New Delhi: this Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit The meeting adopted the New Delhi Declaration, marking the success of India and other countries in the global South in promoting artificial intelligence as a global shared benefit rather than the exclusive technical advantage of the rich and developed countries.The declaration, endorsed by 86 countries and two organizations, sets out a shared global vision for what it calls “collaborative, trustworthy, resilient and efficient” artificial intelligence, the potential of which can be realized “only if humanity shares in its benefits”, warning that “the choices we make today will shape the AI world that future generations will inherit”.Signatories range from AI powerhouses the United States and China to other technology leaders such as the Netherlands, South Korea and the European Union.Notably, Pakistan does not appear on the list.Leading semiconductor manufacturer Taiwan appears to have been excluded due to China’s sensitivities, which have blocked Taiwan’s presence in international forums.Rooted in the principle of “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya” (welfare and happiness for all), a theme elaborated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his inaugural speech on Thursday, the declaration puts fairness and access at the center of AI governance and commits participants to “promote a common understanding on how to make AI work for humanity, while respecting national sovereignty.”For many developing countries, this focus addresses long-standing concerns that technical rules are being developed without their participation.The manifesto is organized around seven action pillars (or chakras) covering democratizing AI resources; economic growth and social good; safe and trustworthy AI; scientific AI; gaining social empowerment; human capital development; and resilient, efficient and innovative AI systems. Together they work to translate broad principles into coordinated global action.
Human capital development is critical to realizing the potential of artificial intelligence
Several voluntary commitments were announced to support this effort. These include the Global AI Impact Commons, described as “a practical platform to encourage and enable the adoption, replication and scale-up of successful AI use cases across geographies”.The idea is for countries to share proven applications in areas such as public services, development and governance, reducing duplication and accelerating impact. Trust and security form another core chain, and the declaration emphasizes that “advancing safe, trustworthy and powerful artificial intelligence is the basis for building trust and maximizing social and economic benefits.” To support this, it noted the Trusted AI Commons – a voluntary repository of tools, benchmarks and best practices designed to help governments and developers build trustworthy AI systems in different legal, cultural contexts. With concerns about the democratization of AI being one of the driving factors of the declaration, it is predictable that it emphasizes that “removing structural barriers to and increasing the availability of AI research infrastructure can promote the use of AI in scientific research and development in various countries.” The international network of AI-enabled science institutions is expected to connect researchers around the world and accelerate AI-driven discoveries. Human capital development is considered critical to realizing the potential of artificial intelligence. The declaration emphasizes that “realizing the full promise of AI requires equipping individuals with relevant skills,” and supports this with voluntary reskilling guiding principles and a workforce development playbook.
