Ethics and Governance of AI: A Synthesis Report
Reflections and Policy Insights from a Pre-Summit Webinar Series
This synthesis report examines critical dimensions of artificial intelligence (AI) governance, drawing on insights from a four-part webinar series convened by The ICRIER Prosus Centre for Internet and Digital Economy (IPCIDE) from October 2025 to January 2026. Each webinar featured leading international experts and Indian discussants, creating structured dialogue between global regulatory innovations and India’s institutional contexts. The webinars explored the regulation of AI value chains; environmental and social sustainability throughout AI lifecycles; perspectives of AI researchers on AI, public engagement, and responsibility; and the evolution from digital to AI sovereignty in BRICS countries.
The discussions reveal cross-cutting themes in AI governance, including asymmetries in information and bargaining power, tensions between claims of technological universality and local realities, and concentrations of power in AI ecosystems. This report synthesises these discussions to identify opportunities for India’s strategic positioning in global AI governance, emphasising digital public infrastructure principles as alternatives to concentrated private control, embedding sustainability across AI development, building institutional capacity for adaptive governance, and operationalising meaningful public participation in AI decision-making. With India assuming leadership in AI governance through the AI Impact Summit 2026 and the 2026 BRICS presidency, this report aims to contribute to deliberations on building robust AI governance frameworks aligned with India’s developmental priorities and global positioning.
