Working Groups At The AI Impact Summit / Democratizing AI Resources
Democratizing AI Resources Working Group
Promoting equitable access to foundational AI resources for inclusive innovation and sustainable development worldwide
About The Working Group
The growing demands of AI development require vast resources that are unevenly concentrated worldwide today, reinforcing global inequalities in innovation capacity. TheDemocratizing AI Resources Working Group aims to promote access and affordability tofoundational AI resources for all, which would facilitate contextualized development,deployment, and use of AI by all, in accordance with their national objectives and priorities.
Vision & Objectives
Building an equitable global AI ecosystem
The Working Group on Democratizing AI Resources envisions a global AI ecosystem where access to foundational enablers of AI development is equitable and affordable for all. It seeks to ensure that every nation can meaningfully participate in and benefit from the AI revolution.
Leadership
Mr Saurabh Garg
India Co-Chair
Secretary, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India
Dr. Saurabh Garg is currently serving as Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India. He has played a leading role in shaping India’s digital governance landscape - most notably as CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), where he advanced the Aadhaar programme and its integration with welfare delivery systems. Over his career, Dr Garg has worked extensively on infrastructure financing, digital transformation, and economic reforms, contributing to initiatives on Direct Benefit Transfers, FDI policy, and governance innovation at the national and state levels.
Egypt
Country Co-Chair
Egypt, through its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and international partnerships, is driving initiatives that democratize AI capabilities, foster regional cooperation, and enable broad-based participation in the AI economy.
Egypt, through its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and international partnerships, is driving initiatives that democratize AI capabilities, foster regional cooperation, and enable broad-based participation in the AI economy.
Kenya
Country Co-Chair
Kenya’s emphasis on building shared compute and data ecosystems reflects its broader national vision of inclusive technological innovation. With a strong focus on open innovation, data accessibility, and affordable digital infrastructure, Kenya’s approach is essential to closing the existing AI divide.
Kenya’s emphasis on building shared compute and data ecosystems reflects its broader national vision of inclusive technological innovation. With a strong focus on open innovation, data accessibility, and affordable digital infrastructure, Kenya’s approach is essential to closing the existing AI divide.
Key Issues
Understanding the global AI divide and our approach to bridging it
The Challenge
The uneven distribution of AI resources has created a widening global divide in AI capability and innovation. Limited access to affordable compute and data risks leaving many nations behind as passive users rather than active contributors to the AI economy.
The Solution
Democratization of AI resources can address this imbalance by promoting open infrastructure that supports inclusive AI innovation. It can also mitigate risks arising from over-concentration of AI capabilities and enhance AI systems' global representativeness, transparency, and resilience.
The Impact
By expanding equitable access to AI resources and fostering multilateral collaboration, this effort can diversify innovation, accelerate socio-economic development, and ensure that the benefits of AI are broadly shared - advancing the AI Impact Summit’s vision of inclusive, responsible, and sustainable AI for all.
Help shape the future of global AI by sharing your perspectives, suggestions, and expertise. Your input will contribute to equitable access and inclusive AI innovation worldwide.
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Related Pre-Summit Events
Join related events building momentum for the summit
On October 31, 2025, IT for Change convened the “Towards Regenerative AI: Frames for Inclusive, Indigenous & Intentional Innovation” conference at the Infosys Science Foundation in Bengaluru. Global scholars, technologists, policymakers, and civil society leaders explored regenerative approaches to AI - centering inclusion, indigeneity, and intentionality to envision equitable, sustainable, and culturally rooted AI futures. The event advanced India’s leadership in just, resilient digital innovation, producing policy briefs, case studies, and cross-sector partnerships for the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026.
AI Fusion @ Kakinada 2025 marked the first major AI summit in the Godavari region, uniting innovators, startups, industry leaders, and policymakers to explore artificial intelligence's transformative power beyond India's metro cities. Hosted by the DeepTech Naipunya Foundation, the conference spotlighted inclusive innovation, human capital development, and ethical AI adoption—positioning Kakinada as a rising hub for India's AI-driven regional transformation.
The Qualcomm Innovation Forum 2025 held in Bengaluru featured keynotes, panels, and demos emphasizing on-device and edge AI technologies, workforce development, frugal innovation, and ethical AI governance. It engaged over 1,300 participants across academia, industry, government, and civil society, spotlighting real-world AI applications in healthcare, education, agriculture, and public safety. The event produced actionable policy briefs, developer toolkits, and strategic vision reports to advance responsible AI innovation and ecosystem collaboration in India.
Google hosted the Bharat AI Shakti event as a pre-summit initiative for the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, where it announced a $15 billion AI hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The announcement featured key dignitaries including Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Nirmala Sitharaman, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, and Google CEO Thomas Kurian. This investment aims to accelerate AI-driven transformation in India by deploying advanced AI infrastructure, renewable energy, and expanded connectivity.
Aapti Institute, in partnership with Data2X, hosted a roundtable on Bridging the AI Divide and Enabling the Democratisation of AI. The discussion highlighted global south priorities, the importance of civil society collaboration, and placing people's agency at the centre of AI governance, shaping expectations for the India–AI Impact Summit 2026.
The AWS roundtable on Responsible AI, Digital Infrastructure, and Global Collaboration explored how India can advance responsible AI as a model for the Global South. Discussions focused on scalable digital infrastructure, enabling global collaboration for Indian startups, and policy measures to support inclusive and internationally connected AI innovation ahead of the India–AI Impact Summit 2026.
The Observer Research Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations in India and the Reliance Foundation, hosted a high-level panel on At the Heart of Development: Aid, Trade, and Technology. The discussion focused on how emerging technologies, including AI, can advance the Sustainable Development Goals and support global social good initiatives.