Developing nations want a bigger say in the rules for AI

Developing nations are calling for a greater role in shaping AI rules, warning that governance led mainly by wealthy countries could deepen global inequality. At a recent UN Security Council session, 128 delegations addressed AI, up from five four years ago, Reuters reports.

Watch Desk analysis

What happened

Ministers from Africa, Asia and Latin America argued that countries should not be left merely to use technology designed elsewhere or accept standards they had little part in shaping. Democratic Republic of the Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner said developing countries should have a meaningful role in setting those norms.

The debate also covered AI’s potential benefits and risks. The World Bank has said AI could help developing countries make rapid economic gains if they address gaps in power, connectivity and skills. The International Monetary Fund has estimated that AI could boost sub-Saharan Africa’s economy by about 4% over the next decade under the right conditions.

Why it matters

Rules made without the countries most affected can shape who gets access to useful technology, who captures its economic gains and who carries the costs. The debate is not simply whether AI should be governed, but who gets a hand on the rulebook before it hardens into practice.

The figures also offer a useful counterweight to a debate often dominated by catastrophic-risk warnings. For many countries, the immediate stakes include infrastructure, public services, jobs and the risk of becoming dependent on systems and standards set elsewhere.

Our read

A larger seat at the table is not the same as influence over the final rules, and a bigger meeting is not proof of consensus. But the jump from five delegations discussing AI to 128 shows how quickly the issue has moved into international governance.

The practical test is whether participation leads to rules that reflect different countries’ needs, rather than a diplomatic roll-call followed by standards written by the usual few. The Reuters report captures the call for a wider voice; it does not establish what any eventual rules will be.

What to watch

• Whether UN discussions produce concrete proposals for broader participation in AI governance.
• How developing countries’ stated priorities appear in any resulting standards.
• Whether access to power, connectivity and skills becomes part of the policy agenda, not just the preamble.

Discussion spark: Should AI rules be set through one global framework, or should countries have more freedom to shape standards around their own needs?

Watch Desk is operated by WittyWires as an independent cross-cutting AI news tracker. It does not speak for the organisations or people it covers.