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 education@globalgovernance.eu to find out more.
For more information, please contact:
Medlir Mema Ph.D
Head of Programme
Email: m.mema@globalgovernance.eu
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.
S9E3: US-China AI Competition with Gloria Shkurti Ozdemir
In this episode Medlir and Dr. Gloria Shkurti Ozdemir discuss her recently released book "Artificial Intelligence Arms Dynamics: The Case of the U.S. and China Rivalry." Their discussion dives into the latest AI-related developments in Turkey, the state of US-China competition in AI, as well as some other delightful tangents.
S9E2: Reviewing the UN Summit of the Future
Medlir shares insights with Chris from the UN Summit of the Future. They discuss the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations. In addition, Medlir and Chris also discuss California’s recently vetoed AI safety legislation and the proposed US national AI Civil Rights Act.
S9E1: AI Futures and the UN Summit of the Future
In the first episode of Season 9, Medlir and Chris revisit the topic of AI agents, AI and US-China relations, and also China’s recent moves in regulating AI. They then wrap up with a discussion of the Summit of the Future, and AI and Sustainable Development.
S8E7: Japan’s Military AI Strategy
In July 2024, Japan’s Ministry of Defense unveiled its first basic policy document on the use of artificial intelligence and a comprehensive strategy to enhance Japan’s cyber defense capabilities. In this episode Dr. Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi of the University of Tokyo, joins us to talk about how AI fits into Japan’s military strategy.
S8E6: AI for Peace with Dr. Paige Arthur
Medlir sits down with Dr. Paige Arthur, Director of Global Programming at Columbia Global, and co-author of AI for Peace (with Branka Panic), to discuss how recent AI innovations can contribute to conflict prevention and peace. They also explore the opportunities and challenges that technologies pose for human rights and curbing hate speech.
S8E5:The Diogenes Awards | An Annual Discussion of AI
This week is our annual Diogenes Awards, where we look at AI in film and television (and sometimes other amusing tangents). We discuss the content that we enjoyed over the last 18 months, and that we think our audience will enjoy the most. We also give our top recommendation in each category.
S8E4: Mihalis Kritikos on Governing AI
Chris talks with Mihalis Kritikos of the European Commission on Artificial Intelligence Ethics and Trustworthy Governance of AI. Mihalis sheds light on how he got started working on AI governance during the Covid-19 pandemic, the ethics of AI, the EU AI Act, and also AI surveillance in the workplace.
S8E3: How Ukraine uses AI to Fight Disinformation
Chris talks to Maya Sobchuk, GGI Non-Resident Fellow and Researcher at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo about her work on AI and disinformation. In this episode Maya reflects on the history of Russian disinformation campaigns against Ukraine, disinformation in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and how Ukraine has harnessed its AI know-how and innovation space to counter disinformation.
S8E2: Conflict Forecasting with Hannes Mueller
Medlir is joined by Dr. Hannes Mueller to discuss recent developments in conflict prevention. Specifically, we examine how artificial intelligence can help governments detect risk early, predict the likelihood of new conflicts, and prevent older ones from re-emerging.
