G42 and Credo AI Forge Pact to Shape Responsible AI in Global South

NEW DELHI, INDIA – February 20, 2026 – In a move poised to shape the future of artificial intelligence across emerging economies, Abu Dhabi's global technology group G42 and U.S.-based AI governance leader Credo AI have announced a significant partnership. The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed on the sidelines of the landmark India AI Impact Summit 2026, aims to accelerate the adoption of Responsible AI by translating ethical principles into operational practice throughout the Global South.

The agreement brings together G42's extensive experience in deploying large-scale AI solutions and Credo AI's specialized platform for AI governance, risk management, and compliance. It represents a concerted effort to build guardrails for a technology that is advancing at a breakneck pace, particularly in regions characterized by diverse regulatory environments and pressing societal needs.

A Summit for the South, A Pact for its Future

The announcement was strategically made at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, a monumental event that positioned New Delhi at the epicenter of the global AI conversation. As the first major AI summit hosted in the Global South, it drew world leaders and tech innovators to focus on the theme of “Shaping AI For Humanity, Inclusive Growth & a Sustainable Future.”

The summit was a hotbed of ambitious announcements reflecting the region's determination to not only participate in but also lead the AI revolution. India unveiled several sovereign AI models, including the 17-billion-parameter BharatGen, designed to bolster national data sovereignty. Concurrently, staggering investment pledges were made, with over $250 billion earmarked for infrastructure and major corporations like Tata Group and Reliance announcing multi-gigawatt data center expansions. Global hyperscalers like Microsoft and Google also reaffirmed multi-billion-dollar commitments to AI and cloud infrastructure across the Global South.

Within this context of explosive growth and investment, the G42 and Credo AI partnership addresses a critical question raised throughout the summit: How can this rapid technological progress be managed responsibly? The collaboration directly aligns with the summit's mission to translate AI's potential into tangible, equitable outcomes, acknowledging that innovation without governance risks exacerbating existing inequalities.

From Principles to Practice: Operationalizing AI Governance

For years, the discourse around ethical AI has been dominated by high-level principles and frameworks. The G42-Credo AI alliance signals a decisive shift from abstract commitments to concrete, measurable action. Both organizations assert that for AI to be truly beneficial and widely adopted, trust must be an engineered component, not an afterthought.

“AI innovation and AI governance must advance together,” said Dr. Andrew Jackson, Group Chief AI Officer at G42, in a statement. “When trust is engineered into the system from the start, innovation accelerates, deployment is smoother and adoption happens faster at scale. This partnership with Credo AI is about accelerating trusted AI so innovation can move faster, adoption can be responsible, and AI can deliver meaningful impact across economies and societies.”

This sentiment is echoed by Credo AI, a company that has pioneered the AI Governance category since 2020. Its platform provides organizations with tools to manage AI risks and ensure compliance with evolving regulations like the EU AI Act and standards such as ISO/IEC 42001. The goal is to provide a blueprint for control in an era of increasingly autonomous systems.

“Enterprises scaling AI need more than ambition — they need speed with control, and governance they can measure,” stated Navrina Singh, CEO of Credo AI. “Our partnership with G42 gives organizations across the Middle East and Global South the capability to deploy AI faster, govern it at scale, and turn responsible adoption into genuine competitive advantage.”

The collaboration will focus on designing practical governance frameworks, developing sophisticated risk monitoring tools, and creating educational programs to empower policymakers and technology professionals across the region.

Navigating a Diverse and Developing Landscape

The challenge the partnership confronts is immense. The Global South is not a monolith; it is a complex tapestry of nations with varying levels of regulatory maturity, institutional capacity, and digital infrastructure. India, for example, is pushing forward with its own ethical AI framework, the “MANAV Vision,” while also championing data sovereignty. Other nations, like Brazil and South Africa, are in earlier stages of formulating national AI strategies, often grappling with how to balance innovation with the protection of citizens' rights.

Implementing responsible AI in these contexts presents unique hurdles. Experts point to challenges such as data scarcity, which can lead to biased algorithms, and significant infrastructure gaps that can create an “AI ethics divide.” Furthermore, human rights organizations like Amnesty International have raised alarms, cautioning that without binding protections, AI tools like facial recognition could be used to entrench surveillance and authoritarian practices, a stark reminder of the high stakes involved.

However, these challenges are matched by unique opportunities. By developing governance frameworks now, emerging economies can leapfrog the legacy issues faced by more developed nations. They can tailor AI solutions to solve pressing local problems in agriculture, healthcare, and financial inclusion. This partnership aims to provide the tools to seize these opportunities, helping nations build localized, culturally aware governance models that can serve as new global standards.

Abu Dhabi's Growing Influence on Global AI Standards

The agreement is also a significant geopolitical move, underscoring the United Arab Emirates' strategic ambition to be a leader in the global AI ecosystem. Through its technology holding group G42, Abu Dhabi is not just investing in AI but actively working to shape the international rules that will govern it.

G42 has consistently been at the forefront of global AI safety and ethics discussions. Its initiatives include launching the Responsible AI Future Foundation with Microsoft, developing its own Frontier AI Safety Framework, and being a signatory to international agreements like the Bletchley Declaration. The company’s issuance of a public Transparency Report further demonstrates a commitment to putting its responsible AI principles into practice.

This partnership with Credo AI extends that influence directly into the fast-growing markets of the Global South. By providing the foundational tools and expertise for AI governance, G42 is positioning itself and, by extension, the UAE, as a key partner in the technological development of dozens of nations. It's a strategy that moves beyond simple capital investment to one of embedding standards and fostering long-term technological alignment. As AI becomes more powerful and autonomous, the entities that write the rules of governance will wield immense influence, and this collaboration is a clear statement of intent to be one of those authors.