AI Impact Summit in New Delhi
More than 100,000 experts attended the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi (18 & 19 February 2026). The very general final declaration[1] was signed by 90 governments, including the EU, China, Russia, the USA, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The text formulates seven non-binding principles (chakras), such as trustworthiness, social compatibility and democracy-friendliness, oriented towards innovation and emphasising national sovereignty in international AI cooperation. The eleven accompanying more concrete documents[2], such as a ‘Charter for Democratic Diffusion of AI’[3], ‘Guidance Note on AI Governance’[4] or the intention to establish a ‘Network of AI for Science Institutions’[5], were not adopted by consensus. The summit was the fourth in the so-called Bletchley Process, which was launched in London in 2023 by the then British Prime Minister Sunak. After Seoul (2024) and Paris (2025), Geneva (2027) and Abu Dhabi (2028) will be the next hosts. In Paris, the US had still refused to sign. In New Delhi, Michael Kratios, Director at the White House, announced an ‘American AI Export Programme’[6] and invited all countries to participate. At the same time, he expressed his opposition to the UN's planned ‘Global Dialogue on AI Governance’. The New Delhi Declaration makes no reference to the UN's AI activities. Germany was represented by Digital Minister Wildberger. On the sidelines of the summit, a German-Indian AI pact was agreed[7].
80th UN General Assembly appoints 40 members of the new ‘Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence’
On 12 February 2026, the 80th UN General Assembly appointed the 40 members of the new ‘Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence’.[8] The panel must submit a report for the ‘1st UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance’ (July 2026, Geneva). The US voted against the resolution along with Paraguay. 117 countries voted in favour, two abstained (Ukraine and Tunisia). Among the 40 members are two Germans: Bernhard Schölkopf, professor at ETH Zurich, known for his opposition to autonomous weapon systems, and Maximilian Nickel, research director at Meta in New York.[9]
Munich Security Conference (MSC) and Munich Cybersecurity Conference (MCSC)
The Munich Security Conference (MSC)[10] and the Munich Cybersecurity Conference (MCSC)[11] from 12 to 15 February 2026 focused, among other things, on how Western countries should respond to cyber attacks. Several high-ranking speakers called for a more aggressive response, even if there are no clear attributions. The president of the BND proposed, among other things, ‘asymmetric hack backs’ against Russian cyber attacks. Bruce Schneier of Harvard University drew attention to ‘data integrity’ and ‘data manipulation’ in the application of AI in the field of cyber security. When AI is trained with manipulated data, the security risk increases. The new cyber czar from the White House, Sean Cairnscross, said ‘US first does not mean US alone,’ but called on the EU to extensively deregulate its digital policy, which EU Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen rejected.
5th meeting of the Digital Cooperation Organisation
On 7 February 2026, the 5th meeting of the Digital Cooperation Organisation, an association of 16 governments, mainly from the Gulf region, took place. It adopted the Kuwait Declaration on Responsible AI for Global Digital Prosperity[12]. The document aims to harmonise the national policies of the DCO states on the basis of five principles (Ethical AI Governance, Inclusive Digital Growth, Trusted Data Flows, Strategic Alignment and AI Readiness). In this way, the Gulf states want to play a stronger role as key players in international AI processes.
Geneva IGF Secretariat sets course for the future
After WSIS+20 guaranteed the IGF permanent status in the UN system, the Geneva IGF Secretariat began setting the course for the future. At a MAG meeting on 10 February 2026, the results of a survey on improvements to the IGF modalities were discussed. [13] The main topics were the IGF's governance structures (MAG & Leadership Panel), programme work and outreach. At a MAG meeting on 2 March 2026, further recommendations will be discussed, including expanded inter-sessional work and better coordination with national and regional IGFs (NRIs). The location and date for the 21st IGF will be announced at the end of March 2026. An IGF retreat is planned for 13 and 14 April 2026 in New York.
EU Commission publishes action plan against cyberbullying
On 10 February 2026, the EU Commission published an action plan against cyberbullying. The aim is to protect children in all EU countries equally.[14] This was followed on 11 February 2026 by an action plan on drone defence. This action plan aims at ‘improved prevention of incidents, detection of drones, response to malicious drone activities and strengthening Europe's defence readiness against drone threats’.[15] After two years, the European Commission has given a positive assessment of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA has led to online platforms behaving in a more legally compliant manner. They have made over 50 million corrections because of the DSA. [16] The results were discussed at the 4th Roundtable of the European Commission with civil society organisations (CSOs) on 26 February 2026 in Brussels, among other places[17]. There, the Commission also presented its strategy for long-term cooperation with CSOs. [18] It states, among other things, that "Engagement with civil society is a cornerstone of EU policymaking... Civil society contributes to more effective, inclusive, and representative policymaking at the EU, national and local level. Ensuring that civil society organisations can meaningfully participate in public life and contribute their views via transparent processes is an important element of a robust and inclusive policymaking process...
For this engagement to be effective, the EU has increasingly recognised that civil society needs an enabling, safe and supportive environment throughout the EU. This includes adequate protection for CSOs and human rights defenders (HRDs) who experience an overall shrinking civic space, and who face threats and attacks in relation to their work. Sustainable and transparent financial support is also essential for a thriving civil society and for ensuring that CSOs can operate independently."
[1] https://d19ob9sqegt2wc.cloudfront.net/stage/uploads/AI_Impact_Summit_Declaration_f208574dfc.pdf
[2] https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/outcome-resources
[3] https://d19ob9sqegt2wc.cloudfront.net/stage/uploads/Charter_for_the_Democratic_Diffusion_of_AI_a273df0545.pdf
[4] https://d19ob9sqegt2wc.cloudfront.net/stage/uploads/Guidance_Note_on_AI_Governance_c9d53506cf.pdf
[5] https://d19ob9sqegt2wc.cloudfront.net/stage/uploads/Network_of_AI_for_Science_Institutions_fb189452da.pdf
[6] https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2026/02/remarks-by-director-michael-kratsios-at-the-india-ai-impact-summit/
[7] https://bmds.bund.de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/detail/deutschland-und-indien-schliessen-pakt-fuer-ki
[8] https://unric.org/en/general-assembly-appoints-artificial-intelligence-panel/
[9] https://www.un.org/independent-international-scientific-panel-ai/en/panel-members
[10] https://securityconference.org/en/msc-2026/
[11] https://mcsc.io/
[12] https://dco.org/media/digital-cooperation-organization-concludes-5th-general-assembly-with-adoption-of-the-kuwait-declaration-on-responsible-ai-for-global-digital-prosperity/
[13] https://www.intgovforum.org/en/filedepot_download/335/30703
[14] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/action-plan-against-cyberbullying
[15]
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/action-plan-drone-and-counter-drone-security
[16] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/two-years-digital-services-act-allows-50-million-content-moderation-decisions-platforms-be-reversed
[17] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/fourth-roundtable-civil-society-organisations-implementation-digital-services-act
[18] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/8c30975d-bc1c-4415-8dcd-a71cb28f3662_en?filename=JUST_template_comingsoon_standard.pdf
