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 〞 connecting actors, sharing operational learning, and supporting implementation across regions and sectors.
About the Lab
The AI Governance for Humanity Lab is a UN initiative?anchored?in the United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (UN?ODET)?and based in Valencia, Spain.?Established with the support of the Kingdom of Spain, the Lab?advances the?recommendations of the report of the United Nations Secretary-General's High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, and delivers on ODET's mandate to facilitate inclusive, multi-stakeholder policy dialogue on AI governance.?
In particular, it contributes practice-based insights, operational learning, and collaborative networks, strengthening connections between stakeholders, regions, and implementation contexts. This bridges regional perspectives and sectoral practice and supports the uptake of governance approaches for the benefit of humanity, including in the context of UN AI governance processes such as the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
For more information, see the LAB website:
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?can serve as analytical contributions to AI governance processes.
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?AI governance?rather than authoritative assessment?of AI science.?
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?offered to?help inform AI governance processes, including the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, 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 has produced a white paper: ※Toward interoperability and inclusive participation in AI Governance§. The paper will map 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?outputs??will?serve as an analytical contribution to?discussions on safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, as well as transparency, accountability, and human oversight in the context of human rights. The Insights paper ※Private-sector AI governance in practice: Insights, challenges and emerging cooperation approaches§ will been released in July 2026?
New workstreams will be launched based on identified needs and emerging governance questions.
The views expressed in Lab outputs are those of the contributing experts and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the United Nations.?
Reports
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§, took place in Valencia on 28每29 May 2026.
The Lab organizes a high-level event entitled ※Pathways for cooperation on AI Governance interoperability and Private-Sector Practices§ to be held on 5 July 2026 in Geneva. The Lab will present two practical and policy-oriented analyses: a white paper on AI governance interoperability and an insights paper on private sector AI governance practices. Taking place one day before the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance at the United Nations, it will provide a timely opportunity for exchange among key stakeholders ahead of those discussions.
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.