Building national capacity

Context 

AI is developing so quickly that many governments are struggling to keep up. Without the right technical skills and resources, policies will fall behind, leading to decisions that are poorly informed and unable to prevent harms or make the most of new opportunities. To avoid this, countries need to build basic national capacity: safe and reliable access to AI tools, good data-management practices, people with the right technical knowledge, and long-term investment in skills.

If countries don’t put these building blocks in place, the global AI Divide will widen. A small number of advanced nations will gain the most benefits, while others will face greater risks - from biased algorithms to national-security problems - because they rely on AI systems controlled by foreign powers.

Description

This session is designed to prepare parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to better drive national readiness for the AI era. Effective governance is essential for national resilience and maintaining public trust. To achieve the goal of Building National Capacity, this session structures the development of core competencies across three sequential phases, moving participants from high-level awareness to concrete legislative action:

1. Establishing Technical Understanding: Gaining competence in AI applications and the infrastructure driving frontier AI.

2. Ensuring Security and Oversight: Developing the ability to identify and counter critical risks through practical, hands-on exercises like 'jailbreaking.'

3. Implementing Policy Frameworks: Evaluating global governance models and focusing on their direct implementation within national contexts to provide clear legislative pathways.

Organization

09:30 – 11:00 

• Scene-setting

• Discussion

11:00 - 11:15 - Coffee break

11:15 – 13:00

• Group work

• Discussion of results, reflections and conclusions