“The future belongs to the many, not the few.” That was the guiding message as the AI for Developing Countries Forum (AIFOD) convened the Geneva Summit 2026 at the Assembly Hall of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland from 12–14 August 2026. Held under the theme “Small Takes the Lead,” the summit brought together more than 900 leaders - ministers, founders, researchers, and civil-society voices - in a gathering framed as a manifesto for the Global South: a coming-together of small enterprises, small models, small languages, and small nations reshaping the intelligence of the twenty-first century.

A Global Platform for AI Sovereignty

The Geneva Summit was convened by AIFOD, the world’s largest community of its kind, uniting over 7,200 members from more than 150 countries around a shared mission: advancing AI sovereignty for the Global South. Held in partnership with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, the three-day summit drew delegates - ministers, founders, researchers, and civil-society leaders - from more than 50 nations, all free and open to registered participants at the Palais des Nations.

The choice of venue carried its own significance. Convening at the United Nations Office at Geneva placed the summit’s central argument - that the future of artificial intelligence must be authored by the many nations that have so far been treated as its consumers rather than its architects - at the heart of the multilateral system itself. Over three days, delegates worked through what it means for small enterprises, small models, small languages, and small nations to move from the margins of the AI conversation to its center.

The American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) was represented at this prestigious global forum by Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna, Board Member and Former Vice Chancellor of AIUB, and Professor Dr. Dip Nandi, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology. Their participation in Geneva builds directly on AIUB’s engagement at the AIFOD Winter Summit in Bangkok earlier this year, where Dr. Lamagna and Prof. Dr. Nandi represented the university across sessions on AI capacity building, sustainability, and academic collaboration.

Dr. Lamagna, whose leadership took AIUB from its early beginnings of just 50 students to a premier institution serving over 15,000 students today, continues to represent the university at the highest levels of global academic and policy dialogue. Prof. Dr. Nandi, who previously moderated AIFOD’s flagship Bangkok panel on building local AI capacity, brings to Geneva his continued focus on Contextual AI - systems built around local languages, local infrastructure, and local talent rather than imported, one-size-fits-all solutions.

Their presence at the Geneva Summit reaffirms AIUB’s consistent engagement in international dialogues on responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - particularly Quality Education (SDG 4) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).

Looking Ahead

Over the course of the three-day summit, the AIUB delegation engaged in high-level sessions, panel discussions, and strategic meetings alongside ministers, technologists, and development practitioners from across the Global South. By taking part in a summit convened around the message that “Small Takes the Lead,” AIUB’s delegation reaffirmed the university’s commitment to ensuring that Bangladesh and the wider Global South remain active authors - not passive observers - of the next chapter of artificial intelligence.