“2025 Geneva Winter Summit Declaration: Paving the Way for Inclusive AI Innovation”

We, the attendees of the 2025 AIFOD Geneva Winter Summit Initiative titled “Empowering the South 2030: Forging an AI Future of Inclusive Digital Sovereignty,” representing a diverse group from governmental bodies, international organizations, private sector players, academic institutions, and civil society, gathered in Geneva on January 27 and 28, 2025. Our mission is to explore the pivotal role of artificial intelligence in advancing sustainable development and closing the digital gap in developing nations.

Informed by the AI for Vienna Consensus and recognizing the necessity for deeper clarification on certain aspects of this consensus for future application, we emphasize adopting a human-centric and inclusive approach to bridge economic, technological, and cultural divides, promoting global peace alongside sustainable and equitable development.

Reflecting on the preliminary outcomes from four AIFOD working groups—Digital Sovereignty and Governance, AI Education and Capacity Building, Cultural Integration and Local Innovation, and Technology Transfer and Innovation—we collectively affirm our vision and commitment to harnessing AI as a catalyst for inclusive growth, peace, and sustainable development in the Global South through the following key action points and collaborative efforts:

Promoting Equitable Access

The Geneva Summit acknowledges the urgent need to eliminate the digital divide by ensuring equal access to AI education for marginalized communities, especially in the Global South. Our commitments include:

Promoting localized, accessible content and varied learning formats (online, offline, and hybrid) to address diverse needs.
Developing standardized frameworks for evaluating and guiding AI literacy and skills enhancement.
Tackling knowledge gaps, resource limitations, and trust issues through localized educational initiatives.
Boosting international collaboration.
Prioritizing affordable, reliable internet services and technical devices.
Encouraging the creation of AI solutions tailored for low-cost edge devices.

Balancing Regulation and Innovation

The Geneva Summit 2025 reiterates its dedication to aligning with the 2024 United Nations Resolution on AI for Sustainable Development, the Global Digital Compact, and other regulatory and technical frameworks to achieve a harmonious balance between regulation and innovation. Our focus areas include:

AI governance frameworks should be adaptable and reflect local cultural, economic, and political contexts.
Encouraging public-private partnerships to optimize resource allocation.
Protecting intellectual property rights without creating economic obstacles to accessing AI.
Ensuring AI systems are unbiased and yield equitable results.
Establishing independent authorities for overseeing data governance and accountability.
Implementing specific regulations for complex fields such as neuroscience.
Creating impartial mechanisms for dispute resolution.

Inclusive Global AI Governance

The summit is dedicated to fostering:

International strategies aimed at preventing monopolistic dominance of AI technologies.
Collaboration on both regional and global levels that empowers the Global South in decision-making.
Human dignity, equity, and cultural integrity in AI policy creation.
Mechanisms for measuring and reporting governance outcomes effectively.
Development of local AI digital compass reports to identify country-specific needs.

Data Sovereignty

This declaration reaffirms the principle that data should remain under the control of its originating country while upholding privacy rights. Our key points include:

Ethical sourcing of training data.
Implementing data anonymization practices.
Adopting global ethical standards tailored to local values.
Raising citizen awareness regarding data rights.
Establishing boundaries to safeguard human uniqueness.
Ensuring transparency in fund allocation.

Local Innovation and Implementation

The summit instructs the Implementation Committee and its working groups to:

Develop guidelines that support local AI innovation ecosystems.
Create AIFOD AI ambassadors to foster widespread adoption of AI technologies.
Facilitate connections among AIFOD members across all participating countries.

The Geneva Summit 2025 reaffirms the principle that humanity must remain at the forefront of technological advancement. AI should be leveraged to enhance well-being, diminish economic and social disparities, and cultivate peace, cooperation, and equitable development across all nations.