The AI and Global Governance programme addresses the critical challenges posed by emerging technologies and their impact on global governance. We provide valuable foresight, training, expert workshops and actionable policy recommendations to navigate the complex landscape of AI in the context of global governance and corporate strategy.
Our priorities:
Governance, Regulation, and Innovation, where we explore evolving AI regulatory frameworks and international legal regimes to examine their impact on AI innovation, deployment, and cross-border cooperation.
Global Security and Geopolitics, where we investigate the implications of AI on international and economic security, including cyber threats, military applications, export controls and international cooperation in critical technology.
Human Rights and Sustainable Development, where we address the balance between AI-driven surveillance and privacy, the safeguarding of individual rights in digital environments, growing global inequalities, and the need for sustainable growth models.
Foresight Analysis, where we anticipate future trends, risks, and opportunities related to the medium and long-term impact of emerging technologies, enabling informed decision-making and strategic planning across the private and public sector.
Our services:
Across the four key research priorities, we are committed to delivering high-quality research through analyses, commentaries, policy briefs, and annual reports, as well as to fostering meaningful dialogue through conferences, trainings, and workshops.
Age of AI Podcast
The AI and Global Governance Programme’s flagship "Age of AI" podcast, an established platform for discussions with leading practitioners, scholars, and thinkers working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and politics, law, and society, provides listeners with insight into the latest research and developments.
AI Trainings
Our suite of training programs on AI and Global Governance, Global Sustainable Development, and Global Security, offers solutions for practitioners and researchers confronting a rapidly changing technological landscape.
We can also offer tailor-made programming that can be delivered onsite. Please reach out to [email protected] to find out more.
For more information, please contact:
Medlir Mema Ph.D
Head of Programme
Email: [email protected]
Team
Publications
Commentary
AI and Global Governance
AI's Fast-Forward Button: Can We Harness Innovation Without Sacrificing Safety?
In 2025, global AI innovation is like a button pressed and stuck on fast forward. As much as those within academia, R&D, PhD labs, and think tanks desire to hit pause, stopping is no longer an option.
Report
AI and Global Governance
Towards a Global Agency for Governing Artificial General Intelligence: Challenges and Perspectives
This report examines the potential benefits and challenges of an Open Agency Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) governed by a Global AGI Agency. It reviews AGI governance models, proposes a Global AGI Agency with structured transparency and democratic accountability, and identifies ten key challenges, including international collaboration, power centralization, and governance complexity. It concludes by emphasizing the critical need for effective AGI governance.
Briefing
AI and Global Governance
UN Summit of the Future and Development: The Way Forward
The UN Summit of the Future calls for bold cooperation on climate, digital equity, and responsible AI, urging unified action to harness technology for good and revive the Sustainable Development Goals. Now, governments, businesses, and civil society must turn these ambitions into results.
Commentary
AI and Global Governance
UN Summit of the Future: A Critical Moment for Global AI Governance
The UN Summit of the Future in September 2024 aims to adopt the Pact for the Future, addressing global governance challenges. Priorities include creating international AI governance frameworks emphasizing ethics, transparency, and equity while fostering collaboration to mitigate risks, reduce inequalities, and leverage AI for sustainable development and the SDGs.
Commentary
AI and Global Governance
Deepening EU-Japan-US Cooperation on Critical and Emerging Technologies
The EU, US, and Japan are enhancing cooperation to boost competitiveness in critical technologies and secure resilient supply chains, focusing on reducing reliance on China, diversifying resources, and fostering innovation amid global economic security challenges.
Briefing
AI and Global Governance
The EU AI Act: two steps forward, one step back
The EU AI Act, approved in March 2024, introduces a risk-based regulatory framework to balance AI innovation and fundamental rights protection. While it promotes transparency and accountability, concerns persist about national security exceptions and potential surveillance risks, shaping the future of AI governance.
Commentary
AI and Global Governance
The Council of Europe’s draft AI Treaty: balancing national security, innovation and human rights?
The Council of Europe’s draft Framework Convention on AI aims to set global standards for AI that align with human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. However, compromises over private companies' regulation and national security exemptions may weaken its effectiveness in protecting individuals from AI's risks.
Commentary
AI and Global Governance
What developments in AI tell us about the future of governance models
Misinformation and disinformation, amplified by AI, pose major challenges for democracy. As AI increases information production, it can enhance collective intelligence but also contribute to polarization. To combat this, institutions must regain trust through transparency and openness, adapting to new models of governance.
Commentary
AI and Global Governance
How Ukraine uses AI to fight Russian information operations
Ukraine has leveraged AI in its information war against Russia, using tools like Osavul and Mantis Analytics to detect and counter disinformation quickly. AI-supported open-source intelligence (OSINT) helps debunk Russian claims and document war crimes. However, controversial uses, like facial recognition software and AI-generated images, raise ethical concerns.
Commentary
AI and Global Governance
Got trust? Global governance of emerging technologies
Emerging technologies, particularly AI and quantum tech, present both opportunities and risks. The U.S. and NATO have emphasized balancing innovation with regulation to maintain competitiveness and address societal challenges. However, these technologies also create vulnerabilities, such as AI-driven disinformation, requiring new frameworks for global cooperation and governance.
Commentary
AI and Global Governance
Last minute national objections to the EU’s AI Act are a mistake. Here’s why
The EU's AI Act faced delays after France and Germany opposed regulating general-purpose AI models like GPT-4, fearing overregulation could harm Europe's AI competitiveness. Despite challenges, the EU must prioritize digital rights and proactive regulation to address AI risks, aiming for a balance between innovation and accountability.
S10E5: How Large Language Models are Revolutionizing Healthcare
Medlir is joined by Dr. Nafiseh (Cati) Molaei, a Postdoctoral Scholar specializing in Biomedical Data Science at Northwestern University to discuss how AI is reshaping the medical landscape. From diagnosing complex diseases to personalizing treatment plans, AI is driving innovations that were once thought impossible.
S10E4: The AI Risk Debate - Hype or Existential Threat?
Today we dive into the evolving conversation on AI risk and governance. Our guests, Torben Swoboda and Risto Uuk, discuss the challenges of defining AI risk, the debate over acceptable thresholds, and common critiques of the existential risk perspective. We also examine the feasibility of global AI governance and historical parallels that may guide our path forward.
S10E3: How to Make Sense of DeepSeek with Ritwik Gupta
In this episode Ritwik Gupta of the Berkeley AI Research Lab returns to talk with Chris about what DeepSeek really means for the AI Industry, Trump’s recent Stargate AI initiative, US-China AI competition, policy responses to DeepSeek, and where we should be looking for the next big disruptive event in the world of AI.
S10E2: AI and Environmental Sustainability in the Trump 2.0 Era
In this episode we’re joined by Jeremy Tamanini, founder of Dual Citizen LLC, to explore the intersection of AI and environmental sustainability during the Trump 2.0 era. From the environmental impacts of AI infrastructure, to innovative practices and emerging legislation, this conversation dives deep into how AI can be both a challenge and a tool for sustainability.
S10E1: AI, Code, and Leadership with Matt Van Itallie
Medlir Mema engages in an insightful discussion with Matt Van Itallie, the CEO of Sema Software, a company at the forefront of revolutionizing software analytics and risk management in the age of artificial intelligence. Sema has transformed the field of software analytics and set new standards for monitoring and risk management in AI-driven development. Matt shares insights into the evolving responsibilities of CTOs, the creation of transformative tools like the GenAI Code Monitor and Generative AI Bill of Materials, and the critical strategies companies need to address both technological and geopolitical challenges in the age of rapid innovation.
S9E8: AI, Architecture, and Urban Planning with Iva Mema
Medlir sits with Iva Mema to discuss how AI shapes architectural design and public policy decision-making. They also explore the risks of perpetuating discrimination through biased algorithms, the potential for job displacement, and the over-reliance on technology that might diminish human creativity and expertise.
S9E7: Ethical AI Approaches to Sustainability with Melanie Rideout
Medlir is joined by Melanie Rideout, a climate tech expert and Global Governance Institute (GGI) fellow, who shares her insights from working with Shayp and international organizations like the Red Cross and UN bodies. Together they explore the opportunities, challenges, and complexities of leveraging technology for global development and climate action.
S9E6: Planning for a Sustainable and Inclusive AI Integration with Elena Ardelean
In today's episode, Medlir chats with Elena Ardelean. We discuss the Matrix Framework for Inclusive AI in Sustainable Development, focusing on three pillars: the regulatory environment, digital infrastructure, and the empowerment of youth as the next generation of changemakers. We further explore how lessons from AI's rapid evolution inform strategies for equitable integration into the future of work and daily life. Finally, we highlight how governments—particularly in developing countries—are leveraging AI today, and discuss steps to ensure sustainable, inclusive AI adoption in the future.
S9E5: What AI Governance gets Wrong and How to Get it Right with Ritwik Gupta
Chris and Medlir talk with Ritwik Gupta about what policymakers get wrong about AI governance and what we should be thinking about when it comes to risk and regulation. Ritwik also shares his wide-ranging experience in working on AI in the context of chaotic environments in disaster response and national security.
S9E4: Tech Coup with Marietje Schaake
Chris talks with Marietje Schaake about her new book The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley and explores the nexus between Big Tech, democracy, and human rights. In particular, Marietje shares with Chris ideas and strategies for recentering the public interest in the relationship between big tech and governments, the geopolitics of technology, and recent developments in the global governance of AI.
