2026 Global Governance Forum highlights inclusive AI development progress

China on Friday unveiled a progress report at the 2026 Global Governance Forum convened in north China's Xiongan New Area, highlighting that inclusive AI capacity-building for Global South countries has shifted from principles to actions.

Th Progress Report on the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All finds that after two years of rollout, the inclusive AI capacity-building program has shifted from conceptual principles to concrete, inclusive implementation actions.

According to the report, the global intelligence divide is evolving rapidly, making the international community's need for stronger AI capacity building more urgent. The AI Capacity-Building Action Plan for Good and for All responds to the development aspirations of countries in the Global South and has gradually grown in practice into cooperation mechanisms and concrete projects.

Under the multilateral framework of the United Nations, and drawing on the Group of Friends for International Cooperation on AI Capacity Building to build cooperation channels, the scope of cooperation has expanded from one-off technical assistance to full-chain capacity building covering data, models, talent, industry applications and safety governance, while the range of participants has continued to broaden and become more diverse.

The report features a series of representative cases drawn from the implementation of the plan’s "Ten Actions". These include the FlagOS open-source computing infrastructure, which has significantly lowered AI adoption thresholds for developing nations; the "Mazu" disaster early warning system, which leverages artificial intelligence to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, which operates as a dedicated platform for international AI collaboration.

In addition, the rollout of the "Ten Actions" covers key areas such as foundational scientific large models, multilingual large model development, capacity building education and training, data governance, and cross-border security governance, building a complete pathway from technology accessibility to independent capability development.

Chen Zhimin, vice president of Fudan University and executive director of the Global AI Innovation and Governance Center, noted that the action plan has won widespread support from the international community.

"The action plan has been widely welcomed by the international community as we are willing to open source, willing to empower the development of the Global South with our technologies, our applications, and our products. Capacity building is a complete chain, so we need to advance data, models, talent, and governance in a coordinated way. Going forward, China will continue to vigorously push this forward and work with more countries around the world to take joint actions. I believe that we will see even stronger momentum for artificial intelligence development that is for the positive, for good and for humanity," he said.

Running from Friday to Sunday, the forum is hosted by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and being held under the theme "Rebuilding Confidence and Cooperation: Reforming and Improving Global Governance in a Transforming World."

2026 Global Governance Forum highlights inclusive AI development progress

French protesters taking to the streets nationwide say they are growing increasingly frustrated and angry about the future as they struggle with the rising cost of living, deteriorating educational facilities and poor public services.

Nationwide demonstrations erupted in France on Oct 17, with the government estimating that approximately 550,000 people had participated across the country, while organizers claimed the figure reached 800,000.

In many cities, the protests escalated into violent unrest. In Paris, vehicles were set ablaze and shops were vandalized, while public facilities in several other cities also sustained varying degrees of damage.

The mass protests were initially triggered by students dissatisfied with a lack of educational resources and the poor condition of school facilities.

They were later joined by groups such as farmers and urban residents frustrated by rising energy prices, the high cost of living and declining public services.

Last week, protests in Marseille, France's second-largest city, descended into widespread violence.

On Oct 22, authorities in the Bouches-du-Rhone department, where Marseille is located, announced a ban on all protests across the department, including the southern port city, effective Oct 24.

High school students in Marseille say rising living costs and deteriorating school conditions are among the reasons they have taken to the streets.

"The price of gasoline and life itself have become too expensive. We have to protest, for the future, for ourselves and for our lives in the future," said Pablo Marez, a high school student.

"Overcrowding in classes, rats in classes. Walls in classes just don't stand up anymore. The heating doesn't work. During summer, it was way too hot," said Jenna, another high school student.

Observers said the protesters' demands highlight a series of governance challenges facing France, including a fiscal crisis, pressure on the welfare system and political polarization. With the 2027 presidential election approaching, some protesters say they see no candidate capable of turning the situation around.

"Currently, I don't see anyone who is capable of changing the situation in a country like France. I don't believe the answer lies in turning to the extremes or to the extremist parties -- whether it's the extreme right or the extreme left. People are becoming increasingly angry. We saw this on Saturday, October 17, and unfortunately, things are likely to get even worse in two days," said Jerome Borgeot, a social worker who works with homeless people in Marseille.

French protesters grow increasingly disillusioned about future amid nationwide demonstrations