secretary Shri Amit Shukla. We will now proceed with the panel discussion. Thank you. I would now like to invite Dr. Mehdi Snen, a Senior Advisor to the UN Secretary General’s Tech Envoy, to please introduce the panelists and moderate the panel. Thank you.
He’s coming back. Thank you so much for your excellencies setting the discussion regarding the Global Network for Centers of Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building. It’s truly my honor today to welcome these distinguished panelists today on the panel to talk about the network, explain how it started, where we are heading to, and then what are the biggest plans we have for the network. I’m Mehdi from the UN, and I’m today happy to have Sayyidina Musa from the UN. the Center of Senegal, Habib Abdurrahman, Abdurrahman Habib from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Fitsun from Ethiopia, and Dr. Ravi from IIT Madras. And I’ll start with a kind of chronological order of how we have set up the network that started with an initial call from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Kenya during the General Assembly, calling for member states to join their effort to build a global network on AI capacity building that could truly leave no one behind, in particular in the needs of building the AI national strategy and building local and sovereign national AI capacities.
Dr. Abdurrahman, I’ll start with you as the chronology of the genesis of the network. I know that there is a lot of initiative coming. in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia related to the AI. You are leading one of the centers that has been already established with UNESCO. I see that there is a lot of UN agencies also collaborating and cooperating on building this kind of network beyond the actual one. I would like to start by asking, how do you see the cooperation? You are leading one of the UNESCO centers in Saudi Arabia. How do you see the cooperation? How do you see the cooperation and diesel cooperation among the different networks, but also among the different networks held by different international organizations today?
Thank you very much. Thank you for having us. It’s a pleasure to be here and seeing our friends. I’m so excited and happy to see the dream is coming true. A couple of years ago, we started multiple meetings saying we want to work on capacity. We think capacity is a very important thing. We think capacity is a very important thing. building is one of the most critical parts, and at the same time, it needs a lot of investment, and we need to come together to build it together. Long story short, we sat with multiple countries. I’m very proud that we and Kenya, especially Philip, Ambassador Philip, he’s not here, but we managed to put together the first meeting in order for us to talk about it.
It was very challenging at the beginning. That wasn’t part of the plan, wasn’t part of an official gathering, but we believe that capacity building needs to be a network. We need to work together, not scattered, and we need to support each other in programs. In Saudi, one of the strengths that we have in the past couple of years is actually capacity building, and that’s why we tried to show what’s been done in Saudi, especially for the Global South, for all of us today on the table, I believe. All of us are very proud of the work that we’re doing. have big population, young population, that they are eager to learn. I’ll just give an example.
When we started Women Elevate program at our UNESCO center, we thought Women Elevate program will show them how eager those students are. So the goal of Women Elevate is to empower ladies globally on AI by offering a training program for 25 ,000 ladies as a goal for three years. Only in the past year, we managed to finish 6 ,000. The number is not important. What’s actually important is to see what is the success rate of those students in the program. This is an online program, fully online. We provide, of course, mentorship, and we provide the support, and it finishes with a certificate from Microsoft AI 900. This is 26 hours of training. That’s about five to six weeks. More than… 89 % of the students are finishing the courses and getting the certificate.
Now 6 ,000 of them have done the program and almost the majority of them got the certificate. We’re talking about more than 86 countries this program covered. And we believe such programs and many other programs globally will be able to make a dent and change the future for so many of our citizens. And especially for women and I mean it for Global South. In Global South we look at technology differently than the northern part. Many of our colleagues and sisters they look at IT and STEM overall as the go -to major and the go -to place to learn and equip in technology. Therefore you will see that we have 29 thousand ladies registered in the program. Can you imagine that 29 ,000 ladies just since June want to continue and learn in this program, and we will be hopefully able to cater and finish this target and move to new targets as we go.
Not only that, but also we twisted the program a bit by offering the program for public servants. Unfortunately, we are only offering it for public servant ladies. So, for example, in Kenya, Philip managed to train the majority of his team and the working groups, more than 300 ladies now already trained in the foreign affairs in Kenya. And that’s what we want to see in delegation and many other programs, and that’s what we are hoping to achieve in the next couple of years. So I’m very excited and happy to see that dream came true, and we are in a network today where we will share programs, and we will hopefully share even more and more success. We will share this story as we go with our colleagues.
Thank you.
Dr. Abdurrahman, thank you so much. This is impressive numbers you’ve articulated there, and I’m happy to count on your support. This is, as I said, this is a member -state -led initiative, and it’s proposing centers, as our officials from India already expressed. One of the first centers to join is, thanks to our Professor Ravi, a colleague now from the scientific panel, is IIT Madras. So you took the initiative of initiating that, so probably you really see the outcome and the value of that. Firstly, as a professor at IIT Madras in India, and secondly, as a scientific, joining the UN scientific panel, what do you really expect from the network? How do you see the value of that network?
Great. So first off, I mean, I’m super thrilled that we are here now, that we have actually gotten this. moving and the thing with for India so for us it’s we are a country in multiple parts we are like a curate some parts of the country which is a lot of talent and other parts of the country where we really have to start building our own networks for doing this kind of capacity building and so we know the difficulty and value of making sure that the entire population is skilled at least AI literate and have the capacity to contribute meaningfully both to an AI enriched economy and as well as the AI development going forward and I believe this is a conversation that cannot be done within the country alone so we really need to get everybody on board and as an academic what I’m looking at is just taking all my other hats off just putting my teacher hat on I don’t even know how to teach anymore.
So that’s the truth, right? The skilling, the learning, the mechanisms, the facilities that are available, and even the training that the children who are… I teach at a university. I shouldn’t call them children anymore, but anyway. The students are going through when they come to us, right? It’s very different. There’s a lot much more self -learning. Students are more comfortable doing things on their own, and in fact, trying to force -fit them into a classroom setting is always challenging, right? But then, what I’m also seeing is that everybody, everybody wants to know AI. Everybody wants to use AI. And I think that’s correct. Not because I want more people to do AI research. I’m not looking for more grad students or research assistants, but it is because every walk of life is going to get influenced by AI.
So when we talk about capacity building in AI… It is not just capacity to do AI better, but capacity to use AI to do whatever you want to do better. And that, I think, is a global imperative. Everybody should know how to use this technology so that as a planet, as humankind, we are able to jointly elevate our worth. And so, as Professor Bengio was saying in the morning, we want everybody at the table. Well, nobody is the dinner. That was a very provocative statement. It leaves a powerful image in your mind. But I think that’s important. And what we are doing here is great for that. And now, putting on my panelist hat. Do I have a couple of more minutes for the panelist hat?
Do I have a couple of more minutes for the panelist hat? Okay, I’ll take that as an yes. I was not ready for that question. I’m not supposed to answer the questions. Sure. So from the viewpoint of the scientific panel, so the whole idea behind the scientific panel is to provide evidence -driven, science -based approach to the state of AI, the impact of AI, and the potential progress of AI in the coming times. So in that sense, unless we have meaningful engagement with the global majority, with everyone in the globe, it’s going to be futile trying to say that the panel is going to talk for the world at large. And for us to have that conversation, we need to make sure there is a sufficient amount of…
of expertise, sufficient capacity around the globe to engage in that conversation. So I think that is important. I’m pretty sure the panel had a tough time finding enough representation from the global south. Thank you so much. That you can answer. We need to get that. Yeah, true.
Thank you so much, Professor Ravi, and thanks for your kind words. So started with Saudi Arabia and then India. Saudi Arabia offered the first center, and then Senegal offered the second center, and to host the second meeting of the network that happened at the end of January in Dakar, and our host today is with us. So, Sadie and I, you are a former UN Secretary General, a high -level advisory body on AI member, and among the recommendations, there was this network of capacity building. I recognize some other HLAB members sitting there. I don’t think in the room. so they will be watching you closely. I’ll give you my microphone, no worries. I’ll give you mine.
So when you’ve done this recommendation, you have the best view on what you expect from the network. We’ll make it, because we are running out of time. But please give us more clarification on the initial area and then the current implementation and where we are heading to.
Thank you, Mehdi. I’m very excited to be here. As you say, the network of AI Capacity Building Center was one of the recommendations of the H -Lab. And the two first ones were the panel and the global dialogue. And as you say, the idea of the panel, was to have evidence on opportunities and challenges on AI to give to policymakers. And the dialogue… was to bring all countries together to have this dialogue around AI. But as you know, when we have all countries, there is this gap between countries. There is some countries who understand what’s going on and others who are here but don’t understand all the trends, all the risks, all the challenges, all the opportunities of AI.
So that’s why the network of capacity building on AI capacity building was also proposed to give the opportunity to help countries to have more understanding on AI and to build their own ecosystem. And with the network, obviously, now… being a reality. I think that what we have done since then is to adopt our cooperation framework. We begin the work in India here with IIT Madras, and the cooperation framework is now adopted during the workshop in Dakar, where we had, I think it was six centers which adopted it. And we talked about what could be the way of doing things within the network. We worked on an offer sheet so that each network who came, each center, who came in the network can offer some services to the network.
And we are still working on stabilizing the office sheet. And the next step will be to have a blueprint because it’s important to help also countries which haven’t a center yet to build a center. So we will have a blueprint on how to build a center. I think that we asked Audet to do the first draft. And we worked on a couple of activities we can do. And one of the main project is to have a capacity building. And I think we will work on it with Abib and so on. And we try to have all the big projects. Multi -country projects. so we can work together and help each other. And the next step will be to have perhaps a third meeting.
Habi was talking about having it in Riyadh, I think. So perhaps it will be at Riyadh before the summit on July.
Excellent. This is excellent news. Excellent news. So our centers get prepared to come to Riyadh. Exciting city. I’ve been there recently. Good. So Kingdom of Saudi Arabia started the initiative, India first center. Africa was strongly represented by Dakar as a second host. And then we got among the first cohort of centers that joined are Ethiopia. Dr. Fitzsimmons was joining us in IAT Madras and then in Dakar. With that, we’re going to wrap up the session. with a strong enthusiasm regarding the center. As a center who joined, not building the initiative, but joined it, you have for sure seen something within that initiative that attracts you. And I’m sorry we are running out of time, so maybe we have two minutes, but I want to listen from one of the first centers to join the cohort.
Why did you join the network?
Thank you, Mehdi, and I’m very happy to be here and also very happy to be part of the network. So I’ll tell you how we got into this. So I’m part of a network of African labs supported by IDRC called AFRD Labs. And we saw that. Like, there is a need for collaboration across Africa. to develop our AI capacity. And we were introduced to this new program that we thought that would actually help us in actually creating the network. And in fact, joining the network would help us, want each other to develop our capacity and lean on our neighbors not to be left behind. For example, in Ethiopia, there is a huge investment in AI by the establishment of the AI Institute.
And it was responsible for developing policy, developing strategy, and also supporting capacity building. And from a university, like the university itself, started thinking about AI and started its own policy in the way like… education is delivered. And then an AI course was built, developed, and when we looked at this, we still are left behind. We need to become more competitive. And for that, we need the capacity building. So this network provides us opportunity. Not only that, we can also help others because we understand the context, the local context. The problems we faced when trying to establish our own centers. And our discussions actually helped us understand that, oh, okay, we are in it together, so we can help each other get there.
So that’s why, actually, we were very… We were very enthusiastic. And the government was very enthusiastic about saying, oh, okay, we should join this network. Thank you.
Excellent. Thank you so much. Again, so we heard a lot from the investigators, principal investigators, the designers, the participants, all the enthusiastic centers about the network. Now, in a very short answer, I’ll get back to all of you. How do you see the network in the next five years? Meaning we have at the UN the 2030 SDG goal. In 30 seconds, if you can do it, how do you see the network in 2030 contributing to that? Or where do you see the network in 2030? Dr. Habib, please.
Okay. Thanks, Mehdi. In 2030, I think that the dialogue is here. If the network. Work well. we will have a meaningful dialogue. It’s not only some countries who will lead the discussion, but all countries in the world, I think. I believe that the network will grow exponentially. We’re a small number now, and we already grew exponentially in the past couple of months. This will continue as a trajectory for quite some time. But what’s more important is that the platform is there now. So we can share experiences and share programs in a way that we didn’t have before. And by doing so, I believe that will also contribute to our beneficiaries, whomever they are, and we’ll receive more and more training and more capacity will be built in that program.
Thank you.
Thank you. In five years, where I see the network is that it could have… distribution of capacity. When I say that it’s not only the compute power, but the human power as well. We will have no one left behind, which means you have people that can do research and generate new knowledge, and people that can use AI and develop their livelihoods. That’s where I see the effect of this is going to be for all these countries involved. Thank you.
Dr. Ravi.
has the categorization of countries as to how ready they are with regard to AI. So five years from now, I wish the network would have contributed to such an extent that the UN would have to redo the categorization. So that they have to take the topmost level and start splitting it into four as opposed to having four levels of AI readiness. So everybody is at the top level as we imagine it now. And then we’ll go on from there. Thank you so much, Ravi. The floor is yours, yours, Chair MC.
Thanks for all the panelists and thanks for joining us for this short discussion. Thank you, panelists, for that insightful discussion. Before we proceed with the closing remarks, I’d like to remind the audience that we will soon have with us Sri A. Revan Thretty, the Honorable Chief Minister of Telangana, a state that’s emerged as one of the leaders in industrial innovation and technology -led governance. And he will be presenting a keynote address on AI and cybersecurity, Harnessing AI Power in the State’s Growth. Those who would like to stay back for that session, please be seated. Those who would like to leave after the ODIT session, please use this door. Thank you so much. Thank you. That was a really insightful panel which spoke about the needs of the Global South, capacity building for women and youth particularly.
And now moving on, we would like to invite Mr. Vilas Thar, President Patrick J. McGowan Foundation, for his keynote address. May I please request Mr. Thar to come on stage?
Thank you so much and good afternoon, everyone. What an exciting conversation that wraps together so much of what we’ve heard over the summit. I want to acknowledge Your Excellencies, our friends here in the room, and I want to take this few minutes to share with you three ideas that directly connect to the network we’re building. The first is we’re in a time when innovation in technology seems like it’s moving so quickly. but I have to ask where is the innovation in the institutions that will guide what the future of AI looks like? And I think there is a matter of timing that’s quite interesting. In many ways it feels like no country is as far ahead on this institutional work as they might hope but neither is any country so far behind that they feel like they’re totally out of the race.
This network gives us an ability to build the institutions that will guide what the AI future looks like. And in that I think is the second opportunity. When we begin to think about what it will look like to build collaboration across countries, across sectors, across topics, I think it’s fair to say that we will not look to the private sector to define that conversation for us. It will require a different model. One that brings governments to play to set policy that allows us to collaborate with the sharing of data. With the idea that compute, even as much as we want to talk about it being sovereign, will have regional centers of excellence and that we need to build ways to collaborate around how we can collaborate.
And I think that’s why we share those resources. resources, that talent flows in this modern world, and that we need the institutions that will let us share our best practices. And third, and maybe most importantly, at a time when AI governance is the topic of the moment and everybody has a new framework, a framework that’s grounded in deep process and practice but still exists only as a framework, we need the institutions that will turn frameworks into practice, that’ll build the muscle memory of collaboration, that’ll actually tell us what it looks like to sit down and negotiate the complexity of ensuring common cyber defense, of sharing data, of building algorithms around agricultural practices that transcend geographies and local weather patterns, that allow us to abstract the underlying knowledge that drives these algorithmic designs and make sure that we can apply them in each place as needed.
That governance is a matter of muscle memory. It’s a matter of practice and it’s a matter of choice. Now, these are three observations that guide why we came to the original idea of creating this network to begin with. I want to acknowledge my colleagues here in the front row from the UN Secretary General’s high -level advisory body, a group that came together with scientific expertise and policy expertise from around the world to set forward a set of recommendations that didn’t just focus on capacity building, but also on the frameworks of global governance at scale. And I want to acknowledge the countries that led on the Global Digital Compact, the first new major multilateral institutional framework for how we might think about issues of interconnectedness in a digital world.
And I want to acknowledge the countries that came forward to really put this initiative together, starting first, of course, with our dear friends from Saudi Arabia and from Kenya, with the incredible work of India here and Senegal and the work that will continue. But I want to acknowledge that even when it often feels like this work happens in abstraction, that it happens in international agreements, in national coordination, at the heart of where this work happens is in the digital world. And I want to acknowledge the people, the scientists, the people that are involved in the civil society advocates, the private sector entrepreneurs who are building this at scale. And so let me conclude then on this point, that even as we come to the end of this incredible summit, as we’ve heard from so many, as we’ve heard both proclamations from the stage, and maybe more quietly, behind closed doors, the work that’s happening when people come together to ask a simple question, how can I help?
How can I be involved? That we ensure that we open the doors of transparency, that we allow for participatory mechanisms, that we ensure that we hold not just our values around what technology should look like, but what our society should look like as it enables these technologies. That we continue to enforce a basic adherence to questions like, are we ensuring diversity in participation? Are we ensuring that the next time we hold a conversation like this, we’ll see an equal number of men and women leading centers around the world on AI? That the students who are represented at institutions like this, show a diversity of thought. That we’re ensuring that we’re investing in the rights and norms and values and principles that should guide international collaboration.
And that the centers like the ones that are represented here today will be the vanguard of a global network that sits above and beyond where private sector innovation and frontier models sits, but rather innovates towards the kind of society that we all aspire to. One where these tools are used to enable our common purpose. One where India leads, but so too does Senegal and Kenya. So does Trinidad. So does Chad. So does the United States. And so does Saudi Arabia, a world where we come together to define what our common vision might look like when AI enables our very best. I want to thank you all. I want to thank the incredible center chairs that we had.
And I want to see us all come together in this work. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Govan, for those powerful reflections, particularly emphasizing the need for diversity in participation. I’m now very excited to announce our final speaker, Her Excellency, Ms. Anne Melgaard, the tech ambassador from Denmark. But I also would like to make a short announcement that there will be a short intervention after this by the International Center for Global Innovation. Ambassador for Technology and Innovation from the Government of Brazil, Mr. Eugenio Garcia as well. so but please my honor to welcome miss Melgar
good afternoon everyone Vilas you’re such a hard act to follow I love this idea of Muslim memory let me congratulate the four gentlemen that was on the stage before I am so impressed and I’m almost a little scared at the scale of the progress that you have already created with this network in such a short amount of time in my home region in the European Union and in Europe it would take a little longer for us before we find the format and the framework and then we make it into London maybe in a few years would actually be able to do what you’ve been doing in such a short amount of time congratulations the global digital divide we’ve been speaking lengthy about it this last week it is still a huge challenge and to the global dissemination to a true democratization of this technology of a meaningful axis around AI when 34 countries are in the global digital divide we are able to do what you have been doing and we are able to do what you have been doing and we are able to do what you have been you have been doing and we are able to do what you have been doing and we are able to are the only ones that have the world’s compute, it becomes really, really challenging.
But what I think this network is doing, it is shining a light that goes beyond these traditional divides that we see in the infrastructure. It is around upskilling and reskilling. And I actually believe that we have more in common between the global north and the global south. And I think we can learn a lot more from each other when it comes to upskilling and reskilling. And that’s why this network is such an important and I think landmark piece for the AI puzzle to be solved. I want to end, I want to make this short, and I want to end on why I think this is important. A dear friend of mine, he has a framework for talking about meaningful coexistence with technology.
And it requires four things, four ingredients. First of all, identity. How to remain human in a technological world. It seems like a stupid, obvious question, right? But I think many of us are feeling the sense that I’m losing a little bit. that we need to be more inclusive. And I think that’s why I’m saying that we need to be more inclusive. me being a human being. My identity as an individual, as a Dane, as a woman, whatever your identity might be in a world where technology is taking over, how to make that persistent, that we have that sense of identity. That is part of being skilled to take the right decisions. The second one is around community.
In a time of increasing technology, we need more community, not less. This gathering could have been a Zoom meeting, but nevertheless, thousands of us travel from all over the world, spending time in here with too much air conditioning and out in traffic with too much traffic. Why? Because of the human connection. Because of the impromptu meeting, the inspiring speeches, but also the people you meet when you’re in the coffee line. Those who are inspiring, and that community is being built, and that’s why these AI summits work. That’s why the communities that we’re part of, they cannot be solely put together. They need to be put into a digital world. They need to present. Then there’s agency.
In a more agentech world, we need more agency, not less. I think many of the people that you meet, maybe your families, your communities, the citizens that you represent, if you’re a lawmaker and policymaker, the feel of agency, of actually having a say in how this is unfolding, is minimized. And this is another place where reskilling, skilling comes up, having the right tools to be part of that. And then finally, about purpose. How often do we ask ourselves, what is the purpose of this technology? There’s a sense that I would love for the AI to empty the dishwasher while I write poetry and I play with my kids. But right now, we’re in a trajectory where I am emptying the dishwasher while the AI is playing with my kids and writing poetry.
If we do not insist on having the questions around, what is the purpose of that technology? And if we do not skill our citizens, ourselves, in being able to ask, what do we collectively want? What do we want out of this technology? We’re going to get technology that we serve. the other way around. And so congratulations on this incredible network. I hope to be a stronger partner of it, but right now you are shining a light on necessary peace for a more meaningful coexistence with technology. Thank you.
Thank you, Excellency, and it’s always a pleasure to see a woman in the room speaking on this subject. I’d now like to request Ambassador Garcia to quickly make his intervention. Thank you.
Thank you. I’ll be very brief since I was not in the program, but just to say that Brazil fully supports this global network of the United Nations on capacity on AI and capacity building. I think it’s very well known and remembered yesterday. President Lula from Brazil. He mentioned specifically in his statement that the role of tonight’s nations is key for an international governance of AI and we need to come to the defense of the multilateral system. It is important that we can we do this together so we’ll be working. We have two institutions, two universities from Brazil. They are already joining this network. One from the northeast of Brazil, Federal University of Pernambuco and also from the south in Brazil which the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
So these two institutions are already collaborating with the network. Of course maybe in the future others could also join but just to say that this network will complement very well. the AI track of the Global Digital Compact, both the scientific panel and the global dialogue. And I think if we can strengthen multilateralism, I think that’s the way to go, and we can count on our support. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Ambassador. In the interest of time, I’d just like to thank the speakers, the panelists, and the audience. I hope they enjoyed this insightful session, and we look forward to more news on this network. And thank you, everyone. We now move on to the next session. Thank you so much. Thank you, speakers. May I remind the audience that we now have with us Sri A. Raven Threaty, the Honorable Chief Minister of Telangana, for a session on Harnessing AI Power in the State’s Growth, a keynote address on AI and cybersecurity, we would encourage the audience to please stay back for the session. Thank you. those who choose to leave may please do so through the door on my left.
Thank you very much.
There is a need to build AI capacity in developing countries to ensure they can participate in and benefit from AI advancements. This involves working with employers, providing individual learning sup…
Event“go beyond top tier institutions to tier two.”<a href=”https://dig.watch/event/india-ai-impact-summit-2026/panel-discussion-ai-cybersecurity-_-india-ai-impact-summit?diplo-deep-link-text=Saudi+Arabia+…
EventThe International Telecommunication Union (ITU) haslaunchedthe AI Skills Coalition, a global initiative backed by 27 organisations, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Cognizant, to bridge t…
UpdatesArtificial intelligence | Capacity development | Social and economic development
Event“This year, we upscaled 5 .6 million Indians, and so we actually doubled that commitment to 20 million people by the end of 2030.”<a href=”https://dig.watch/event/india-ai-impact-summit-2026/panel-dis…
EventThe network has achieved significant early progress, with 14 countries nominating institutions: Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Sout…
EventDuring the9821st meetingof the Artificial Intelligence Security Council, a key discussion centered around whether existing frameworks like the IAEA, ICAO, or IPCC could serve as models for effective g…
EventLiming Zhu:All right, thanks very much for having me. Right, so I’m a professor from the University of New South Wales, but I’m also a research director at CSIRO. So CSIRO is Australia’s national scie…
EventQi Xiaoxia: Thank you, Professor, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends, good afternoon. I’m delighted to meet all of you in Norway and join the discussion on AI governance, development,…
EventLegal and regulatory | Development
EventThe scientific panel will provide evidence-based policy assessments, while the global dialogue will enable multilateral and multi-stakeholder discussions
EventThis vision aligns with the principles of the UN Charter and supports the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Echoing the Geneva Declaration of Principles from the WSIS, South Africa mai…
EventHis perspectives and insights contribute to a global dialogue that intersects with multiple sustainable development goals, illustrating the interconnectedness of innovation, inclusivity, and global de…
Event“India’s higher‑education department is integrating AI into every university programme, and the school‑education department will introduce AI from the third‑grade level.”
The knowledge base notes that India is working to integrate AI across school and higher-education systems and to expand AI projects throughout the education sector, though it does not specify the exact grade level or that every university programme will include AI [S84] and [S85] and [S86].
“India’s ITEC programme, running since 1964, has trained thousands of officials from 160 countries and now offers around 10 000 fully‑funded in‑person courses annually, including AI modules that will be expanded.”
The knowledge base confirms that the ITEC programme has trained thousands of officials from 160 countries since 1964 and provides about 10 000 training opportunities each year [S1].
“The Chief Minister of Telangana would deliver the upcoming keynote on AI & cybersecurity.”
A source records that the Chief Minister of Telangana gave a keynote on artificial intelligence, confirming the AI focus of the address, though it does not mention cybersecurity specifically [S92].
“AI is a catalyst for welfare and economic growth, and without coordinated action the technology could widen the global divide, especially for the Global South.”
Other UN-related documents describe AI as a tool for development that can help reduce disparities if deployed equitably, providing background for the claim about growth potential and risk of widening gaps [S65] and [S90].
There is strong consensus among the participants that AI capacity building must be inclusive, evidence‑driven, and coordinated through a global network of centres. Key shared priorities include universal AI literacy, gender inclusion, equitable benefit sharing, and embedding the network within multilateral governance frameworks.
High consensus – the convergence of viewpoints across diverse regions and roles suggests a solid foundation for coordinated policy action, with implications that the network is likely to receive broad political support and can move towards concrete implementation of frameworks, blueprints, and inclusive programmes.
The panel shows strong consensus on the need for a global AI capacity‑building network and inclusive AI education, but diverges on the primary delivery model (national curricula vs international official training vs gender‑focused online programmes vs national AI institutes), the role of the private sector, and the realistic timeline for achieving universal AI readiness.
Moderate disagreement: while all participants share the same end‑goal, the differing strategic preferences could affect coordination, resource allocation, and policy design, potentially slowing the network’s implementation unless a harmonised approach is negotiated.
The discussion was driven forward by a series of pivotal remarks that moved the conversation from a broad statement of inclusivity to concrete challenges and solutions. Krishnan’s education pledge set the inclusive tone, Shukla highlighted the geopolitical urgency, and Habib’s gender‑focused program added depth to the equity narrative. Ravindran’s reframing of capacity building broadened the scope to everyday users, while Dhar’s critique of institutional lag shifted focus to governance structures. Meldgaard’s four‑ingredient framework anchored the ethical dimension, and Garcia’s national endorsement illustrated growing multilateral commitment. Together, these comments created a dynamic flow that progressed from problem identification to actionable pathways, emphasizing both technical capacity and the societal frameworks needed for AI to serve the global common good.
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.
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