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
Registration: Opening soon
About the Symposium
This symposium examines critical perspectives on global AI governance, responsible AI policies and ethical practices, alongside 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. It examines the risks and implications of the use of 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, and 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 on questions of governance, responsible policies and ethical approaches on how AI can and should be leveraged in the public and planetary interest.
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.
Tentative program
8:30 - 9:00 Coffee and Registration at Think Corner
9:00 - 9:15 Welcome and Introduction to Symposium
9:15 - 10:15 Opening Keynote Presentation & QA
10:15 - 11:30 Session 1: Global AI Governance and Policy: Where are we today?
AI Policy in 2026: State of the (Dis)Union: Talk by Prof. Virginia Dignum, Professor in Responsible Artificial Intelligence and Director of the AI Policy Lab, Umeå University (joining remotely)
Reflections from the Global AI Policy Research Network
11:30 - 13:00 Lunch break (not included in symposium, great options available around venue)
13:00 - 13:55 Session 2: Governing AI for Planetary Health
13:55 - 14:05 Short Break
14:05 - 15:00 Session 3: Responsible AI in Defense Tech, Security and Warfare?
15:00 - 15:25 Short break
15:25 - 16:20 Session 4: Future of Civic AI, Public Interest and Democracy
16:20 - 16:30 Short Break
16:30 - 17:25 Session 5: Leveraging AI for Social and Humanitarian Action
17:30 - 18:15 Symposium Closing: Key Outcomes and Future Directions
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
Co-organized in cooperation with Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence, University of Helsinki, Global AI Policy Research Network (GlobAIPol), UN Global Pulse, and Institut français de Finlande.
Local event organizer and contact: Katri Karhunen, Project Coordinator for FCAI