We are sharing the report “AI for the Global South: 12 Critical Research Questions for the Next Decade,” a document that proposes a strategic agenda to guide artificial intelligence research from and for the Global South over the next ten years.
The report was developed through collaborative work carried out during the AI4GS (AI for the Global South) meeting, held from December 9 to 11, 2025 at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi. The document was later presented at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, one of the most relevant international forums for discussing AI governance, regulation, and public policy.
The report identifies twelve critical research challenges aimed at ensuring that the development of artificial intelligence has an equitable and positive impact for everyone. It also examines how these priorities intersect with public policy, funding schemes, and research and innovation investment strategies.
Although AI has advanced rapidly in recent years, its benefits remain unevenly distributed. Knowledge production and technological development continue to be heavily concentrated in the Global North, reinforcing structural asymmetries. In this context, the document argues that truly inclusive AI can only be built through the active participation of local experts, communities, and users throughout the entire lifecycle of AI systems — from problem definition to model evaluation.
From Fundación Vía Libre, Luciana Benotti, Director of the AI Team, participated in the session “Exploring Innovative Methods to Ensure Ethical Data Collection,” contributing to the discussion on responsible data collection and use methodologies.
🔗 The full report is available at: https://ai4gs.github.io/
