AI from the Global Majority: Official Outcome Report of the UN IGF Data and Artificial Intelligence Governance Coalition

This book provides crucial and largely underexplored Global South-centered perspective on AI governance, ethics, and regulation, challenging dominant narratives shaped by a limited number of developed countries from the Global North. AI from the Global Majority highlights the voices, experiences, and challenges of regions often marginalized in global AI discussions—Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East—bringing forward solutions tailored to their unique social, economic, and political contexts.

Through a diverse collection of essays from leading experts, policymakers, and researchers, this volume examines AI’s impact on human rights, democracy, labor, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty. It explores pressing issues such as algorithmic bias, data governance, disinformation, AI’s role in reinforcing or disrupting global power asymmetries, and the urgent need for inclusive and ethical AI policies. With real-world case studies from 16 countries, this book offers insights into how different nations and regions are shaping AI regulation, resisting digital colonialism, and advocating for fairer, more responsible technological development. The book contributors focus particularly on how AI systems can perpetuate social inequalities if not designed with diverse perspectives in mind. By analyzing labor exploitation in AI supply chains, discriminatory AI-driven decision-making, and the environmental costs of AI infrastructure, this book raises essential questions about the future of AI governance. It also proposes forward-thinking frameworks that prioritize transparency, accountability, and the participation of historically excluded communities.

This book is essential reading for academics, policymakers, legal experts, and technology professionals interested in AI ethics, global technology governance, and digital rights. It is also a valuable resource for activists, journalists, and students looking to understand how AI can be developed and deployed in ways that are equitable and socially just.