gaan Edition June 24, 2026

GAAN WEEKLY AI BRIEFING ll Week ending Saturday 6 June 2026

GAAN WEEKLY AI BRIEFING

For Members of the Global AI Advocates Network (GAAN) — Government Officials, NGO Leaders & Senior Policy Influencers

Week ending Saturday 6 June 2026 | Published by GAAN | www.iaadai-agent.org

WEBINAR UPDATE

Webinar W005 on the AI Skills Crisis was completed on Saturday 30 May 2026. The video on this topic will be uploaded soon on YouTube channel @AIGrandad999.alanross and to our 10 language-specific channels (e.g. @AIGrandad999.alanross.Spanish, @AIGrandad999.alanross.Hindi, etc.) where we are in the process of translating and uploading our existing and new English language videos on many important topics of interest to those in the developing world. We encourage you to view and share these with your networks and ask them to visit and subscribe to the relevant language channels so they can be notified every time a new video is uploaded.

Our next free webinar, W006, is planned for Saturday 20 June on the topic: "The Brain Drain Crisis - Keeping AI Talent at Home." This will highlight current trends and what some countries are doing to retain talent and to attract the diaspora back home to help build their countries. It also shows the major opportunities for AI academies and AI entrepreneurs and why this is an issue requiring urgent government attention.

THIS WEEK'S KEY DEVELOPMENTS

1. WORLD BANK WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2026: THE DEFINITIVE POLICY BRIEF ON AI AND DEVELOPMENT

The World Bank recently published its Concept paper for the World Development Report 2026: Decoding AI for Development . This report will be the most comprehensive and authoritative analysis yet of how AI will affect developing nations. The concept note is essential reading for every GAAN member. Its core conclusion: AI presents a genuine development opportunity, but only if governments act now to invest in the three missing ingredients in most LMICs — digital infrastructure (connectivity, compute), workforce skills (AI literacy, technical training), and institutional governance (regulatory capacity, data governance). Without these, AI will accelerate inequality rather than reduce it. The report shows that the jobs most exposed to AI displacement in LMICs are often the best available jobs in those economies — clerical, administrative and professional roles — closing off pathways that have historically provided routes to decent work, particularly for women and young people.

Why this matters for GAAN members: This report gives government officials and policymakers the evidence base and the mandate to act. Take it to your minister. Use it in budget discussions. The World Bank's imprimatur on this analysis means it cannot be dismissed as speculation — AI disruption is coming to your country's best jobs, and the window to prepare is measured in months and a few years, not decades. The report also highlights practical wins: AI-driven credit assessment tools that expand financial inclusion; AI tutoring and diagnosis tools that extend quality services to underserved populations. These are not distant possibilities — they are available now and your government can procure them.

Source: World Bank | worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2026

2. WHITE HOUSE AI EXECUTIVE ORDER: US ACCELERATES — YOUR COUNTRY MUST RESPOND

US President Trump signed a significant executive order on 2 June 2026 — 'Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security' — committing the US government to accelerating AI development and deployment while building a voluntary cybersecurity framework for frontier AI models. The order explicitly prohibits mandatory government licensing or permitting for AI development, establishing an AI Cybersecurity Clearinghouse and a voluntary pre-release review period of 30 days for frontier AI models. The order reflects US determination to lead globally in AI and to keep the regulatory environment permissive for rapid innovation.

Why this matters for GAAN members: US AI policy directly shapes the global AI landscape because the most capable models — from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google — are US-developed and US-regulated. This executive order signals continued acceleration in US AI capability, with few controls. For policymakers in developing countries, this has two implications: first, the AI tools available to your citizens and businesses will continue to improve rapidly and remain broadly accessible; second, there is no global regulatory backstop protecting your populations from potential harms — your government must build its own governance capacity. The UN's Global Dialogue on AI Governance (Geneva, 6-7 July 2026) and the AI for Good Global Summit (7-10 July, Geneva) are the next major international forums where developing country voices must be heard.

Source: White House | whitehouse.gov / CSIS

3. CHATGPT REACHES ONE BILLION USERS — AI IS NOW A PUBLIC UTILITY IN YOUR COUNTRY

ChatGPT this week surpassed one billion monthly active users — the fastest app in history to reach this scale, outpacing Google Maps, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Critically, adoption growth in the lowest-income countries has been more than four times faster than in the highest-income countries. The Philippines ranked sixth globally. AI tools are no longer a niche technology for wealthy professionals — they are already embedded in daily life across the developing world, including in your country. ChatGPT's annualised revenue surpassed $47 billion, confirming that the most capable AI tools are commercially sustained and here to stay.

Why this matters for GAAN members: The policy question for your government has fundamentally shifted. It is no longer 'should we adopt AI?' — your citizens already are, without government guidance or safeguards. The question is now: 'How do we ensure our citizens use AI safely, productively, and in ways that support national development goals?' This requires immediate government attention to AI literacy in education, data privacy protections for AI users, and procurement guidelines for government use of AI tools. GAAN members can point to this milestone when briefing ministers: AI adoption is already happening at scale — governance must catch up.

Source: Reuters / American Bazaar Online | americanbazaaronline.com

4. UNESCO DIGIKEN KENYA: A MODEL FOR GOVERNMENT AI READINESS THAT EVERY GAAN COUNTRY NEEDS

UNESCO launched a call for proposals this week under its DigiKen Programme in Kenya, seeking partners to train 9,000 government civil servants in AI governance, digital transformation, ethical AI, and data governance by August 2026 — with a target of 20,000 trained civil servants by 2027. The programme is a joint UNESCO, UNCDF, UNEP, and UN Women initiative implemented in collaboration with the Government of Kenya. It adapts the UNESCO-Oxford MOOC on AI and Digital Transformation — a free, high-quality online course — to Kenya's specific public sector context. The programme represents a practical, scalable model for building AI readiness within government.

Why this matters for GAAN members: Every GAAN country needs what Kenya is building. Civil servants who do not understand AI cannot govern it, procure it wisely, or protect citizens from its harms. GAAN members in government and NGO leadership should investigate whether a similar UNESCO DigiKen-style programme can be replicated in their country. The UNESCO-Oxford MOOC that underpins the programme is freely available today — any government can begin using it immediately. GAAN members outside Kenya should contact UNESCO's regional offices to explore replication.

Source: UNESCO Eastern Africa | UNESCO / Joint SDG Fund

5. AI TALENT BRAIN DRAIN: THE HIDDEN GOVERNANCE CRISIS YOUR COUNTRY CANNOT AFFORD TO IGNORE

Multiple reports published this week confirm that the AI talent brain drain from developing countries has reached crisis proportions. India sends more AI researchers abroad than any other nation, despite having the world's second-largest AI talent pool. Nigeria's technology sector has raised urgent national alarms about accelerating emigration of tech professionals to the UK, US, and Canada. The Global AI Brain Race Report 2026 shows that even countries with strong AI talent pools — India, Brazil, South Africa — score poorly on AI infrastructure and governance, limiting domestic retention of talent. The report notes that 'brain regain' is possible — China, Singapore, and to some extent India have demonstrated that diaspora engagement and domestic opportunity creation can reverse migration patterns — but it requires deliberate, funded government policy.

Why this matters for GAAN members: Governments that invest in AI education and then watch their graduates emigrate immediately are funding the AI ecosystems of high-income countries, not their own. This is not just an economic loss — it is a national security and development crisis. GAAN members in government should bring three questions to their ministers this week: (1) What percentage of our AI graduates left the country in the past 12 months? (2) Do we have a national AI talent retention strategy? (3) Are we engaging our AI diaspora to attract them back? (Our next webinar on 20 June will cover brain drain issues and will provide concrete frameworks for answering these questions.)

Source: Global AI Brain Race Report 2026 / Stanford AI Index / Nigeria Tech Analysis

UPCOMING WEBINAR — Save the Date

Global Webinar W006: The Brain Drain Crisis — Keeping AI Talent at Home

Saturday 20 June 2026 | 1:00pm Dublin (BST) | Free to attend

As AI talent flows overwhelmingly to high-income countries, developing nations risk losing their most capable innovators at the very moment they need them most. This webinar will examine the causes of AI brain drain, the policies that have reversed it in some countries, and what GAAN members can do to help their governments keep — and attract back — AI talent.

GAAN members: please forward this weekly newsletter and webinar invitation to government contacts in your country. Invite them to view our YouTube videos on relevant issues and to attend our twice monthly webinars of particular relevance to the developing world .

#GAAN #AIPolicy #AIGovernance #DevelopingWorld #AIforSDGs #LMICs #AITsunami #DigitalDivide #AIAfrica #AIAsia #LatinAmericaTech #FutureOfWork