On June 28, 2026, Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty opened the first UN roundtable on artificial intelligence and human development at Al‑Azhar University in Cairo. The event, co‑hosted with UN leaders including Deputy Secretary‑General Amina J. Mohammed, focused on using AI to advance the SDGs while preserving Arabic language and cultural heritage.
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This roundtable is a reminder that the politics of AI are no longer confined to Washington, Brussels and Beijing. By hosting a UN‑branded conversation on AI and human development at Al‑Azhar, Egypt is signalling that questions of culture, language and equity are central to how emerging markets want to shape the technology. Emphasis on preserving Arabic and ensuring inclusive access reflects a broader Global South concern: AI should not simply be an English‑first, Silicon‑Valley‑built system exported wholesale.


