Independent legal researcher

A successful first AI Dialogue would establish a strong foundation for inclusive, transparent, and human rights-based international cooperation on artificial intelligence governance. One important outcome should be the development of shared principles promoting safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems while taking into account different national and regional contexts. The Dialogue should also strengthen mutual understanding through inclusive multi-stakeholder engagement involving governments, academia, civil society, and the technical community. In particular, the Dialogue should encourage interoperability and compatibility among different governance approaches while avoiding fragmentation in global AI governance. Another important outcome would be the identification of practical policy priorities relating to transparency, accountability, and meaningful human oversight in AI systems, especially in high-risk areas such as surveillance, public decision-making, and armed conflict. The Dialogue should further support AI capacity-building and equitable access to technological resources for developing countries. Ultimately, success would be reflected in the creation of a sustained and action-oriented platform under the United Nations that promotes responsible AI development consistent with international law, fundamental freedoms, and the protection of human rights.

• Transparency, accountability, and human oversight
• Safe, secure and trustworthy AI
• AI capacity-building
• Protection and promotion of human rights

The selected priorities reflect the need for a balanced and inclusive approach to AI governance that addresses both the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence. Ensuring safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems is essential to maintaining public trust and reducing potential harm arising from the development and deployment of AI technologies. The protection and promotion of human rights should remain central to all AI governance efforts, particularly given the risks of discrimination, surveillance, misinformation, and misuse of AI systems in sensitive contexts such as law enforcement and armed conflict. Closely connected to this is the importance of transparency, accountability, and meaningful human oversight to ensure that AI systems remain sufficiently transparent and explainable, and that responsibility for AI-related harm can be clearly identified." AI capacity-building is equally important in order to bridge digital divides and support developing countries in strengthening technical, institutional, and regulatory capacities. Inclusive international cooperation and multi-stakeholder engagement are therefore necessary to ensure that the benefits of AI are shared equitably and responsibly.

One important emerging issue is the increasing use of artificial intelligence in armed conflict and its implications under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The deployment of autonomous systems and AI-enabled surveillance technologies raises complex concerns regarding accountability, civilian protection, proportionality, and meaningful human oversight. Another cross-cutting issue relates to the impact of AI systems on vulnerable populations, particularly youth, who may be disproportionately affected by algorithmic bias, misinformation, digital manipulation, and rights-intrusive surveillance practices. Greater attention should therefore be given to youth-sensitive and rights-based approaches to AI governance. In addition, the growing fragmentation of national and regional AI governance frameworks may create challenges for interoperability, regulatory coordination, and effective international cooperation. The environmental impact of AI systems, including energy consumption and resource use associated with large-scale computing infrastructure, should also be considered within broader discussions on sustainable and responsible AI governance.

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are creating both significant opportunities and governance challenges across developing countries, including the Asia-Pacific region. AI technologies have the potential to improve access to education, healthcare, public services, and digital innovation.At the same time, governance gaps relating to transparency, accountability, and regulatory capacity continue to raise important concerns. One major challenge is the lack of qualitative of institutional and technical preparedness among developing countries, which may widen existing digital divides and limit equitable participation in AI development and governance. The increasing use of AI-driven surveillance systems, algorithmic decision-making, and misinformation technologies also raises concerns regarding privacy, discrimination, and the protection of human rights, particularly for vulnerable populations and youth. At the same time, the growing global focus on AI governance presents an important opportunity for developing countries to strengthen technical expertise, regulatory frameworks, and international cooperation. Inclusive multi-stakeholder engagement, capacity-building initiatives, and human rights-based governance approaches can help ensure that AI technologies contribute to sustainable and equitable development while remaining consistent with international law and fundamental freedoms.

The Global Dialogue on AI Governance can play a key role in strengthening inclusive and effective international cooperation on artificial intelligence governance. As AI technologies continue to develop rapidly across borders, no single country or institution can address the associated opportunities and challenges alone. The Dialogue can therefore serve as an important United Nations platform for governments and relevant stakeholders to exchange experiences, share best practices, and promote mutual understanding across different governance approaches. The Dialogue can also facilitate reduce fragmentation in global AI governance by encouraging interoperability, transparency, and cooperation while respecting different national and regional contexts. Through inclusive multi-stakeholder engagement involving governments, academia, civil society, the private sector, and the technical community, the Dialogue may contribute to more balanced and human rights-based governance frameworks. In addition, the Dialogue can support developing countries by promoting AI capacity-building, technical cooperation, and equitable participation in global governance discussions. By facilitating sustained international engagement, the Dialogue has the potential to strengthen trust, encourage responsible AI innovation, and support the development of governance approaches that remain consistent with international law and fundamental freedoms.

The AI Dialogue should design and connect with existing international and multistakeholder initiatives relating to artificial intelligence governance, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development AI Principles, the International Telecommunication Union AI for Good initiatives, the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, and the Global Partnership on AI. These initiatives have already contributed significantly to discussions on AI ethics, human rights, transparency, accountability, and responsible innovation. However, the global AI governance landscape remains fragmented, with different institutions and regions developing separate governance approaches and regulatory frameworks. In this context, the Global Dialogue on AI Governance can provide important added value by serving as an inclusive United Nations platform that encourages coordination, mutual learning, and interoperability across existing initiatives while respecting different national and regional contexts. The Dialogue can further strengthen participation from developing countries, civil society, academia, and underrepresented stakeholders, helping to bridge governance gaps and promote more balanced and human rights-based approaches to AI governance. By facilitating sustained international cooperation, the Dialogue can help connect ongoing efforts and support more coherent global discussions on the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence.

Different stakeholders can contribute to the AI Dialogue by bringing diverse experiences, technical expertise, policy perspectives, and practical knowledge relating to the development, deployment, and governance of artificial intelligence systems. Governments can contribute regulatory and policy perspectives, while academia and the technical community can provide research-based and scientific expertise. Civil society organizations can help highlight human rights, inclusion, and societal concerns, and the private sector can share practical experiences regarding innovation, implementation, and responsible AI development. Greater participation from youth and underrepresented communities should also be encouraged to ensure more inclusive discussions. The design and structure of the AI Dialogue should promote balanced and meaningful multi-stakeholder participation through thematic discussions, breakout sessions, moderated panels, and opportunities for open dialogue. Hybrid participation mechanisms and regional consultations could further strengthen accessibility and broader global engagement, particularly for developing countries and smaller stakeholders with limited resources. In addition, the Dialogue should encourage continued cooperation beyond annual meetings through knowledge-sharing platforms, voluntary partnerships, and follow-up engagement mechanisms. An inclusive and transparent structure can help strengthen mutual understanding, trust, and international cooperation on responsible and human rights-based AI governance.

Many voices and perspectives remain underrepresented in global discussions on AI governance, particularly those from developing countries, marginalized communities, youth populations, smaller civil society organizations, and under-resourced academic and technical institutions. In many cases, global AI governance discussions continue to be shaped primarily by technologically advanced countries and large private-sector actors, which may limit the diversity of perspectives reflected in international policymaking processes. This uneven imbalance may contribute to governance frameworks that do not fully reflect different social, cultural, economic, and regional realities, particularly in the Global South. Vulnerable populations that are disproportionately affected by algorithmic bias, digital divides, surveillance practices, and unequal technological access often have limited opportunities to participate meaningfully in governance discussions. To address these gaps, the AI Dialogue should promote more inclusive and accessible participation through regional consultations, hybrid participation mechanisms, multilingual engagement, financial and technical support for underrepresented stakeholders, and stronger involvement of youth, academia, and civil society organizations from developing countries. Greater inclusion of diverse perspectives can help strengthen legitimacy, mutual understanding, and more equitable and human rights-based approaches to AI governance.

Innovative and inclusive engagement formats can help ensure that the AI Dialogue promotes meaningful participation, practical exchange, and dynamic multistakeholder cooperation. In addition to formal plenary sessions, the Dialogue could include interactive breakout discussions, policy laboratories, scenario-based workshops, and roundtable conversations focused on specific governance challenges such as human rights, accountability, AI safety, and capacity-building. Youth forums, regional consultation sessions, and cross-sector dialogues involving governments, academia, civil society, the technical community, and the private sector could further strengthen inclusivity and mutual learning. Smaller thematic working groups may also encourage more substantive participation and allow underrepresented stakeholders to contribute more effectively. Hybrid participation mechanisms, multilingual engagement tools, and digital collaboration platforms could improve accessibility for participants from developing countries and resource-constrained institutions. The Dialogue could additionally support continued engagement beyond annual meetings through online knowledge-sharing platforms, collaborative networks, and voluntary partnerships. Such formats may help create a more interactive, transparent, and action-oriented platform that strengthens trust, encourages practical cooperation, and supports more inclusive and human rights-based approaches to global AI governance.

Several existing initiatives and policy approaches provide useful examples for strengthening effective and inclusive AI governance. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence offers an important human rights-based framework that emphasizes transparency, accountability, fairness, and ethical governance. Similarly, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development AI Principles promote responsible stewardship of trustworthy AI and encourage international cooperation and interoperability across governance approaches. The European Union AI Act also provides an important example of a risk-based regulatory approach by introducing differentiated obligations for high-risk AI systems, particularly in areas affecting safety and fundamental rights. In addition, platforms such as the International Telecommunication Union AI for Good initiative demonstrate the value of multi-stakeholder dialogue, technical cooperation, and knowledge-sharing. These approaches highlight the importance of combining innovation with transparency, human oversight, accountability, and the protection of human rights. They also demonstrate that effective AI governance requires inclusive participation, international cooperation, and continued capacity-building, particularly for developing countries and underrepresented stakeholders. Sharing practical experiences and lessons learned across different regions and institutions can help strengthen more coherent, equitable, and human rights-based approaches to global AI governance.