Why the Global South has a stake in dialogues on AI governance

The United States and the European Union (EU) have been at the forefront of debates surrounding the regulation, oversight, and guidance of responsible artificial intelligence (AI). This summer, the EU passed the first piece of artificial intelligence regulation, the AI Act, which classifies AI systems by risk and mandates requirements around development and use. In 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy published the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights which lays out five protections in the design, development, and deployment of AI and other automated technologies. However, largely absent from these conversations are members of the Global South, which include the African Union, Latin America, the Caribbean, and India. These regions are having their own conversations around responsible AI governance that can inform trans-Atlantic dialogues. Debates focused on AI regulation from these diasporas can also shed light on the geopolitical components and complexities of global governance policies. 

On October 23, the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings hosted a discussion with leading experts representing the Global South to learn more about how they are approaching AI governance and advancing responsible and explainable AI frameworks that are trustworthy for individual users, organizations and government. CTI Director and Senior Fellow Nicol Turner Lee moderated the discussion.

Viewers submitted questions for speakers by emailing [email protected] and via Twitter @BrookingsGov by using #AIGlobalSouth.