The Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a transformative force with the potential to reshape human society. Recognizing its strategic importance, states and international organizations are increasingly focused on developing regulatory frameworks to govern AI. The international regimes that emerge will significantly influence global power dynamics, the distribution of economic benefits, and the legitimacy of the rules that govern AI.

Despite the critical importance of these developments, there is a lack of systematic understanding regarding the nature of international AI regulation, the interests driving this process, and the capacity of these emerging regimes to address AI’s social consequences in a just and democratic manner.

This project aims to fill that gap by examining the development of international AI regimes through a combination of legal, political, and normative analysis. The research focuses on three principal questions:

1. Key Features of Emerging International AI Regimes: What are the defining characteristics of the international regulatory frameworks currently taking shape?
2. Factors Influencing AI Regimes: What drives the evolution of these particular regimes, and how can their development be explained?
3. Implications for Justice and Democracy: What are the potential impacts of these regimes on justice and democratic governance?

The project specifically targets international regulatory initiatives in three critical areas: weapons systems, law enforcement, and labor market conditions. In each of these domains, competing interests are working to shape regulatory responses to the political and ethical challenges posed by the expanding use of AI.

The project is expected to make three major contributions to both research and policy. First, it will provide the first systematic and comprehensive analysis of emerging AI regimes in these three key areas. Second, it will offer a unique evaluation of the normative implications of AI regulation at the international level. Third, it will equip policymakers with crucial insights into regulatory gaps, the interests shaping these emerging frameworks, and the normative considerations that should guide the development of AI governance in the future.