Global Solutions Initiative Foundation

🌍 Rethinking Digital Sovereignty: Collaboration Over Isolation

While the for Good Summit 2026 is underway, we invite you to watch this conversation with Sarah Nicole from our partner Project Liberty. In her dialogue, she tackles one of the most pressing questions of our time:

How can governments design digital infrastructure in the AI era to both protect citizens and enable global collaboration?

In the recent GSI / PLI report, Digital Infrastructure in the AI Era (based on interviews with 13 governments worldwide), she reveals: Acceleration is both an opportunity and a risk. On one hand, countries must push digitalization to ensure access to services and protection. On the other, they risk dependency on foreign providers with questionable business models—and rushed decisions in the "innovation race."

Yet the solution lies in a paradox: To build shared AI stacks, we need transparency and trust—and thus a redefinition of sovereignty. In the digital age, sovereignty no longer means isolation but collaboration beyond borders. The reality? No country can build its AI infrastructure alone.

Sarah’s takeaway in three words? “Forced collaboration. Acceleration.”

🔗 Watch the full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6xyTz9vhkk

Truth, Trust & the Democratic Mind – Key Takeaways from

At this year’s Global Solutions Summit, we asked: Can democracy survive if we lose control over our own minds?

Generative AI doesn’t just spread misinformation—it erodes the very foundation of shared reality. As Stefano Quintarelli warned: "Without the sovereignty of the mind, we don’t have democracy." When algorithms tailor "truth" to individual users, collective understanding—and with it, democratic discourse—is at risk.

The stakes for young generations are particularly high. On platforms like TikTok, deepfakes blur the line between fact and fiction, while social AI chatbots exploit emotional trust. The answer? Not just restrictions, but age-appropriate design and critical digital literacy to empower users.

So what’s the way forward?
👉 Community-governed information (think Wikipedia, not black-box algorithms)
👉 "Network Source AI"—local agents drawing only from trusted, user-defined sources
👉 Legal accountability for AI providers: Voluntary standards won’t cut it when profit incentives clash with public safety
👉 A "traffic light" trust system to help users navigate platform reliability

The message was clear: AI is human-made, and its risks are human-made too. We must resist the illusion that machines can replace judgment - and reclaim democratic regulation to ensure technology serves society, not the other way around.

What do you think is the most urgent step to protect truth and trust in the age of AI? Share your thoughts below.

Many thanks to Stefano Quintarelli, Sikhulekile (Khule) Duma, Franziska Heine, Ron Ivey for such an inspiring and insightful discussion - and to everyone who contributed their perspectives!

📸Photo credits: Bernhard Ludewig

Session Recap: The 2026 Annual Meeting of the Council for Global Problem Solving (CGP) and Think Tank Cooperation Network (TTCN)

The 2026 Annual Meeting of the Council for Global Problem Solving (CGP) and the Think Tank Cooperation Network (TTCN) - part of - brought together leading think tanks and research institutions to address a critical moment in global governance.

With the currently underway in Évian, and with the United States holding the G20 presidency, both forums face deeply interconnected challenges that neither can tackle alone. The meeting highlighted the need for a shift from universal rules-based multilateralism toward more adaptive, coalition-based coordination, where the and can play complementary roles. 🌍🏛️

The CGP, bridging both processes, helps align analysis, sustain continuity, and turn ideas into actionable pathways. Given the 2026–27 presidential cycle, the focus was on where the CGP’s collective influence can be most effective and what concrete commitments member institutions can take forward.

The discussion contributed to the summit’s theme by reinforcing that effective governance requires collaboration beyond states. An ever-growing number of regions are affected by conflict, complicating investment, yet there is a rising awareness and activity - including through conferences like the GSS - that is generating pressure to act.

Many thanks to Amar Bhattacharya, Laura Chappell, Marília Closs, Chadrima Das, Stephanie Diepeveen, Hitomi Kaori, Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Divij Joshi, Homi Kharas, Philani Mthembu, Trita Parsi, Richard Ponzio, Paul Samson, Anirban Sarma, Sarang Shidore, Dennis J. Snower, Rebecca Snyder, Izabella Teixeira (She/Her), Sébastien Treyer, Grant T., Zachary Paikin, Vidisha Mishra and Christian Kastrop for contributing to this discussion.

📸Photo credits: Bernhard Ludewig

: Finding Common Ground in a Fractured World

The 10th Global Solutions Summit in Berlin brought together leaders, thinkers, and practitioners from government, business, academia, and civil society to address one of the defining questions of our time: How do we find common ground in a fractured world?

❗ The answer was clear: The will to connect local action with global architecture is alive. As one speaker put it: "There is still a lot of optimism, there is this momentum, and we mustn’t let that slip away now." Over two immersive days, 105 speakers from around the world tested their ideas across 36 sessions—from Forum plenaries to Deep Dives. The discussions showed that cooperation is not just possible, but necessary, even if the fracture lines run differently than we often assume.

What emerged was a shared understanding: Reforming multilateral structures depends on all sectors bringing forward actionable ideas—and policymakers providing concrete pathways to implement them.

🙏 Thank you for being part of this vital conversation. Your engagement made what it was.

Relive the moments in our photo gallery: https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=157679884%40N06&text=global+solutions+summit&album_search=1&view_all=1