IGF 2022 Open Forum #30 AI: Need for fundamental regulation for the Global South

AI systems governance is a complex discussion and developing nations must invest in basic conceptual and normative frameworks that are inclusive and safeguard the interests of the marginalised population. Risk identification with AI systems and serving the needs of a modern heterogenous society demands basic regulatory practices in place. A basic regulatory framework serves the fundamentals of society and safeguards and upholds the rights of its citizens. AI systems must serve the needs of and empower local communities. While AI governance provides the framework conditions to do so in a responsible way, digital public goods such as open AI models and open local AI training data serve as the technological foundations. The following policy questions shall be addressed:
1. What critical framework of AI system regulators is required to oversee and understand the overall nature of an AI solution or application, and monitors, evaluates, and assesses the AI adoption lifecycle?
2. What fundamental best practices including quality oversight on ‘Ethics and AI’ must adopted to balance the risks of AI and to ensure and prevent adverse impact on minorities?
3. How to build, govern, and sustain digital public goods for inclusive and localized AI systems?

Expected Outcomes:
1. Shared lessons from the pilot or implementation projects in the Global South, that infer the current discussions with regards to AI regulation and inclusion debate. For example, open voice technologies and its impact in healthcare and showcasing the mandate of good practices for the development of digital public goods with regards to standards and global compliance frameworks in Africa
2. Debating the role of provincial governments and government administrative practices about AI regulatory frameworks and methods of developing human-centred, inclusive AI systems that build on the principles of responsible AI
3. Current discussion on data governance, privacy, transparency, and bias that shape the AI regulatory discussion in the Global South and how some these discussions reflect on the potential of digital public goods and contribute to the accessibility and utility of digital public goods in the AI space.
4. How bottlenecks in capacity building and knowledge-expertise are hindering the adoption of any form of AI based technologies.

Yes, the event will be hybrid and one of the speakers would be online. The speaker would have sufficient bandwidth and connectivity is good. We would coordinate with the online and the offline teams and would structure the interactions and take measures that online participation is encouraged and online participants are involved and engaged in the discussions and deliberations. The voice of the online participants shall be prioritised in the discussions.