The largest risks from AI will affect all of humanity.

Current efforts, gaps and building blocks for an international AI governance framework.

CONTENTS

Why we need global governance
Building blocks
Videos & Podcasts
Newsletter Recommended reading Contact

The largest risks from AI will affect all of humanity.

Current efforts, gaps and building blocks for an international AI governance framework.

CONTENTS

Why we need global governance
Building Blocks
Current efforts and analysis
Newsletter
Recommended reading
Contact

What you can find on this website

Free, in-depth resources for policymakers working at the frontier of international AI governance:

Comparison of current efforts

A breakdown of international governance initiatives across five key criteria.

Go to resource

Build your own treaty proposal

Select from seven main governance components and generate your own version of an AI treaty.

Go to resource

Why do we need global governance for AI?

We need international coordination to ensure the benefits of AI are distributed across the globe. Poor coordination is likely to result in concentration of benefits and power in a small number of hands.

Risks and harms from AI are transboundary–they are not contained to a single jurisdiction and will affect all of humanity as they continue to materialize.

Benefits and risks of AI

Benefits

Scientific progress

Industry and productivity

Health

Education

Governance

Reduced inequality and poverty

Advancing other SDGs

Risks

Bias

Manipulation and disinformation

Cybersecurity

Labor displacement

Enabling construction of weapons of mass destruction

Great power conflict

Power concentration and exacerbated inequality

Social instability

Loss of control

Building blocks for an international governance regime

To reduce the complexity of international AI governance, it is useful to divide it into components or 'building blocks' that can be analyzed in more depth.

Based on the findings of recent comparative analyses of analogous international governance regimes (most notably, Villalobos, Maas and Winter, 2026; Maas and Villalobos, 2023; and Cass-Beggs, Clare and others, 2024), we consider the following building blocks for international AI governance:

Red lines

AI experts and governments agree that certain practices relating to AI should be internationally prohibited to reduce the likelihood of harm.

Safety standards

International technical standards that form the basis for requirements on advanced AI developers, based on emerging principles and best practices.

Technical cooperation

Cooperation among States and others to build capacity, reach scientific consensus, conduct joint safety and security research, and more.

Emergency response

Coordinated international response to emergencies caused by advanced AI systems that threaten international security.

Benefit sharing

AI benefits won't be distributed evenly by default. Countries not at the AI frontier may condition their cooperation on the distribution of AI's benefits.

Institutional arrangements

The management of benefits and risks will require one or more international institutions that implement and enforce international rules on AI.

Compliance mechanisms

Effective international agreements require verification and enforcement mechanisms so that they depend not on trust, but on proof.

Contact Us

José Jaime Villalobos:
Multilateral Governance Lead
Future of Life Institute

[email protected]

Ima Bello:
Multilateral Engagement Lead
Future of Life Institute

[email protected]