From December 9 to 11, 2025, we will take part in AI4GS (AI for the Global South), hosted at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi (UAE).
This gathering brings together researchers who work for and with Global South communities to co-define a holistic, transdisciplinary 10-year research agenda aimed at increasing AI’s positive impact across the Global South.
We know that AI has made extraordinary advances, yet its benefits remain unevenly distributed. Research and development continue to be heavily concentrated in the Global North, leaving significant opportunities for the Global South to assume a more active role in shaping the future of AI.
We believe that truly inclusive AI can only be built when local experts, community stakeholders, and lay users are actively involved throughout the entire project lifecycle—from problem definition to model evaluation—rather than receiving external solutions that fail to reflect their contexts.
When AI is co-designed from the ground up—as demonstrated by initiatives like Masakhane or EDIA—it strengthens local talent, helps prevent brain drain, and fosters genuine technological ownership.
Luciana Benotti, our AI team director at Vía Libre, will be participating in the event on November 11 in the session titled: “Exploring innovative methods to ensure data sourcing is done in an ethical manner.”
AI4GS is also the official pre-event for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 (taking place in India in February), a strategic space where academia, industry, governments, and civil society organizations come together to discuss key issues in AI governance, regulation, international cooperation, and public policy.
More information about AI4GS: https://ai4gs.github.io/
