Core Strategies for AI Governance in the Public Interest

Core Interventions for the Public Interest at the AI Impact Summit

This month, Creative Commons (CC) will play a significant role at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi, an international gathering aimed at shaping the future of AI policy and practice. The 2026 Summit builds upon the discussions from the AI Action Summit held in Paris in February 2025, where CC emphasized a crucial truth: without civil society, there can be no public interest.

The Commons in the Age of AI

The commons is not merely an abstract theory; it is a tangible aspect of everyday life. When individuals access articles free from paywalls, consult Wikipedia, or use openly licensed images, they benefit from the commons. In today’s world, the commons increasingly manifests as datasets that train and shape AI systems, embedding human knowledge and culture.

For communities in the Global South, issues surrounding data governance and data sovereignty are particularly urgent. Often, local knowledge and cultural expressions are extracted without meaningful agency or recognition, risking the reproduction of old patterns of extraction in new technical forms.

CC’s Core Interventions

As CC prepares for the AI Impact Summit, it focuses on several key interventions where its experience and global community can make a distinctive contribution to AI governance.

Filling Gaps in Shared Governance Infrastructure

One of the core data governance mechanisms is asserting preferences on how data holders wish their data to be used in AI. Effective data governance relies on a shared set of rules and a cohesive approach. With decades of experience in developing machine-readable licenses, CC is uniquely positioned to help translate expressions of intent into collective governance tools.

Participatory and Democratic Approaches to Data Governance

The process of practicing data governance is essential. CC’s licensing frameworks are shaped through open, global, and deliberative processes, emphasizing that participatory governance is a requirement for legitimacy, particularly in AI systems affecting billions.

Enabling Counter-Power for Creators and Communities

Current data practices in AI often exhibit an extractive nature. CC’s role is not to obstruct AI development but to empower creators and data-holding communities with clear forms of agency. By supporting collective norms and shared infrastructure, CC aims to rebalance power between AI developers and the communities whose work underpins these systems.

Choice, Agency, and Human Flourishing

To ensure that AI governance operates in the public interest, it is vital to foster choice and agency. CC believes that promoting human flourishing should guide data governance, as a flourishing commons is essential for human development. The interconnectedness of the knowledge commons available through the internet and shared physical resources requires stewardship and collective responsibility.

If you believe that AI governance must center the public interest, respect data sovereignty, and strengthen the global commons, CC invites you to engage at the AI Impact Summit. Upcoming opportunities to connect include: