New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact: A Global South–Centric Vision for Responsible Artificial Intelligence

The New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact marks a significant moment in the global governance of artificial intelligence. Adopted during a high-level international AI summit hosted in New Delhi, the declaration reflects India’s attempt to shape a human-centric, inclusive, and development-oriented framework for artificial intelligence at a time when AI technologies are transforming economies, societies, and geopolitics at an unprecedented pace. Unlike many earlier AI frameworks driven primarily by Western regulatory concerns or corporate interests, the New Delhi Declaration emphasizes equity, accessibility, and real-world impact—especially for developing and emerging economies.

Background and Context

Artificial intelligence has rapidly moved from experimental research labs to mainstream deployment across sectors such as healthcare, finance, governance, defense, education, and agriculture. While AI promises efficiency, innovation, and economic growth, it also raises serious concerns related to job displacement, algorithmic bias, surveillance, misinformation, and concentration of power among a few global tech corporations.

Against this backdrop, India convened global leaders, policymakers, technologists, and civil society representatives at Bharat Mandapam to deliberate on AI’s societal impact. The New Delhi Declaration emerged as a consensus document articulating shared principles, responsibilities, and policy directions for the ethical and inclusive development of AI.

Core Philosophy of the Declaration

At its heart, the New Delhi Declaration asserts that AI must serve humanity, not dominate it. The document rejects a purely market-driven or militarized approach to AI development and instead promotes a values-based framework grounded in democratic accountability, social welfare, and sustainable development.

A defining feature of the declaration is its Global South perspective. It recognizes that most AI models, datasets, and standards are currently shaped by a handful of developed countries, often overlooking the linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic realities of billions of people. The declaration calls for correcting this imbalance by ensuring that AI development reflects diverse human experiences and development needs.

Key Principles of the New Delhi Declaration

1. Human-Centric and Ethical AI

The declaration emphasizes that AI systems must respect human dignity, fundamental rights, and democratic values. It calls for transparency in algorithmic decision-making, explainability of AI systems, and accountability mechanisms to prevent misuse. Ethical considerations are positioned not as optional guidelines but as foundational requirements.

2. Inclusive Growth and Development

One of the most distinctive elements of the declaration is its focus on development impact. AI is seen as a tool to accelerate progress toward goals such as poverty reduction, healthcare access, quality education, climate resilience, and agricultural productivity. The declaration urges nations to deploy AI in ways that bridge, rather than widen, digital and economic divides.

3. Safeguards Against Harm and Bias

Acknowledging the risks of biased datasets and discriminatory outcomes, the declaration stresses the need for representative data, bias audits, and continuous monitoring. It highlights that unchecked AI can reinforce social inequalities, particularly affecting marginalized communities, women, and minorities.

4. Responsible Innovation and Regulation

Rather than advocating heavy-handed regulation that could stifle innovation, the declaration promotes adaptive and risk-based governance frameworks. These frameworks should evolve with technological advances while ensuring public safety, national security, and societal trust.

5. International Cooperation and Capacity Building

The declaration calls for stronger global collaboration in AI research, standards-setting, and talent development. It emphasizes technology transfer, open research ecosystems, and shared best practices to help developing countries build indigenous AI capabilities instead of remaining dependent on external platforms.

India’s Strategic Positioning

The New Delhi Declaration also reflects India’s strategic ambition to emerge as a global norm-setter in AI governance. With its large digital population, robust public digital infrastructure, and growing startup ecosystem, India positions itself as a bridge between advanced economies and developing nations.

By championing responsible and inclusive AI, India seeks to counter narratives that frame AI governance as a choice between innovation and regulation. Instead, the declaration argues that trustworthy AI is a prerequisite for sustainable innovation.

The leadership role taken by Narendra Modi in articulating this vision underscores India’s intent to influence global technology debates beyond traditional economic or military domains.

Global Significance and Reception

Internationally, the New Delhi Declaration has been seen as a complementary framework to existing AI principles such as those from the OECD and the European Union, while offering a distinct emphasis on development and inclusivity. Many developing countries have welcomed the declaration for acknowledging their concerns about data colonialism, skill asymmetries, and unequal access to AI benefits.

However, some critics argue that translating high-level principles into enforceable policies will be challenging, especially given divergent national interests and regulatory capacities. The declaration itself acknowledges this limitation and calls for continued dialogue, pilot projects, and multilateral coordination.

Challenges Ahead

Implementing the New Delhi Declaration faces several hurdles. These include aligning private sector incentives with public interest goals, ensuring cross-border data governance without undermining sovereignty, and building institutional capacity to audit and regulate complex AI systems. There is also the challenge of keeping pace with rapid technological advances such as generative AI, autonomous systems, and artificial general intelligence research.

Yet, by framing these challenges as shared global responsibilities rather than isolated national problems, the declaration sets a collaborative tone for future engagement.

Conclusion

The New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact represents an important evolution in global AI governance discourse. It shifts the focus from technology alone to technology’s consequences for people, societies, and development. By foregrounding ethics, inclusivity, and international cooperation, the declaration offers a balanced vision that neither demonizes AI nor embraces it uncritically.

In an era where artificial intelligence will increasingly shape human destiny, the New Delhi Declaration serves as a reminder that the ultimate measure of technological progress lies not in computational power, but in its ability to enhance human well-being, equity, and freedom.