Global Network of Centers

Thank you for joining us for our first Learning Call of 2025, ☎️ Grasping China’s AI Business Ecosystem and its Global Impact: The Case of DeepSeek ☎️. We were thrilled to have over 50 colleagues from around the world join us in this space. In this insightful conversation with Wayne Wei Wang and Gissella B., moderated by Christian Fieseler, we learned that: 💡DeepSeek stands out for several reasons: DeepSeek V3 model for its efficiency in lowering computational resource needs, and the R1-0 model for its innovative use of reinforcement learning and transparency in problem-solving. 💡In the academic community, DeepSeek is facing mixed perceptions of AI model performance. While some studies have replicated results, formal validation is lacking. 💡Data protection and open-source models play a significant role in China's AI ecosystem and its competitive environment. While DeepSeek aims to comply with local regulations in China, its models can be fine-tuned and utilized outside the country without those constraints. However, certain questions remain about its regulatory interoperability. Thank you to our experts for this perceptive conversation, and to everyone who joined and shared their thoughtful questions. We’re looking forward to more spaces like this, coming soon. Please stay tuned for the announcement of future Learning Calls.

This Learning Call is coming up! Join us next Tuesday, March 18th, for an exciting conversation on DeepSeek with Christian Fieseler, Gissella B., and Wayne Wei Wang. We look forward to seeing you there!

We’re excited to invite you to the first Learning Call of the 2025 Series: ☎️Grasping China’s AI Business Ecosystem and its Global Impact: The Case of DeepSeek ☎️ DeepSeek, the generative AI company, disrupted the AI market on the first days of 2025 with the release of its pioneering chatbot. This learning call explores the particularities of the Chinese ecosystem and what this new development means for policy regulators and researchers around the world. What is DeepSeek’s impact on international AI governance discussion and the influence of China in these conversations? How does its allegedly significantly less costly development and training change our understanding of this technology? Does the lower cost have implications beyond its impact on competitors and accessibility? Should policymakers reframe how they think about generative AI and similarly disruptive technologies? Parallel to this, how has this development impacted global research on AI? What are the social impacts of this new development, compared to the GenAI boom of previous years? Join us as we explore the case of DeepSeek and what we can learn from this development, featuring Guest Speakers Wayne Wei Wang, Researcher from Hong Kong University, Gissella B., Professor at Marist University, and moderator Christian Fieseler, Professor at BI Norwegian Business School and Visiting Professor at TUM. 🔔Tuesday, March 18, 2025 9:00 AM ET / 2:00 PM CET / 9:00 PM HKT 📋Register Today: https://lnkd.in/efujNnt5

📢We are excited to announce the release of our new policy brief, "Shaping the Future of AI in Africa" This policy brief provides a comprehensive analysis of the key challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for AI governance and capacity building in Africa. It is a product of the Africa AI Stakeholder Meeting convened in Kigali, Rwanda, in October 2024, which brought together leading experts and stakeholders from across the continent to discuss the critical issues surrounding AI in Africa. It builds on our recent report, "State of AI Regulation in Africa: Trends and Developments," and offers actionable recommendations for governments, policymakers, the private sector, and civil society to ensure responsible AI development and deployment across the continent. The brief highlights the significant strides made by African countries in advancing AI at both continental and national levels, demonstrating a growing commitment to harnessing AI for socio-economic development. However, it also identifies key challenges that need to be addressed to ensure responsible and inclusive AI development, such as limited infrastructure, skills gaps, outdated legal frameworks, and the need for greater stakeholder engagement. With the African Union's Continental AI Strategy set for implementation, this brief provides timely guidance for stakeholders to navigate the evolving AI landscape and harness its potential for Africa's growth. A big thank you to our co-convenor Global Network of Centers and our partners Microsoft Meta Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Smart Africa Rwanda ICT Chamber The African Leadership University and the contributors for their invaluable input to this document. We look forward to discussing these issues further at the Global AI Summit in Kigali this April! Read full Policy brief: https://lnkd.in/dVYtvtkf #AI #Africa #AIgovernance #ResponsibleAI #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #PolicyBrief Rwanda Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

We are sharing key insights from the Africa AI Stakeholder Meeting on Innovative Governance and Capacity Building, held in Kigali, Rwanda, in October 2024. This meeting was convened by the Certa Foundation’s Center for Law and Innovation and the Global Network of Centers Secretariat, in partnership with Microsoft, Meta, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, Smart Africa, the International Trade Centre, the Rwanda ICT Chamber, and The African Leadership University. The discussions underscored Africa’s pivotal role in shaping the future of AI on a global scale. The meeting emphasized the need for a pan-African approach to AI governance—one that fosters collaboration, innovation, and ethical AI development to drive economic growth, job creation, and social inclusion. To address these issues, the report offers actionable recommendations for policymakers, governments, industry leaders, regulators, and researchers, focusing on: ✅ Strengthening AI governance ✅ Fostering innovation ✅ Ensuring ethical and responsible AI development This brief serves as a call to action for collaborative efforts to unlock AI’s transformative power for Africa’s sustainable and inclusive development.

Proud to be part of and support this important conversation at TUM Think Tank during the Munich Security Conference (MSC): What does #PublicInterestAI mean, and how do we make it a reality? Next steps include regional consultations, co-designing frameworks, and developing financing models to make AI work for all. Thanks to Nicole Manger and Markus B. Siewert for organizing such an inspiring discussion!

Last week in Houston, a major launch took place for the future of NoC’s work in North America 🚀. We had the opportunity to be at Rice University and attend the inaugural event for the Baker Institute Center for the United States and Mexico’s new line of research on AI Policy and Governance. Advancing a collaborative agenda on AI Governance is essential given the strong ties between both countries, and without a doubt, the Baker Institute is well-positioned as a key player in this project. It was a pleasure to engage with colleagues from various companies, universities, the U.S. AI National Committee (NAIAC), and institutions like Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco, CAF -banco de desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe- and the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo.

🌊“The Evolving Role of AI Safety Institutes in Uncertain Times: A New Wave Ahead?”🌊 The NoC Side Meeting in Paris was a great success! We gathered with colleagues representing different institutions in this hybrid event to discuss the current state of AI Safety Institutes and the road ahead, including if the NoC should have a role in this landscape, and what would this look like: Some highlights from the discussion include: 💬 NoC colleagues will begin forming a working group on AI Safety Institutes to research and support AI safety action. 💬Representation from Majority World perspectives will be invaluable, as countries in regions like South America lack the infrastructure for their own Safety Institutes.  💬Instead of an international network of safety institutes, which already exists, the working group would look to fill gaps in the current ecosystem and aim for a structure adaptable to the current geopolitical landscape. We want to especially thank our colleagues from Instituto de Tecnologia e Sociedade (ITS Rio) Rio and Rice University for making this meeting possible. We will share more information about the working group soon! CC: César A. Uribe, Fabro Steibel, Elisabeth Sylvan Nagla Rizk, 박경신Kyung Sin Park, Urs Gasser, Armando Guio Español, Beatriz Botero Arcila, Elena Estavillo, Lorrayne Porciuncula, Ana María Castillo

While all eyes in the AI space are on Paris this week, we‘re preparing a follow up conversation on *AI policy learning and cooperation* in Singapore. 🇸🇬 Please join Nicole Manger and me in a conversation moderated by Noha Lea Halim at Technical University of Munich Asia - TUM Asia on February 19, details below. cc: TUM Think Tank, Technical University of Munich, Hochschule für Politik München, Global Network of Centers, in collaboration with Christian Fieseler and Markus Waechter

MENA Observatory on Responsible AI is among those 50 projects! Nagla Rizk Access to Knowledge for Development Center AUC Onsi Sawiris School of Business International Development Research Centre (IDRC) IDRC in the Middle East and North Africa | مركز أبحاث التنمية الدولية للشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا