Introduction
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming economies, societies, and global power dynamics. Amid advances in generative models, autonomous systems, and digital governance technologies, the absence of universally accepted AI norms poses profound risks—ranging from bias, misinformation, and surveillance to destabilizing military applications.
In response, a mosaic of national laws, regional frameworks, industry codes, and multilateral initiatives—such as the EU AI Act, the Geneva AI Summit declaration, and the UN’s Global Digital Compact—are emerging to shape a global governance architecture. Together, they aim to balance innovation with safeguards, ensuring AI serves human rights, equity, and sustainable development.
Fragmented Governance Landscape: Gaps in Representation and Implementation
Governance today is highly fragmented. National approaches vary widely: the U.S. favors industry-driven, minimal regulation; the EU enforces a risk-based, ethics-first legal regime; and many Global South countries still lack formal AI laws Reddit+1The Pioneer+1.
This divergence highlights three core governance gaps:
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Representation Gap: Over 100 countries—mainly from the Global South—are underrepresented in international AI initiatives, limiting inclusive decision-making Vision IASDigital Watch Observatory.
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Coordination Gap: Disparate standards and legal regimes hinder interoperability and create regulatory friction for multinational AI systems Diplomacy and LawSpringerLink.
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Implementation Gap: Despite multiple pledges and declarations, enforcement mechanisms remain weak, and many jurisdictions lack funding or institutional capacity for oversight Vision IASDigital Watch Observatory.
Global governance thus requires consolidation: enabling multilateral norms while bridging capacities across regions.
Key Multilateral Agreements and Frameworks
Geneva AI Summit 2025
In May 2025, over 80 countries gathered to sign the AI Ethics Charter, focusing on transparency, privacy, non-discrimination, and environmental responsibility. They also established the Global AI Oversight Council (GAIOC) and adopted a ban on lethal autonomous weapons without human oversight pro.giving+1INFINITRIX NEWS+1.
Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for SDGs
Adopted in mid‑2025 at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, this declaration underscores the use of AI as a tool to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing accountability, inclusivity, and transparency The Times of India.
Agency & Standards Alignment
The Council of Europe’s CAHAI developed human‑rights centric core AI principles (dignity, non-discrimination, transparency, accountability) that inform EU policy and complement the EU AI Act and GDPR framework arXiv+10NCBI+10SpringerLink+10.
ISO/IEC standards (e.g. ISO 42001 for AI management; ISO/IEC 24027 and 24368) provide technical guidance, though gaps remain in enforcing these across jurisdictions. Recent analyses suggest adapting them via region-specific annexes and mandatory risk audits to enhance global relevance arXiv.
UN Global Digital Compact (GDC)
Adopted at the UN Summit for the Future in September 2024, the GDC is a non‑binding yet normative framework promoting responsible digital use, digital inclusion, interoperability of AI standards, and cross-sector governance cooperation Wikipedia.
Global Partnership on AI (GPAI)
Launched in 2020 and stewarded by the OECD, GPAI now has nearly 29 members including India. GPAI bridges policymaker and practitioner communities, with working groups on data governance, innovation, and AI for public good Wikipedia+1Wikipedia+1.
India’s Global AI Governance Trajectory
India has positioned itself as a thoughtful and influential voice in global AI governance:
IndiaAI Mission & Standards Infrastructure
Since launching INDIAai portal in March 2024, India’s AI strategy integrates ethical frameworks, privacy regulation (Digital Personal Data Protection Act), and domestic research institutions. The government announced the AI Safety Institute in January 2025 to bolster standards-setting, risk identification, and multi‑stakeholder coordination across public and private sectors INFINITRIX NEWS+2Wikipedia+2Wikipedia+2. India continues to develop data fiduciary regulations, anti-bias auditing, and dataset diversity standards The PioneerWikipedia.
Leadership in Multilateral Platforms
India co-chaired the Paris AI Action Summit 2025, advocating for inclusive, safety-first, decentralised AI norms rooted in SDGs. It supported the Declaration on Responsible AI, endorsed climate‑smart AI approaches, and joined global initiatives for equity in AI access theguardian.com+15INFINITRIX NEWS+15The Pioneer+15. At the UN AI for Good Summit, India’s representatives emphasized using AI for sustainable trade and development, reinforcing its model of ethical AI diplomacy The Times of India.
Challenges and Domestic Gaps
India must address algorithmic bias in multilingual ecosystems, strengthen data consent laws, and bridge capacity gaps across states and sectors. While its AI Mission has allocated hundreds of crores for Centers of Excellence and talent development, implementation at scale remains uneven Reddit.
Toward Adaptive and Inclusive Governance
Summarizing from global and scholarship sources, an effective AI governance roadmap entails:
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Adaptive Frameworks that blend risk-tiered oversight (like EU AI Act) with innovation accelerators and harmonized standards (ISO, ITU) Reuters+3arXiv+3SpringerLink+3.
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Multistakeholder Coordination across governments, industry, academia, civil society, and UN agencies for accountability and compliance Digital Watch Observatory.
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Capacity Building & Funding mechanisms, including targeted assistance for countries to adopt standards, risk assessments, and support civil society monitoring Vision IASDigital Watch Observatory.
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Rights-Based Oversight that integrates climate justice, human dignity, labour impact, and privacy protections—not just market or security interests NCBISpringerLink.
Conclusion
AI governance is at a critical inflection point. As declaratory frameworks evolve—from the Geneva Summit’s AI Charter and GAIOC to regional standards and ISO guidance—the real test lies in inclusive implementation, enforcement, and adaptability.
India is emerging as a strategic bridge—not only between Global South and Global North—but also between innovation and regulation. Its leadership through GPAI, IndiaAI, and multilateral summits underscores the need for governance that is ethical, diverse, and equitable.
Global AI norms must coexist alongside domestic strategies that address local realities—linguistic diversity, digital divides, and governance capacity. Ultimately, a governance architecture that is interoperable, incremental, and people-centred is essential to harness AI’s power without inheriting its perils.