Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence

In the brief span since its emergence, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has permeated daily life around the world. The rapid spread of this technology has led to concerns among policy makers about its impacts on the global economy, climate change and civil society. At the same time, the potential for AI to bring about breakthroughs in critical areas like healthcare, education, and renewable energy is readily apparent. 

The development of comprehensive, technology-neutral, multi-stakeholder-driven regulatory frameworks is crucial if the revolutionary potential of AI technology is to be safely exploited. In this respect, CERRE has produced a series of three reports outlining the challenges for global governance posed by AI and providing concrete recommendations for the design of a robust global governance architecture. These reports come as part of CERRE’s overarching Global Governance for the Digital Ecosystems project, a global initiative designed to promote regulatory convergence and address the challenges associated with the evolution of the wider digital ecosystem. The overarching goal is to provide a concrete path forward for G7+ policymakers, fostering a common understanding of “AI adequacy” to guide industry and citizens worldwide and ensuring progress on the Hiroshima AI Process. These reports also provide evidence-based policy recommendations for stakeholders in these processes. 

In Towards AI Adequacy: Operationalising the Principles Underpinning Global Governance of AI Systems, Dr Gianclaudio Malgieri (Leiden University) provides a comprehensive overview of the essential principles underpinning a safe, fair, human-centric approach to the deployment of AI systems.   The author argues that one could draw from the GDPR and the AI Act a series of principles which could efficiently contribute to the identification of a global approach. Developing AI Adequacy as a guiding principle for transparent and ethical governance, this paper advances the pursuit of universal principles for AI governance designed to balance healthy innovation with social responsibility. 

In Global Governance of Digital Economy: Artificial Intelligence, Adrien Abecassis (Paris Peace Forum) examines the challenges facing the design of a globally coherent regulatory regime. This paper analyses how technological idiosyncrasies and geopolitical dynamics are contributing to regulatory fragmentation in the current global AI governance landscape. By focusing on a symbiosis of ethical integrity and innovation, three critical functions essential for AI governance are identified: a shared assessment of AI advancements and risks, equitable access and benefits, and safety and risk mitigation.  

Finally, CERRE’s broad report on Generative AI: Global Governance and the risk-based approach advances the core concepts underlying the series, including AI Adequacy and a risk-based, multi-stakeholder approach to global governance. A constructive perspective is adopted with the aim of reframing the political discourse around the regulation of foundational AI technologies. Examining a range of issues from democratic erosion to competition law, the report charts a concrete path for global policy makers towards regulatory convergence in AI governance.  

This series represents an early window into the future of the global governance of AI and an important guide to some of the most difficult facets of current regulation.