CODATA Webinar "Participation Without Power: Technology Sovereignty, Data Sovereignty and the AI Divide in South Asia" | 6 July at 11:00 IST
Description: This is an online side event to the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance. This panel examines a core challenge for South Asia's AI ambitions: how can countries build sovereign AI capacity when the infrastructure it depends on is governed outside their jurisdiction? The question reflects a structural dependency shaping AI development across the Global South, and South Asia offers a substantive, documented case for global AI governance deliberations. AI ambition across the region is clear, but technology sovereignty varies significantly. India has invested in AI infrastructure and policy, yet structural dependencies persist. For countries with fewer resources, the gap is wider. The session will examine where capacity-building ends and dependency begins, and what governance conditions must exist before community upcoming data enters AI pipelines, with the objective of generating concrete recommendations for how international mechanisms can address sovereignty, not just skills. Bringing together voices from government, civil society, and communities, the discussion will explore three themes: technology sovereignty, data sovereignty, and the enforceability of community consent obligations under international law. For indigenous communities, this challenge is immediate. The panel will examine it as a subset of the same tension, playing out at the community level, where consent obligations exist but the current architecture makes them difficult to enforce.
Thanks,
Best regards,
Moumita
