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The Caryn influencer artificial intelligence AI page is seen in this illustration photo taken in Warsaw, Poland on 05 December, 2023.
The geopolitics of on-device AI
Since its inception, generative AI such as ChatGPT has run primarily in the cloud: large data centers run by large companies. In that home, AI is reliant on electricity-hungry computers, robust internet connections, and centralized data. But now AI is beginning to move directly onto devices themselves, encouraged by advances in AI models, user-friendly tools, and ideological factors. This transformation has broad implications for the geopolitics of AI.
Whether for corporate or personal use, on-device AI is fundamentally different from cloud-based AI. When running on your own device, AI no longer requires racks of electricity-hungry computers, a reliable internet connection, or particularly custom hardware to operate. From a user’s point of view, one can more safely and privately give on-device AI access to all data on the device — including messages, photos, and real-time location — without risking privacy leakages. The on-device AI could control apps on the user’s behalf, and their apps could also efficiently use the on-device AI. All for free, with no usage limits.
Of course, the largest and most advanced AI models may never fit on a standard laptop; scientific labs might always need cloud-based AI. But as laptops and mobile devices continue to improve — and AI models continue to be miniaturized — an ever-higher percent of AI use cases will become viable on-device.
Geopolitically, on-device AI will scramble much of the current calculus.
As AI moves from clouds to devices, national AI infrastructure may play a less central role. There are already some reports of AI overcapacity in China; President Xi has publicly warned about it. Conversely, the global south might have an opportunity to leapfrog: just as some nations skipped landline internet and went directly to mobile connections, so too may developing countries skip expensive AI data centers and simply rely on AI-capable devices.
Though cloud operators may matter less, device creators will matter more. Globally, America is currently overrepresented, with Apple, Google, Microsoft, HP, and a range of other relevant device creators. China has historically been less relevant: only Xiaomi commands international attention, with less than 12% of the global mobile market. That said, a variety of companies are building next-gen AI devices. If any get traction (with its AI perhaps powered by connected phones), the countries that invent winning AI devices will stake their claim to global AI leadership.
Most countries are not competing for global AI device leadership, though, and most AI devices will likely come from only a few places. For middle powers looking to exercise national agency, new approaches are likely to emerge.
One possibility could grow out of system prompts: short, written instructions given to AI models to guide their behavior and tone. All AIs use system prompts; they are currently written by the companies that make the AIs. Perhaps there might be national system prompts in the future — in the same way that every smart device currently follows the time zone settings of the user’s current location, one could also imagine every AI device following a system prompt settings of the user’s current location.
Imagine, for example, that you visit a foreign country. Now — unless you override the default system prompt, as you can today for the time zone — your on-device AI might skew its default advice to follow local cultural norms and values, thanks to a simple extra section of text loaded into its invisible system prompt. Governments could write those short statements as distillations of national norms and values, and provide them to major on-device-AI makers in a standardized format.
On a social level, the makers of on-device AI have different incentives than the makers of cloud-based AI. In particular, cloud-based AI providers may be tuning their systems to encourage users down rabbit holes of higher usage, following the same financial incentives as social media providers. Conversely, on-device AI is incentivized to add more value to the customer’s purchase of the device, but the device maker isn't likely to earn extra revenue for every hour of incremental usage. So there’s grounds for cautious optimism: on-device AI may be better aligned with the user’s best self, rather than their most-frequently-using self.
The full secondary and tertiary consequences of on-device AI will take decades to fully appreciate. And the transition itself, while visible in the near horizon, will not happen overnight. Yet on-device AI is coming, and the geopolitics of AI will evolve with it.
A school of fish swim above a staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) coral colony as it grows on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia October 25, 2019.
Hard Numbers: Great Barrier Reef suffers worst coral damage, US cuts mRNA vaccine funding, South Korea opens visa-free tourism for Chinese visitors, & More
39: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – the biggest living ecosystem in the world – has suffered its largest annual coral decline since monitoring began 39 years ago. Tropical cyclones and coral-eating starfish are partly responsible, but experts say rising sea temperatures due to climate change are the main culprit.
5: Law and Justice-backed Karol Nawrocki began his five-year term as Polish president after his inauguration earlier today. Nawrocki will be a consistent thorn in the side of centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk: unlike Tusk, the new president supports tax cuts and doesn’t see a place for Ukraine in NATO nor the European Union.
$500 million: US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled nearly $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine research. mRNA technology, which gives genetic instructions to the body on how to fight diseases, enabled the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine. Several large studies say mRNA is safe, but the technology has faced scrutiny from Kennedy Jr., vaccine skeptic groups, and other members of the Trump administration.
2: Just how big is the AI spending boom? Over the past two quarters, investment in artificial intelligence has contributed more to American GDP growth than consumer spending, according to Renaissance Macro, an economic research company.
30: South Korea announced it will temporarily allow Chinese nationals to visit with a tour group for 30 days without needing a visa. It’s the first time that Seoul has allowed Chinese tourists to enter without a visa like this. The pilot program, which runs from Sept. 29 to June 30 next year, is part of a cautious thaw in bilateral relations.
AI for the entrepreneur
At the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, GZERO’s Tony Maciulis sat down with AI educator and content creator Natalie Choprasert, whose mission is to make artificial intelligence more accessible to everyday business owners.
With a massive following on TikTok and other platforms, Choprasert helps demystify AI tools and implementation, without the jargon. “Business owners don’t have time to test every tool,” she says. “Start with what fits your workflow, not what’s trending.”
In a world overwhelmed by rapid AI releases and rising misinformation, she also warns of new risks, from CEO scams to deepfake fraud, but believes clear labeling and education can build trust. Still, Choprasert remains optimistic: “AI has opened doors I never thought possible as a solopreneur.” Her message: AI isn’t just for tech giants, it’s a force multiplier for creatives, small businesses, and creators everywhere.
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.
Skilling for the AI era: What do you need to succeed?
"AI isn’t one thing, it’s everything, everywhere, all at once,” says Naria Santa Lucia, General Manager of Microsoft Elevate.
In this Global Stage conversation with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Santa Lucia explores how generative AI is transforming not just the way we work—but how we prepare to work at all. From lesson planning to law, Santa Lucia argues the most in-demand AI skills aren’t technical. “Curiosity, collaboration, and communication are the real power skills.”
She also highlights what’s at stake: the disruption of entry-level jobs, the future of informal and gig workers, and the urgency of reskilling at scale. “We don’t know all the answers, but we can’t afford to wait for them.”
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, speaks during the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Nvidia chips head east, Trump threatens tariffs on Russia, India balances alliances
US will end restrictions of AI chips exports to China, says Nvidia
The US-based chipmaker Nvidia is on a hot streak. After becoming the first ever company to be valued at $4 trillion, the firm said that the Trump administration ended its export limits on US-made H20 artificial-intelligence chips to China. The initial White House decision to curtail these exports, made in April, came after the Chinese firm DeepSeek released a powerful AI model that required far less computer power than its American cousins. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argued that these restrictions were counterproductive, because they spurred Chinese firms to develop their own chip industry. His argument appears to have resonated, and shares in Nvidia shot up 4% on Tuesday morning.
Trump threatens tariffs to force Putin into peace deal
US President Donald Trump increased pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine on Monday by imposing a 50-day deadline for Moscow to strike a peace deal or face 100% tariffs on the few goods still traded between the US and Russia. He also threatened harsh secondary sanctions — up to 500% tariffs — on any other countries still doing business with Moscow. That could in principle cripple Russia’s economy, but it would put the US at odds with major trade partners China and India, which still import most of their crude from Russia. Are people buying Trump’s threat? The ruble reversed quickly initial losses on the news, buoyed by the 50-day grace period and Trump’s tendency to extend deadlines on his most severe threats.
India’s juggling act
During a visit to Beijing this week for a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, India’s lead diplomat Subrahmanyam Jaishankar praised China’s leadership of an organization it hails as an alternative to Western clubs like the G7. It’s another reminder that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which is also a member of the Quad security group with the United States, Japan, and Australia, and buys large volumes of Russian crude oil, is working to protect solid relations with all the major players on the world stage. Relations with China, though improved, are the most difficult balancing act, given recent violence along disputed parts of the India-China border.
AI for Good depends on global cooperation, says ITU's Doreen Bogdan-Martin
“Connectivity is an enabler, but it’s not evenly distributed,” says Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the ITU.
In a conversation with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Bogdan-Martin lays out the urgent global challenge: a widening digital divide in AI access, policy, and infrastructure. “Only 32 countries have meaningful compute capacity. And 85% don’t have an AI strategy.”
She calls for investment in local solutions, digital skills, and inclusive governance. “If we want AI for good, we need all voices at the table, not just the loudest.” From youth-led innovation to calls for global cooperation in a fragmented geopolitical climate, she underscores a simple truth: AI’s potential won’t be realized unless it’s shared.
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.
- AI innovations that tackle the global refugee crisis ›
- Breaking: The UN unveils plan for AI ›
- Europe’s AI Act: World’s first guardrails or just a flashy head start? ›
- How AI for Good is tackling the digital divide ›
- What is Artificial Intelligence “good” for? ›
- Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate ›
AI innovations that tackle the global refugee crisis
“Tech is a means to an end, not the end itself,” says Hovig Etyemezian, head of UNHCR’s Innovation Service.
Speaking to GZERO's Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Etyemezian explains how technology is helping address one of the world’s most urgent challenges: the record number of forcibly displaced people. As conflicts rise and resources shrink, UNHCR is using data, AI, and digital tools to improve services and empower refugee communities, but only when designed with those communities, not for them.
From funding refugee-led innovation to expanding digital literacy and connectivity, the agency is bridging analog proximity with digital solutions. But risks remain. “We never test technologies on people. We design solutions with people,” he says, emphasizing ethics, consent, and inclusion at every step.
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.
How AI for Good is tackling the digital divide
“AI is too important to be left to the experts,” says Frederic Werner, co-founder of the AI for Good Summit and head of strategic engagement at ITU (International Telecommunication Union), the United Nations' agency for digital technologies.
Speaking with GZERO's Tony Maciulis on the eve of the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Werner reflects on how artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved from early promise to real-world applications—from disaster response to healthcare. But with 2.6 billion people still offline, he warns of a growing digital divide and urges leaders to build inclusive systems from the ground up. “It’s not about connectivity for the sake of it—it’s about unlocking local solutions for local problems,” he says.
As AI and quantum computing reshape our future, Werner calls for partnerships across governments, private sector, and civil society to ensure global impact. “The wind may shift,” he adds, “but our mission stays the same: using AI to solve humanity’s biggest challenges.”
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.