AI Leaderboards Fail Global South Due to Governance Gaps
Key takeaways
- Global AI leaderboards are structurally ill-suited to serving the Global South due to governance issues.
- High-quality regional benchmarks exist but are not included in global evaluations.
- The problem is institutional design, lacking independent governance and conflict-of-interest policies.
- Commercial pressures favor the Global North, leaving issues affecting the Global South unaddressed.
Who benefits
Summary
A position paper argues that global AI leaderboards inadequately serve the Global South due to a lack of independent governance, conflict-of-interest policies, and mechanisms for metric evolution. It highlights that high-quality regional benchmarks exist but are not included.
Why it matters
For professionals involved in AI development, policy, or global strategy, this paper highlights critical issues of fairness, inclusion, and equitable representation in AI evaluation. It underscores the need for more inclusive governance models to ensure AI benefits all regions.
How to implement this in your domain
- 1Advocate for the inclusion of diverse, regional benchmarks in global AI leaderboards and evaluation frameworks.
- 2Support initiatives that promote independent governance and conflict-of-interest policies for AI evaluation platforms.
- 3Investigate and utilize regional AI benchmarks relevant to your target markets in the Global South for more accurate model assessment.
- 4Collaborate with local AI communities and practitioners in the Global South to understand their specific needs and challenges.
- 5Contribute to the development of open-source, community-driven AI evaluation tools that prioritize global inclusivity.
Original post by Sourav Banerjee, Saikat Saha
"arXiv:2608.18117v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: This position paper argues that AI leaderboards are structurally ill-suited to serving the Global South because they lack independent governance, conflict-of-interest policies, and mechanisms for metric evolution. The barrier is not…"
View on XOriginally posted by Sourav Banerjee, Saikat Saha on X · view source
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