AI Governance for Humanity Lab
Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than the frameworks needed to govern it.
Decisions about how AI is built, deployed, regulated, and governed are increasingly consequential for all of humanity, yet too often they are shaped without universal participation, shared evidence, or common principles. The AI Governance for Humanity Lab addresses this gap by focusing on practical cooperation ¡ª connecting actors, sharing operational learning, and supporting implementation across regions and sectors.
Through Resolution , the UN General Assembly established two core elements of the emerging architecture for global cooperation on AI governance: the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, to deliver evidence-based assessments of AI's opportunities, risks, and impacts; and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, a policy platform where all 193 Member States can engage. The AI Governance for Humanity Lab was established to support that architecture by strengthening connections between stakeholders, regions, and implementation contexts, bridging regional perspectives and sectoral practice, and supporting the uptake of governance approaches for the benefit of humanity.
About the Lab
Embedded in the United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET), and based in Valencia, Spain, the AI Governance for Humanity Lab focuses on connecting, translating, innovating, and accelerating inclusive, agile, and adaptive cooperation on AI governance. It mobilises a network of stakeholders across regions and sectors, develops shared operational understanding, and advances practical cooperation tools. In particular, it contributes practice-based insights, operational learning, and collaborative networks that can inform and support the work of UN-led processes ¡ª including the Global Dialogue on AI Governance ¡ª while remaining distinct from scientific assessment and intergovernmental deliberation functions.
Areas of Work
The Lab's work runs across three mutually reinforcing areas:
The Lab mobilises and sustains networks of AI governance experts, governments, civil society organisations, academia, and the private sector across regions to surface diverse perspectives and practical experiences relevant to international cooperation on AI governance. This includes convening stakeholders and producing knowledge products that inform international policy discussions.
The Lab conducts horizon scanning and comparative analysis of AI policy landscapes across geographical, thematic, and technological dimensions, and facilitates transparency and confidence-building measures between key actors. Its work focuses on identifying points of convergence and friction across governance approaches, with an emphasis on operational implications rather than authoritative assessment.
Working with scientists, technologists, civil society, artists, and practitioners, the Lab explores and prototypes new cooperative practices and tools for AI governance. These experiments are designed to generate practical lessons and implementation-ready insights that can feed into UN-led policy discussions and support the uptake of governance approaches in practice.
Current Topics
Interoperability in AI Governance:AI governance is currently a patchwork of national and regional frameworks with limited coordination between them. This workstream will produce a white paper mapping the current landscape and outlining cooperation-oriented policy options for Member States, ahead of the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva in July 2026.
Industry Insights: This workstream explores how AI governance frameworks are implemented within the industry and what challenges and impacts emerge in practice. The resulting analysis will inform discussions on safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, as well as transparency, accountability, and human oversight in the context of human rights.
New workstreams will be launched based on identified needs and emerging governance questions.
Convenings and Events
The Lab convenes a series of global and regional meetings in Valencia, Spain, virtually, and in other cities, designed to translate research and practice into actionable insights that can support multistakeholder cooperation and inform UN-led AI governance processes. Bringing together policymakers, scientists, industry, and civil society, the series supports practical cooperation and can inform the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
The first convening, also referred to as the ¡°Valencia Dialogues¡±, will take place in Valencia on 28¨C29 May 2026.
Partnerships and Collaborations
The Lab is open to collaboration with experts and initiatives across regions.
*If you are interested in working with the Lab, please contact us
ai-governance-lab@un.org for general queries
ana.garciarobles@un.org to contact the Head of the Lab
Related Links
Global Dialogue on AI Governance
Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence
The AI Governance for Humanity Lab was established in Valencia, Spain, with the support of the Kingdom of Spain.