Agenda

Used responsibly, AI has the potential to turbocharge progress in support of the SDGs and drive significant economic growth and opportunities. But a significant AI divide persists, with many underserved communities facing challenges in developing, deploying and adopting AI technologies, especially in the Global South. These challenges relate to the availability of digital infrastructure, capacities to leverage data and knowledge, AI-skilled workforces, and enabling policy environments, among others. 

Bridging this divide requires targeted and comprehensive capacity development efforts that prioritise the development of long-term knowledge and awareness, and empower countries and communities to drive their own AI development. The international community includes many actors (donor agencies, development banks, international organisations, companies, think tanks) which could support AI diffusion efforts in the Global South and empower countries and communities to leverage AI solutions that respond to their realities, priorities and needs. 

This session will take the form of a scenario-based exercise where participants will propose action plans detailing how fictional countries can accelerate AI adoption and diffusion by leveraging internal resources and forms of international support. After an introduction to set the context, participants will be divided into groups and presented with briefs describing particular circumstances of several fictional countries. Each group will play the role of a committee composed of representatives of country X and of various international actors (donor countries, development banks, private actors, UN agencies, etc.). They will develop tailored action plans detailing concrete measures to build capacities at a national and local/community level to enable the development of bottom-up AI. The feasibility and potential impact of the plans will then be discussed by all groups. 

The co-organisers will cover the introduction and facilitate the working groups and the debate.