Dr. Syed Muntasir Mamun, in the keynote, said that AI is fundamentally about power, control, and human identity. He moved beyond technical definitions to propose that AI is “everything and anything that we are, and we are not,” representing an all-pervasive form of imagination and content. He stressed that existing governance structures are ill-equipped for this future, calling for adaptive, agile, and fluid new forms of governance that accompany citizens at each step.

The roundtable panel discussion was followed by a vibrant Q&A session with distinguished participants. The audience comprising senior diplomats, academics, cybersecurity experts, entrepreneurs, and civil society representatives raised critical concerns ranging from algorithmic bias and data sovereignty to the erosion of social trust, digital inclusion, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding autonomous systems.

The discussion underscored several key themes, including the urgent need for domestic capacity building and proactive policy interventions to prevent the deepening of inequality, the transformation of cybersecurity from a largely defensive practice into a domain of continuous, real-time warfare, and the dual nature of AI as both a creator and destroyer of jobs, highlighting the necessity of just and inclusive transitions.

Participants also emphasised the importance of asserting a strong Global South voice in global AI governance forums to influence and shape the emerging epistemology and normative frameworks of artificial intelligence.
The seminar concluded with a consensus that while AI presents existential questions about control, identity, and sovereignty, it also holds transformative potential. The path forward requires not trepidation but informed, proactive, and inclusive engagement from all sectors of society.