IGF 2026 WS #193 Co-creating an Inclusive AI-Enabled Internet

Description

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how people access, create, share and participate in knowledge online, while influencing how decisions about the Internet’s future are made. Yet these changes are not experienced equally. Differences in access, digital and AI literacy, language representation, institutional capacity and participation shape who benefits from emerging technologies, who contributes to their development, and who is excluded from governance decisions.

This interactive workshop explores how communities can move from being users of an AI-enabled Internet to becoming meaningful participants in shaping its future.

Through a five-stage collaborative process: Understand → Map the Problem → Co-design a Response → Stress-test Governance Implications → Commit to Action, participants will work together to examine real-world AI and Internet governance challenges.

Unlike a traditional panel, facilitators will provide prompts, tools and guidance, while participants lead the discussion and development of solutions. Small groups will identify affected communities and stakeholders, explore governance challenges, develop practical responses, test potential risks and unintended consequences, and define concrete next steps.

The workshop will address issues including access, literacy, language, representation, accountability, transparency, rights and meaningful participation while considering diverse community contexts and capacities.

Bringing together Kenyan, African and international perspectives, the session will encourage participation across stakeholder groups, regions, genders, professional backgrounds. The methodology supports meaningful participation by participants. Facilitators will guide the process but participants will contribute their experiences and expertise to create community-centred responses. The workshop will produce practical action ideas showing how multistakeholder approaches can translate AI governance discussions into locally relevant possibilities.

Policy Question(s)

How can communities participate meaningfully in shaping the governance of an AI-enabled Internet and the systems that affect their access to knowledge and participation?
How can AI governance responses better address differences in access, digital literacy, language, representation and community capacity?
What governance safeguards should stakeholders consider when designing and implementing community-centred responses to AI-related challenges?

Expected Outcomes

Participants will develop a practical understanding of how AI-related Internet governance challenges affect communities and stakeholders, and how inclusive, participatory approaches can address these challenges. Through the five-stage collaborative process, groups will identify a challenge, map affected communities and stakeholders, develop a community-centred response, assess governance risks and safeguards, and define a concrete action step. The workshop will generate participant-led outputs using the framework: Challenge → Response → Governance Consideration → Action These outputs will capture key insights, proposed responses and governance considerations, informing the session report and supporting continued collaboration after IGF 2026. Participants will leave with a practical approach for moving from identifying challenges to designing and testing possible solutions.

Reference Document

Format

Classroom Duration (minutes): 90 Format description: The workshop is designed around collaborative problem-solving rather than expert presentations. A classroom format therefore provides the strongest opportunity for participants to contribute their experiences, perspectives and expertise in groups. Participants will work in diverse small groups through five connected stages:

Understand
Map the Problem
Co-design a Response
Stress-test the Governance Implications
Commit to Action Facilitators will introduce each stage, provide guiding questions and support the groups, while participants generate the substantive analysis and proposed responses. The 90-minute format allows participants to move from understanding a concrete challenge to developing and testing a possible response, while leaving time for concise group pitches and joint reflection. The methodology builds on EduWiki Hub's participatory workshop experience, including its Wikimania 2026 workshop approach, where participants worked collaboratively on real-world challenges and developed and presented practical responses.

Hybrid Format

Hybrid Format: The workshop will be designed as a genuinely hybrid activity, with onsite and online participants contributing equally rather than remote participants serving as observers. Onsite facilitators and a dedicated online moderator will guide participants through the same five-stage process using shared digital workspaces and collaborative tools. Groups will document challenges, stakeholder maps, proposed responses, governance considerations, safeguards and action commitments. Online and onsite discussions will be connected through shared outputs, plenary exchanges and facilitator synthesis. Accessible materials, clear instructions and structured activities will support meaningful participation, ensuring all participants contribute to the final workshop outcomes.

Organizers

Organizer 1: JAMES BUKOLA , EduWiki Hub Organizer 2: Barakat Adegboye, EduWiki Hub Organizer 3: Rhoda James, EduWiki Hub Organizer 4: Rita Maliqi, EduWiki Hub Organizer 5: Winnie Kabintie, Wikimedia Organizer 6: Yusuf Ganyana Juma, Kenya National Library Service

Speakers

Speaker 1: JAMES BUKOLA , Civil Society, African Group Speaker 2: Barakat Adegboye, Civil Society, African Group Speaker 3: Winnie Kabintie, Civil Society, African Group Speaker 4: Yusuf Ganyana Juma, Government, African Group

Moderator

Rita Maliqi, Civil Society, Intergovernmental Organization

Online Moderator

Rita Maliqi, Civil Society, Intergovernmental Organization

Rapporteur

Rhoda James, Civil Society, African Group

Participant Benefits

What will participants gain from attending this session?

SDGs

4.4 4.5 4.7 4.a 9.5 9.c 10.2 10.3 16.6 16.7 16.9 17.16 17.17

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