Whose AI? How Governments Can Adopt Technology Without Giving Up Control

For governments in lower-income countries, the question is not simply how to use AI, but how to use it without giving up sovereignty. Who controls the data? Who owns the infrastructure and models? What happens when critical public systems depend on foreign technology providers? And how can governments regulate, evaluate and negotiate with AI companies when their own technical and regulatory capacity is limited? This session will explore the choices governments face as they integrate AI into public services and development. From building local capacity and generating evidence before scaling, to protecting data and ensuring communities shape how systems are designed, the conversation will ask what governments need to remain in the driving seat. The goal is not to resist AI adoption, nor simply to ensure poorer countries are included in an AI revolution designed elsewhere. It is to understand how countries can harness AI on their own terms, retaining the power to decide how technology serves their people and their priorities. Discussion Group Leaders Attaullah Abbasi is AI Policy Manager at J-PAL, advancing evidence-based approaches that maximize the social benefits of artificial intelligence while addressing potential risks. Jordan Shuff is Executive Director at Visilant, expanding access to quality eye care in underserved communities through AI-enabled digital health technologies. Riccardo Lampariello is CEO at D-tree, strengthening primary health care to follow patients' entire health care journeys. Charlene Migwe is Deputy Regional Director, East and Southern Africa at IDinsight, strengthening regional partnerships and evidence-driven approaches across development, technology, and financial inclusion. Rositsa Zaimova is CEO at Dalberg Data Insights, advancing data-driven solutions that help organizations address complex social and development challenges. What to expect A candid discussion about the practical trade-offs governments face when adopting AI. Participants will explore questions of technology dependence, data and infrastructure, regulation, evidence and public-sector capacity, grounded in the realities of lower-resource settings. Who this is for This session is for government leaders, policymakers, funders, technology partners, researchers and development practitioners working with governments in low- and middle-income countries on AI adoption, digital public infrastructure and public-sector transformation. What you will get out of it A practical understanding of what AI sovereignty means for lower-income countries A clearer view of the dependencies and trade-offs governments should consider before adopting AI Approaches to evaluating AI-enabled programmes before taking them to scale Perspectives on building government capacity to govern, negotiate and make informed technology choices New thinking on how countries can benefit from AI while retaining control over their data, systems and priorities