The Digital Cooperation Organization is hosting an expert-led webinar today, bringing together voices from its Digital Economy Navigator initiative to examine how artificial intelligence and digital innovation can serve as engines of inclusive growth in emerging economies. The session, scheduled for 16:00 to 17:00 Gulf Standard Time, is open to participants upon registration and will close with a live question and answer segment.
The webinar draws on insights from the Digital Economy Navigator, a tool developed by the Digital Cooperation Organization to assess and benchmark digital economies across member and partner states. Against the backdrop of accelerating artificial intelligence adoption worldwide, the session is designed to move beyond surface-level enthusiasm and engage with both the promise and the complications that accompany rapid technological change in developing contexts.
Speakers at the event are expected to address how artificial intelligence can expand economic opportunity, improve the delivery of public services, and accelerate innovation within emerging market settings. At the same time, the discussion will not shy away from the governance and policy challenges that tend to follow fast-moving technology adoption — particularly in countries where regulatory frameworks are still catching up with ground realities.
One of the more consequential questions the webinar will take up is whether artificial intelligence holds the potential to close the global digital skills gap or whether, left ungoverned, it risks deepening existing inequalities between digitally advanced and digitally lagging nations. This tension between opportunity and exclusion sits at the heart of much of the current international debate around artificial intelligence policy, and the Digital Cooperation Organization’s framing of the issue through an emerging economy lens gives the discussion particular relevance for countries across South Asia, Africa, and the broader Global South.
The Digital Cooperation Organization, headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, counts several emerging economies among its membership and has positioned the Digital Economy Navigator as a practical instrument for governments and policymakers seeking data-driven guidance on digital transformation. The webinar is part of a broader series aimed at translating the Navigator’s findings into actionable insights for stakeholders across government, industry, and civil society.
Participants can register through the official Zoom webinar link to join the session and engage directly with speakers during the live question and answer portion.
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