İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa

A successful first Global Dialogue on AI Governance should result in clear, actionable, and inclusive outcomes that go beyond high-level discussions. First, it should establish a shared global framework that integrates not only technical and regulatory aspects of AI but also educational, social, and ethical dimensions. Second, it should produce concrete recommendations for capacity building, particularly in developing contexts, focusing on AI literacy, teacher education, and access to infrastructure. Strengthening human capacity is essential to ensure equitable participation in AI development and use. Third, the Dialogue should emphasize inclusive and accessible AI systems, ensuring that individuals with disabilities and vulnerable groups are explicitly considered in governance frameworks. Fourth, it should create mechanisms for ongoing collaboration between academia, policymakers, and practitioners, enabling evidence-based policymaking grounded in real-world applications. Finally, the Dialogue should lead to a roadmap with measurable goals and follow-up structures to ensure that discussions translate into sustainable global action.

• Safe, secure and trustworthy AI
• AI capacity-building
• Social, economic, ethical, cultural, linguistic and technical implications of AI
• Protection and promotion of human rights

These priorities reflect the urgent need to approach AI governance from a human-centered and inclusive perspective. Safe, secure and trustworthy AI is essential to ensure that AI systems are reliable and do not create unintended harm, particularly in sensitive domains such as education and healthcare. AI capacity-building is a critical priority, as global inequalities in access to knowledge, infrastructure, and training continue to widen the AI divide. My work in AI-supported learning environments and teacher education highlights the importance of equipping educators and learners with practical AI competencies. The social, economic, ethical, and cultural implications of AI must be addressed to ensure that governance frameworks reflect diverse contexts and avoid reinforcing existing inequalities. Finally, the protection and promotion of human rights is fundamental, particularly in ensuring fairness, accessibility, and inclusion for individuals with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

These priorities reflect the urgent need to approach AI governance from a human-centered and inclusive perspective. Safe, secure and trustworthy AI is essential to ensure that AI systems are reliable and do not create unintended harm, particularly in sensitive domains such as education and healthcare. AI capacity-building is a critical priority, as global inequalities in access to knowledge, infrastructure, and training continue to widen the AI divide. My work in AI-supported learning environments and teacher education highlights the importance of equipping educators and learners with practical AI competencies. The social, economic, ethical, and cultural implications of AI must be addressed to ensure that governance frameworks reflect diverse contexts and avoid reinforcing existing inequalities. Finally, the protection and promotion of human rights is fundamental, particularly in ensuring fairness, accessibility, and inclusion for individuals with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Governance gaps in artificial intelligence are increasingly evident in the education sector in Türkiye, particularly in relation to capacity, inclusivity, and implementation. A key challenge is the lack of structured AI literacy frameworks for educators. Although interest in AI is growing rapidly, many teachers lack the training and pedagogical guidance needed to integrate AI effectively and responsibly. This leads to inconsistent practices and increases the risk of superficial or inappropriate use. Another significant challenge is inclusivity. While AI has strong potential to support individuals with disabilities and diverse learning needs, governance frameworks often do not sufficiently prioritize accessibility and inclusive design. As a result, existing inequalities may be reinforced rather than reduced. There is also a gap between policy and practice. While strategies and initiatives are emerging, translating them into scalable and context-sensitive applications remains difficult, especially in real classroom settings. Despite these challenges, there are important opportunities. Türkiye has a strong background in educational technology and increasing involvement in international projects. Research and implementation efforts in AI-supported learning environments and inclusive technologies provide a solid foundation for progress. With targeted capacity-building, stronger alignment between policy and practice, and a focus on human-centered and inclusive design, AI governance can significantly improve both the quality and equity of education.

The AI Dialogue can play a critical role as a global coordination platform that bridges fragmented efforts in AI governance across regions and sectors. One of its most important contributions would be to create a shared space where policymakers, researchers, and practitioners can collaboratively define priorities, standards, and best practices. A key role of the Dialogue should be to connect policy discussions with real-world applications. Many existing initiatives remain at a conceptual level, while implementation challenges—particularly in sectors such as education—require practical, evidence-based solutions. By integrating insights from applied research and pilot projects, the Dialogue can promote more effective and context-sensitive governance approaches. The Dialogue can also advance international cooperation by addressing global inequalities in AI development and use. Facilitating knowledge exchange, capacity-building initiatives, and collaborative projects can help bridge the gap between countries with different levels of technological readiness. In addition, the Dialogue can strengthen trust by promoting transparency, inclusivity, and human-centered principles. Ensuring that diverse stakeholders—including those working in inclusive education and accessibility—are actively involved will enhance the legitimacy and impact of governance efforts. Finally, the AI Dialogue can serve as a mechanism for continuity, supporting long-term collaboration rather than one-time discussions, and helping translate global commitments into coordinated and sustainable action.

The AI Dialogue should build upon and connect with existing international frameworks and initiatives such as the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the OECD AI Principles, and initiatives led by the International Telecommunication Union, including the AI for Good Global Summit. These efforts have already established important foundations in ethics, standards, and international cooperation. Additionally, ongoing academic and applied research initiatives—particularly those focusing on AI in education, inclusive technologies, and capacity-building—should be more systematically integrated into global discussions. Many projects funded by international organizations and national agencies generate valuable insights, but these are often not sufficiently connected to policy processes. The added value of the AI Dialogue lies in its inclusivity and its positioning within the United Nations system, allowing all countries and stakeholder groups to participate on equal footing. Unlike more specialized or regionally focused initiatives, it can serve as a unifying platform that aligns diverse efforts. Furthermore, the Dialogue can act as a bridge between policy, research, and practice by ensuring that governance frameworks are informed by real-world implementations. This is particularly important in areas such as education and accessibility, where context-sensitive and human-centered approaches are essential. By connecting existing initiatives and amplifying their impact, the AI Dialogue can enhance coherence, reduce duplication, and accelerate progress toward responsible and inclusive AI governance.

Different stakeholders should contribute through clearly defined, complementary roles that connect policy, research, and practice. Governments can provide regulatory frameworks and ensure alignment with national priorities. Academia can contribute evidence-based insights, research findings, and evaluation of real-world implementations. The private sector can share technological expertise and scalable solutions, while civil society can represent societal needs, ethical concerns, and user perspectives. To support meaningful contributions, the AI Dialogue should adopt a structured, multi-layered format. This could include thematic working groups, regional consultations, and sector-specific tracks (e.g., education, healthcare). Each track should integrate policy discussions with applied case studies to ensure practical relevance. In addition, the Dialogue should include mechanisms for continuous engagement beyond formal sessions, such as online platforms for ongoing input, collaborative documents, and periodic follow-up meetings. Clear documentation and synthesis processes are also essential. Outputs from each session should be translated into actionable recommendations and shared transparently. By combining structured participation with ongoing collaboration, the AI Dialogue can ensure that diverse stakeholder contributions are effectively integrated into global governance efforts.

Several important voices remain underrepresented in global AI governance discussions. One key group is educators and practitioners, particularly those working directly in classrooms and inclusive education settings. Their practical experiences are essential for understanding how AI policies translate into real-world applications. Individuals with disabilities and communities working in accessibility are also often underrepresented. Despite being significantly affected by AI systems, their perspectives are not always sufficiently integrated into design and governance processes. Additionally, stakeholders from developing regions face structural barriers to participation, including limited access to resources, infrastructure, and international networks. This results in governance frameworks that may not fully reflect diverse socio-economic and cultural contexts. Early-career researchers and interdisciplinary experts are another group whose contributions are often overlooked, despite their role in emerging and innovative areas of AI research. To address these gaps, the AI Dialogue should provide targeted support mechanisms such as travel grants, virtual participation options, and dedicated sessions for underrepresented groups. Inclusive selection processes and active outreach strategies are also essential. Ensuring diverse and balanced participation will strengthen the relevance, fairness, and effectiveness of global AI governance.

To foster meaningful and dynamic engagement, the AI Dialogue should move beyond traditional panel discussions and adopt more interactive and practice-oriented formats. One effective approach would be hands-on demonstration sessions, where participants present real-world AI applications and discuss their implications in small, interactive groups. This can help bridge the gap between theory and practice. Scenario-based workshops and simulations could also be used to explore governance challenges. Participants from different sectors can collaboratively respond to realistic cases, such as ethical dilemmas or implementation challenges, encouraging deeper understanding and cross-sector dialogue. Another innovative format is co-creation labs, where stakeholders work together to develop policy recommendations, frameworks, or prototypes in real time. These sessions can produce tangible outputs and strengthen collaboration. Hybrid participation models are also essential. Combining in-person and virtual engagement can ensure broader inclusion, especially for participants from underrepresented regions. Finally, structured feedback loops—such as iterative consultations and digital collaboration platforms—can maintain engagement beyond the event itself. These formats can make the AI Dialogue more inclusive, interactive, and impactful by actively involving participants in the co-creation of solutions.

Effective AI governance can be strengthened through policies and practices that integrate ethics, inclusivity, and real-world implementation. Several international frameworks provide strong foundations. The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence offers a comprehensive approach to human rights, transparency, and accountability. Similarly, the OECD AI Principles emphasize trustworthy, human-centered AI and provide guidance for policy alignment across countries. At the implementation level, practice-oriented approaches are particularly valuable. For example, projects focusing on AI-supported learning environments and inclusive educational technologies demonstrate how governance principles can be translated into real-world applications. In my experience with EU- and UNICEF-supported initiatives, the development of technology-enhanced learning environments for inclusive education has shown that combining policy frameworks with participatory design and stakeholder engagement leads to more sustainable and effective outcomes. Another good practice is integrating AI literacy into education systems. Policies that support teacher training and curriculum development enable more responsible and informed use of AI. This is especially important in ensuring that AI adoption is not limited to technical expertise but includes critical thinking, ethics, and social awareness. In addition, open and collaborative approaches-such as open educational resources, interdisciplinary research partnerships, and international project networks-help share knowledge and reduce duplication of efforts. Overall, effective AI governance requires a balance between global frameworks and locally adaptable, practice-based solutions that prioritize inclusivity, capacity building, and human-centered design.