"Global Southern AI Capability Building" Summit will focus on bridging the digital divide.

During the World Summit on the Information Society Forum held in Geneva in 2026, the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) organized a side event titled "Bridging the Digital Divide: Building Capacity and Sharing Knowledge of Artificial Intelligence for the Global South." Participants discussed opportunities and challenges in the development of artificial intelligence in the Global South, practical pathways for empowering the Global South with artificial intelligence, inclusive governance systems and data ecosystems for the Global South, as well as strategies for deepening practical cooperation on artificial intelligence between China and Africa.