Event description:
Countries worldwide are eager to harness the promises of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As discussions on AI governance gain momentum, we see a substantial gap between the rhetoric and the implementation. One major factor hindering the implementation of AI governance is geopolitics, which may pressure countries to prioritize national competitiveness over safety concerns and discourage cooperation among countries. Geopolitical tensions also have an adverse impact on the AI industry by disrupting the supply chain and forcing companies to navigate fragmented AI regulatory frameworks.
This two-panel seminar aims to shed light on the interactions between geopolitics and the implementation of AI governance. We bring together leading professionals from various countries/regions (e.g., the US, China, Europe) and from different sectors (academia, industry, policy makers, civil society) to better understand the interactions and explore ideas for an implementable global AI governance framework despite geopolitical tensions.
Panel 1: Understanding the landscape: Geopolitical influences on AI governance
Moderator
Prof. Robin Mansell FAcSS, FBA is Professor Emerita, London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research focuses on media and communications regulation and policy, data governance, privacy and surveillance, digital platforms, socio-technical features of data and information systems, and the social, political and economic impacts of innovation in digital networks and applications. She has published numerous books and peer-reviewed papers. She holds a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of Fribourg and received the Outstanding Alumni Award for Academic Achievement from Simon Fraser University and the International Communication Association’s C. Edwin Baker Award for the Advancement of Scholarship on Media, Markets and Democracy. She is a Fellow of the Oxford Global Society.
Speakers
Prof. Robert Trager is Co-Director of the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, International Governance Lead at the Centre for the Governance of AI, and Senior Research Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University. He is a recognized expert in the international governance of emerging technologies, diplomatic practice, institutional design, and technology regulation. He regularly advises government and industry leaders on these topics. Dr. Trager has written two books and numerous articles in leading social science journals. His award-winning research has been covered in many leading press outlets. Before moving to Oxford, he was Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles and held faculty positions at Yale University and an Olin Fellowship at Harvard University.
Prof. Angela Huyue Zhang is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong and Director of the Phillip K. H. Wong Center for Chinese Law. Zhang is widely recognized as a leading authority on Chinese tech regulation. She is the author of Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism: How the Rise of China Challenges Global Regulation (Oxford, 2021), which was named one of the Best Political Economy Books of 2021 by ProMarket. Her second book, High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs its Economy is scheduled to be released by the OUP in April this year. In fall this year, Zhang will join the University of Southern California as a Professor of Law.
Prof. Milton Mueller is Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, USA) in the School of Public Policy. He directs GT’s Master of Science program in Cybersecurity Policy. Professor Mueller is an internationally prominent scholar specializing in the political economy of information and communication. He is the co-founder and director of Georgia Tech’s Internet Governance Project (IGP), which has played an important role in shaping global Internet policies. The author of seven books and scores of journal articles, Dr Mueller’s work informs science and technology studies, law, economics, communications, and international studies.
Dr Gry Hasselbalch is Co-founder and Director of academic research of the think tank DataEthics.eu. She is also the Research Lead and Senior Key Expert for the EU’s International Outreach for a Human-Centric Approach to Artificial Intelligence initiative (InTouchAI.eu). She was a member of the EU’s High-Level Expert Group on AI. Dr Hasselbalch is also a member of the working group that developed the EU-US Technology & Trade Council Joint Roadmap on Trustworthy AI and Risk Assessment and a member of the Nordic Ethical AI Group. She also leads the Data Pollution & Power initiative at the Institute for Science and Ethics, University of Bonn.