Open @ UNGA 81: Open Data

Engelberg Center Live! · Oct 13, 2026 · 51m

During July’s UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Secretary-General Guterres mentioned not letting “the digital divide harden into an AI divide.” This panel will explore the space between “open everything” and “close everything,” asking what meaningful access, governance, and participation require in practice. AI has changed the scale and stakes of data reuse. Material can now be ingested, combined, and commercialized far beyond its original context, prompting some communities and rightsholders to reconsider open access. But broad retrenchment carries its own costs. This includes a shrinking…