AI for the Global South: 12 Critical Research Questions for the Next Decade
In February 2026, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) published AI for the Global South: 12 Critical Research Questions for the Next Decade — a call to rethink how artificial intelligence is developed, governed, and deployed worldwide.
The report identifies 12 urgent research priorities spanning language access, governance, infrastructure, labour markets, and cultural identity. Its central goal is clear: ensure AI reflects the lived realities of the Global South, where most of the world’s population resides, yet where local data, languages, and institutions remain under represented in modern AI systems.
The report emerged from MBZUAI’s three-day AI for the Global South (AI4GS) Workshop in December 2025 and brought together more than 40 experts from academia, industry, civilsociety, and policy institutions. Participants collaborated to identify the most pressing research gaps affecting countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Why it matters
Countries in the Global South account for roughly 85% of the world’s population and are projected to drive much of its future economic and demographic growth. Yet today’s AI systems are largely shaped by data, benchmarks, and governance models rooted in the Global North.
This imbalance risks deepening inequality — but it also presents an opportunity. By centering local knowledge, institutions, and priorities, AI development can foster new models of collaboration, governance, and innovation.
Rather than prescribing solutions, the report puts forward a shared research agenda: 12 guiding questions designed to inform funders, universities, governments, and technology companies working to build inclusive, locally grounded AI systems over the next decade.
“Together, the twelve questions encapsulate a roadmap for AI that advances human agency, equity, and locally grounded development in the Global South by addressing the intertwined challenges of technology, institutions, communities, and real-world impact.”
The message is simple: shaping the future of AI requires shaping who it serves — and who helps build it.
