Khaberni - the fourth artificial intelligence summit began in the Indian capital New Delhi as a clear attempt to redistribute global digital power balances and break the monopoly traditionally led by the United States, China, and Japan in shaping the rules of this vital area.
India seeks to transform the platform into a space that enables Southern countries to move from being "consumers" to partners in shaping policies and standards governing the future of technology.
The summit's agenda focuses on integrating the needs of developing countries into ethical and technical discussions, and on the impact of artificial intelligence in vital sectors such as health, education, and agriculture, in a direction that reflects New Delhi's pursuit of what it describes as "digital justice," giving the South an influential voice in shaping global technology policies.
In this context, the sovereign AI advisor and digital transformation expert Moaz Al-Sabai believes that artificial intelligence represents a major economic opportunity, although Southern countries still remain in the position of consumers of technologies, not producers or designers, especially in the field of generative AI.
During a talk with Al Jazeera, Al-Sabai pointed out that the United States and China lead in digital infrastructure, AI models, and technical value chains.
He considered that what distinguishes the New Delhi summit is its governance dimension, as it seeks a new positioning for Southern countries within the technical decision-making equation, unlike other platforms that focused on the economic and financial aspects, for the issue, as he says, is not just about investment but also about reshaping the rules of the digital game.
However, this ambition faces two main challenges according to Al-Sabai: firstly, the major powers view artificial intelligence as a matter of national security and strategic superiority, making it unrealistic to relinquish leadership without international pressure, and secondly, the gap in investment in infrastructure and skills within Southern countries.
Nevertheless, he noted that the South represents the majority of the population and will be the most future users of these technologies, and that global companies need extensive data and markets, which could give these countries potential influence.
Al-Sabai outlined three conditions to enhance this role:
• building integrated innovation systems.
• coordinating positions among Southern countries.
• owning infrastructures that enhance digital sovereignty.
While the United States and China dominate the development of major language models, India follows a different strategy. According to reports, India is betting on its competitive advantage of "widespread utilisation" instead of developing the core models.
This strategy reflected in massive user growth, with the daily users of "ChatGPT" in India exceeding 72 million people by the end of 2025, making it the largest market for "OpenAI" globally.
