Prosocial AI and the “Fourth Path” for the Global South

In this policy brief, Cornelia C. Walther introduces a “fourth path” for artificial intelligence (AI) policy designed specifically for middle-income countries. Moving beyond the existing regulatory models, Walther advocates for prosocial AI — systems explicitly engineered and tested to prioritize human well-being and planetary health.

Author Sanjay Bhattacharyya explores in this policy brief how science and technology have become the primary vectors for India’s economic growth and national power. He then explains that while India has successfully trained a large pool of researchers and engineers, higher levels of resource allocation are now critical to elevating its institutes to global standards.

In this new policy brief, B. Courtney Doagoo examines the legal and ethical challenges emerging at the intersection of generative AI and intellectual property. As AI-generated works become indistinguishable from human creations, Doagoo argues for a shift toward “anticipatory governance,” a proactive framework that uses strategic intelligence to navigate technological convergence.

The Digital Policy Hub at CIGI is a collaborative space for emerging scholars and innovative thinkers from the social, natural and applied sciences. Here are the most recent working papers published by Hub fellows.

Sophie Xiaoyi Liu: “Prosecutorial Challenges in Hate-Related Cases in Canada”

Kristen Csenkey: “Global Tech Rivalry Changes Cooperation Opportunities for Middle Powers”

Xiao Han: “Canada Should Develop a Faith-Informed AI Ethical Framework”

Follow the links on the Hub webpage to learn more about the Hub scholars and their work.

In a new commentary piece, Burcu Kilic explores how a 2025 data leak at Coupang — South Korea’s dominant e-commerce platform — transformed into a high-stakes trade war. By framing domestic consumer protection as a geopolitical confrontation, this case threatens to chill privacy and cybersecurity enforcement worldwide.

Cornelia C. Walther argues that misinformation and disinformation thrive online not simply because of technology itself, but because AI algorithms are designed to reward the very things humans are evolutionarily wired for: speed, emotional resonance and confirmation bias. To safeguard our information ecosystem, she calls for a shift in AI design toward systems that encourage human agency.

S. Yash Kalash explains that the future of money is not just about having multiple “rails” for moving value, but about engineering a “full-stack” system of trust. To build a resilient global ecosystem, jurisdictions must treat the foundational layers of current and future global payments as public or quasi-public goods.