In 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) received a whopping $258.7 billion in venture capital, which accounted for 61% of all venture investments globally, as reported by the OECD. However, it’s surprising that less than 1% of this investment is aimed at making a social impact. Additionally, data from the Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers 2026 report highlights an imbalance in AI training data, revealing that over 90% of early language models were trained using English sources. Consequently, speech recognition systems perform well with English, making mistakes less than 6% of the time, while errors in languages like Yoruba exceed 60%.
To tackle these pressing issues, over 60 leaders from various sectors including government, business, philanthropy, and technology came together at the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United Nations. This private meeting, titled “AI, Philanthropy and Inclusive Growth,” took place during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The event was co-hosted by the Emirates Foundation and Badr Jafar, Special Envoy of the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs for Business and Philanthropy. It also marked the unveiling of a new white paper titled “From Access to Agency: How philanthropy can support AI development in the Global South.” This paper was a collaborative effort between Emirates Foundation, the Office of the Special Envoy, and Oliver Wyman, and it continued discussions that began at the World Economic Forum in Davos regarding the concept of an ‘AI impact flywheel.’
During his opening remarks, Badr Jafar emphasized that philanthropy should fund projects that are often overlooked, such as creating local-language data, providing independent evaluations, and supporting institutions that take time to build. He noted, “While an AI model can cross borders in seconds, trust, skills, and institutions must be developed over years within communities.”
The white paper outlines a pathway for moving from access to adoption, adaptation, and ultimately to governance. It highlights the areas where philanthropic funding can fill gaps that commercial investors and governments often overlook, including local-language data, shared infrastructure, support for local technicians, and sustainable institutions.
Ahmed Talib Al Shamsi, Secretary General of Emirates Foundation, added, “Technology can make a real difference when it enhances the abilities of people and institutions serving their communities.” He stressed the importance of connecting innovation with community needs and ensuring that solutions not only emerge but can grow and provide lasting social benefits.
During the discussions, participants focused on building AI capabilities led by local communities in the Global South. They explored the unique role philanthropy can play in taking early risks, as well as the importance of shared infrastructure and practices that transform access to agency. Additionally, they examined how the UAE could leverage its resources—including computing power and research institutions—to support locally driven AI initiatives, as showcased by programs like the UAE’s AI for Development initiative for Africa, which provided AI-driven monsoon forecasts to 38 million farmers in India.
At the end of the roundtable, the Emirates Foundation and the Responsible AI Future Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This partnership, which involves Dr. Mark Latonero from the Responsible AI Future Foundation, aims to explore ways in which communities can responsibly adopt and shape AI solutions while promoting knowledge exchange and scalable models relevant to the Middle East and the Global South.
The Responsible AI Future Foundation was established by G42 and Microsoft in collaboration with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence to promote responsible AI standards and practices throughout the region.
