Ms Vasiliki Poula
DPhil candidate in International Development, University of Oxford
Vasiliki Poula is a DPhil candidate in International Development at the University of Oxford, exploring infrastructure projects in post-conflict settings. She investigates the decision-making mechanisms that shape them and their impact on local communities and economies, challenging the conventional view of infrastructure as neutral, purely technical endeavours. Her research is informed by her experience in place-based policy-making – from the Greek Ministry of Education at the national level, to the European Commission at the supranational level, and the OECD at the intergovernmental level – as well as in the non-profit and private sectors. She holds Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Law from the London School of Economics (LSE).
Ms Vasiliki Poula presents her work at the Young Scholars Session.
Title: Children and AI in the Global South: Reimagining International Development Infrastructure for Digital Empowerment
Abstract: While international development already mobilises extensive human and material infrastructure networks across the Global South, these operations frequently fail to build sustainable capacity. The emergence of AI further strains this capacity-building deficit, as AI applications in development contexts are predominantly framed through security paradigms or operational efficiency frameworks rather than as catalysts for enhancing local agency and technological sovereignty.
This presentation addresses this gap by exploring how international development architecture can be reimagined to integrate AI capabilities within child education policy ecosystems across the Global South. I argue that existing development networks, when properly reconfigured, can serve as powerful vectors for children’s empowerment. The urgency of this reconfiguration stems from two concurrent opportunities: the leapfrogging potential – enabling regions to bypass intermediate stages and directly implement advanced technological solutions– and a critical inflection point in technological diffusion that offers a narrow window to subvert historical patterns of digital dependency. To capitalise on these opportunities, I propose a three-tiered infrastructural blueprint that reconceptualises AI integration in Global South children education through (1) digital commons – establishing open-source technical architectures that transform isolated educational environments into interconnected learning networks; (2) distributed governance – implementing frameworks that substantively incorporate children's voices in technological decision-making while ensuring contextually appropriate content development; and (3) capacity accelerators – deploying locally-embedded technical hubs that provide maintenance while systematically cultivating regional expertise through cascading knowledge transfer protocols. By positioning education as a laboratory for technological sovereignty, my presentation demonstrates how recalibrating the traditional development paradigm can replace unidirectional knowledge flows with multidirectional innovation networks where formerly marginalised communities become active contributors to – rather than passive recipients of – global AI advancement. This ecosystem architecture enables three empowering pathways through children’s engagement with AI. Enhanced active citizenship through AI-enabled participation can create platforms where young voices can meaningfully influence community decisions, counteracting the fragmented political landscapes that typically exclude youth from decision- making processes. This civic engagement naturally connects to accelerated economic empowerment via knowledge networks, where AI connects young people to global resources and markets. These pathways for political and economic empowerment also position children to become leaders in AI governance and indigenous innovation, transitioning from consumers to authors of locally-relevant AI solutions.
The activation of these pathways, however, confronts significant tensions. The resource allocation dilemma questions whether AI represents a responsible investment when basic needs remain unmet. This tension becomes productive when AI is reframed as a multiplier of existing resources rather than a competitor for them. This perspective helps address the digital colonialism concern, where AI initiatives risk becoming vehicles for interventionist neo-colonialism, perpetuating dependencies unless deliberately designed to enhance local agency and sovereignty. As harnessing AI also risks primarily benefitting existing elites and leaving vulnerable populations further behind, the need to operationalise this ecosystem approach is critical to ensure equitable distribution of AI’s benefits across diverse communities. Importantly, addressing these tensions not only benefits the Global South but also leads to epistemological diversity, creating a virtuous cycle where expanded participation leads to more robust, inclusive, and creative AI development worldwide.
Ms Vasiliki Poula presents her work at the Young Scholars Session.
Title: Children and AI in the Global South: Reimagining International Development Infrastructure for Digital Empowerment
Abstract: While international development already mobilises extensive human and material infrastructure networks across the Global South, these operations frequently fail to build sustainable capacity. The emergence of AI further strains this capacity-building deficit, as AI applications in development contexts are predominantly framed through security paradigms or operational efficiency frameworks rather than as catalysts for enhancing local agency and technological sovereignty.
This presentation addresses this gap by exploring how international development architecture can be reimagined to integrate AI capabilities within child education policy ecosystems across the Global South. I argue that existing development networks, when properly reconfigured, can serve as powerful vectors for children’s empowerment. The urgency of this reconfiguration stems from two concurrent opportunities: the leapfrogging potential – enabling regions to bypass intermediate stages and directly implement advanced technological solutions– and a critical inflection point in technological diffusion that offers a narrow window to subvert historical patterns of digital dependency. To capitalise on these opportunities, I propose a three-tiered infrastructural blueprint that reconceptualises AI integration in Global South children education through (1) digital commons – establishing open-source technical architectures that transform isolated educational environments into interconnected learning networks; (2) distributed governance – implementing frameworks that substantively incorporate children's voices in technological decision-making while ensuring contextually appropriate content development; and (3) capacity accelerators – deploying locally-embedded technical hubs that provide maintenance while systematically cultivating regional expertise through cascading knowledge transfer protocols. By positioning education as a laboratory for technological sovereignty, my presentation demonstrates how recalibrating the traditional development paradigm can replace unidirectional knowledge flows with multidirectional innovation networks where formerly marginalised communities become active contributors to – rather than passive recipients of – global AI advancement. This ecosystem architecture enables three empowering pathways through children’s engagement with AI. Enhanced active citizenship through AI-enabled participation can create platforms where young voices can meaningfully influence community decisions, counteracting the fragmented political landscapes that typically exclude youth from decision- making processes. This civic engagement naturally connects to accelerated economic empowerment via knowledge networks, where AI connects young people to global resources and markets. These pathways for political and economic empowerment also position children to become leaders in AI governance and indigenous innovation, transitioning from consumers to authors of locally-relevant AI solutions.
The activation of these pathways, however, confronts significant tensions. The resource allocation dilemma questions whether AI represents a responsible investment when basic needs remain unmet. This tension becomes productive when AI is reframed as a multiplier of existing resources rather than a competitor for them. This perspective helps address the digital colonialism concern, where AI initiatives risk becoming vehicles for interventionist neo-colonialism, perpetuating dependencies unless deliberately designed to enhance local agency and sovereignty. As harnessing AI also risks primarily benefitting existing elites and leaving vulnerable populations further behind, the need to operationalise this ecosystem approach is critical to ensure equitable distribution of AI’s benefits across diverse communities. Importantly, addressing these tensions not only benefits the Global South but also leads to epistemological diversity, creating a virtuous cycle where expanded participation leads to more robust, inclusive, and creative AI development worldwide.