Global AI Governance in the Public and Planetary Interest
International Symposium hosted by the University of Helsinki in conjunction with the FCAI AI Day 2026.
Date: October 21, 2026
Venue: Think Corner (8:30 - 15:00) & TBA (15:15 - 18:15) at University of Helsinki
About the Symposium
This symposium examines critical perspectives on global AI governance, responsible AI policies and ethical practices. We discuss the role of meaningful and effective regulations to support innovation, equity, inclusion, civic agency and environmental sustainability in the development and use of AI-based systems, platforms and services globally today. The symposium highlights the risks and implications of using AI in societal domains where the public interest for civil society and planetary concerns are most crucially relevant.
United Nations (UN) bodies are currently formulating frameworks to ensure that AI technologies align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN General Assembly has adopted two resolutions on AI, including one on seizing the opportunities of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems for sustainable development. Another essential UN document on AI is the final report, Governing AI for Humanity, by the UN High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. Despite these global efforts the risks of AI in social, planetary and safety domains remain of great concern. The challenges of global AI governance and policy questions to tackle such issues require collective deliberations, interdisciplinary research, and coordinated societal actions.
This day-long symposium brings together AI researchers, scholars, industry practitioners, public sector actors, and civil society perspectives to offer critical insights. We examine questions of good governance, responsible policies and ethical approaches on how AI can and should be leveraged in the public and planetary interest. While AI has the potential to bring significant benefits to society when developed and implemented responsibly, this discussion will focus specifically on the associated risks and threats, while highlighting innovative responsible AI policies and practices.
The hybrid symposium is free to attend and open to the general public, though advance registration is required. The program will be recorded and livestreamed.
Key Themes of Symposium: Global AI Governance and Policy, Public Interest AI, Climate and Planetary health, Responsible AI in Defense Tech, Security and Warfare, Civic AI, Public Sector AI and Democracy, AI for Social and Humanitarian Action, UN SDGs and UN report on Governing AI for Humanity.
The symposium is associated with the Global AI Policy Research Network (GlobAIPol), an international community of practice led by the AI Policy Lab at Umeå University, that serves as a platform for policy researchers and professionals to advance responsible AI policy research, evidence-based insights and actionable strategies for stakeholders across academia, industry, public sector, and civil society. A core objective of the GlobAIpol network is to inform global approaches to AI governance by sharing best practices and fostering collaboration on developing AI policy. This includes advancing responsible AI policy research that meets the growing need for governance grounded in ethical, transparent, and evidence-based practices to shape inclusive and trustworthy policies.
Hosted by Dr. Nitin Sawhney, Docent in Computer Science, University of Helsinki and Prof. Laura Ruotsalainen, Professor of Spatiotemporal Data Analysis for Sustainability Science, Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki. Held in partnership with Mathieu Girerd, Attaché for Science and Higher Education, Embassy of France in Helsinki.
Co-organized in cooperation with Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI), Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT), University of Helsinki, Embassy of France in Helsinki, Global AI Policy Research Network (GlobAIPol) and UN Global Pulse.
Local event organizer and contact: Katri Karhunen, Project Coordinator for FCAI
Associated Event: Film Screening
In conjunction with the symposium, participants are warmly invited to attend the following event:
Ghost in the Machine (2026, 95 min), premiere of new documentary directed by Valerie Veatch at Cinema Orion on October 22 from 17:15 - 19:30. Includes a post-screening discussion with Director Valerie Veatch (online), invited experts and audience QA. For more information, visit the event website.