As part of the conference “For Better Internet Regulation in Latin America” hosted by the Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information (CELE) at Universidad de Palermo, the Global Network Initiative (GNI) and the Centre for Communication Governance (CCG) at the National Law University Delhi, India, co-organized a multistakeholder dialogue on “Shaping Global AI Governance Through Multistakeholder Dialogue.” This was an official pre-summit event consultation for the India AI Impact Summit, 2026, the first of a series of pre-convenings organized by CCG and GNI. More information on these activities can be found here.
The session, hosted on October 24, 2025 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, convened representatives from companies, civil society, academia, and the investor community from across Latin America and beyond, with the goal of generating actionable insights and recommendations for the upcoming 2026 India AI Impact Summit. The discussion focused on three key areas: thematic priorities for the Summit, strengthening multistakeholder participation, and advancing Global South leadership in AI governance.
Global South Perspectives on AI Governance
Participants noted that across Latin America and other regions in the Global South, such as Africa, AI regulation remains in early stages of development. While many governments are taking proactive steps to design regulatory frameworks, these efforts often draw heavily from external models such as the European Union’s AI Act. This “regulatory borrowing” risks producing frameworks that may not fully reflect local realities or needs. When countries adopt external models, which are often inspired by Global North approaches, they may overlook local social contexts, institutional capacities, and developmental priorities often exacerbating existing conditions. Such borrowing can lead to frameworks that are misaligned with domestic ecosystems and reinforce dependencies on foreign regulatory logics rather than fostering contextually grounded governance models. Participants emphasized the importance of context-driven policymaking grounded in regional and national socio-economic, linguistic, and cultural conditions.
Regional Coordination and Bridge-Building
Discussions highlighted the growing number of AI governance initiatives at both national, regional, and international levels across the Global South. While these efforts demonstrate momentum, they have also contributed to a fragmented governance landscape marked by overlapping standards and siloed approaches. Participants underscored the need for stronger coordination and bridge-building between regions, particularly among multistakeholder initiatives and research communities.
Localized Solutions and Capacity Building
Speakers emphasized that realizing the potential of AI in the Global South requires prioritizing local solutions, such as building AI systems that work in multiple languages, strengthening data governance, improving AI literacy, and supporting community-level innovation. It was also identified that developing capacity through education, open-source collaboration, and local research is critical for sustainable AI ecosystems. At the same time, countries need to prioritize fundamentals like connectivity and access to ensure AI meets inclusivity goals..
Multilingual AI and Knowledge Equity
Participants pointed to the importance of multilingual AI development as a path toward inclusivity, drawing inspiration from Wikipedia’s volunteer communities across Africa and Asia. Local contributors who build and curate online knowledge in regional languages can play a vital role in training datasets for large language models (LLMs), helping ensure that AI systems reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of their societies.
Strengthening Multistakeholder Participation
Effective AI governance requires the participation of all stakeholders – governments, companies, civil society, academia, and new knowledge communities. In the context of the Summit, this could be achieved by including stakeholders in sessions during the main Summit, empowering them to shape Summit outcomes, and enabling them to participate in key decision-making sessions.
Participants urged the creation of participatory frameworks for AI governance that account not only for individual rights but also for collective interests, indigenous rights, and the perspectives of marginalized communities.
The session concluded with a shared commitment to foster cross-regional collaboration and build on lessons from existing initiatives, including the African Union’s Continental AI Strategy, the BRICS Leaders Statement on Global Governance of AI, and the Pacific Alliance’s Regional Digital Roadmap, as well as insights from recent AI summits such as Bletchley Park (2023), Seoul (2024), and Paris (2025).
The Buenos Aires dialogue marked an important step toward shaping a more equitable, rights-based global AI governance agenda. GNI and CCG look forward to more such consultative processes, capturing Global South perspectives and promoting inclusive dialogue, leading up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026. We believe the India AI Impact Summit represents an important opportunity to set best practice in multistakeholder processes, build bridges between siloed AI governance efforts, and underscore Global South leadership in AI governance.