AI at the Institute

The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies was founded in 1927. At the time, it was the world's first academic institution devoted exclusively to the study of international affairs. Since then, the Institute has pioneered research on the interplay between technology and international relations. From military armament to nuclear deterrence or autonomous weapons systems, technology has always played a prominent role in the history of international relations, primarily because of the strong link between technological innovation, security, and power. More recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a pivotal force, redefining power dynamics and diplomatic interactions. In the evolving geopolitical landscape, the Institute has launched its Tech Hub, a transdisciplinary initiative to accelerate teaching, research and expertise on and with AI and technologies.

« With the significant challenges that lie ahead, we must create opportunities not only for collective exploration and understanding, but also for the deployment of new visions, constructive solutions, and propositions for desirable, sustainable, inclusive, and plural futures. Our expertise and research in the social sciences allow us to nurture these visions and propositions, which in turn must guide the development of current and future technologies. »

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Marie-Laure Salles, Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute

How to govern AI? | UNSG's High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence

AI Geopolitical Implications for Business, Government, and Society | AI House Davos 2024

Artificial Intelligence and its impact on our daily lives | What Matters Today

L'éthique au coeur de l'IA | What Matters Today

Teaching AI to Graduate Students and Executive Education Professionals

Alongside its disciplinary M.A. and Ph.D. programs in Anthropology and Sociology, International Economics, International History and Politics, International Law, and International Relations/Political Science, the Master in International and Development Studies explores the multiple geopolitical and societal implications of technology and AI in its seven specializations: Conflict, Peace and Security; Environment and Sustainability; Gender, Race and Diversity; Global Health; Human Rights and Humanitarianism; Mobility, Migration and Borders; and Sustainable Trade and Finance. AI and data-driven methods are also part of the curriculum, including coding languages such Python and R. A substantial number of its Applied Research Projects include a technology or AI-related component.

Each summer, the Institute offers a dedicated program on digital technologies, which dissects the impacts of digital technologies and AI on global issues, and fosters a nuanced understanding of digital technologies in international affairs. It includes sessions on AI for peace mediation, disinformation, cybersecurity, and the gender divide.

In parallel, the Institute recently launched the Executive Education Upskill Series. These short courses are designed to train diplomats, civil servants, and managers in the latest and most relevant technological tools and practices. A cornerstone of the series are the two-day courses on AI for Diplomacy and Organizations, and on Internet and AI Governance.

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Conducting Transdisciplinary Research on and with AI

The Institute's research mission is to produce knowledge that fosters a better understanding of international affairs. Research on technology is abundant, reflecting the wide variety of societal, environmental, and geopolitical impacts of technology. The Institute's transdisciplinary approach, involving collaborations with leading academic institutions, ensures comprehensive research across these domains. The list below offers an overview of AI research conducted at the Institute, though it is not intended to be comprehensive.

Governance and Ethics

Multistakeholder governance of the Internet contrasts with AI governance, which takes place in a different geopolitical context. Researchers, in partnership with OBVIA and the University of Oxford, are decoding AI governance fragmented space.
UN Tech Envoy Amandeep Gill and former Professor of Practice at the Institute recommends a holistic commons approach, shared vocabulary, and values for a global AI governance.

Warfare

Regulation of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and their legal and ethical accountability is under research. A group of researchers examined the implications of the use of such weapons in terms of legal and ethical accountability.
Further research delves into the ramifications of hybrid warfare, disinformation and the weaponization of information, in which the transformation of global informational landscapes due to the digitalization of life and rapid social media growth has profound political implications

Democracy

'Regulatory Politics of Digital Code, Content, and Circulation' project how digital infrastructure shapes democratic processes. This research focuses on the political and regulatory aspects of digital codes, content, and circulation, analyzing their roles in democracy's broader infrastructure.
Collaboration collaboration with the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), another project aims to develop AI systems that can measure online polarization.
AI technologies are increasingly mediating government – citizen interactions, which raises concerns about trust in and accountability of decision-making in the public sector.

Labour

In addition to several researchers explores digital labor and the gig economy, one project explores the exposure of the global South to automation as well as the lessons it may offer to address changing conceptions of digital work and production in an internet-enabled economy.

Inclusion and education

Digital inclusion provides new pathways and novel solutions for ensuring that women and girls can participate in the entire sphere of economic, social, political and cultural life.
NORRAG explores what an ethical and justice-oriented response to AI in education might look like.

Youth and Art

In collaboration with the Geneva and Zurich Schools of Art and Design (HEAD and ZHdk) and the Center for Democracy Studies in Aarau, a group of researchers are leading a project to raise awareness among Swiss youth about the potential and pitfalls of AI for democracy through art, storytelling and design fiction.

Health

A joint The Lancet & Financial Times Commission entitled Growing up in a digital world: Governing health futures 2030 is exploring the convergence of digital health, artificial intelligence (AI) and other frontier technologies with universal health coverage (UHC) to support attainment of the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

Law

In their project “Convergence versus Divergence? Text-as-Data and Network Analysis of International Economic Law Treaties and Tribunals”, researchers have set up a database of economic law cases that currently comprises 15,000 judicial decisions and further texts in a form suitable for machine processing.
The 4 following papers explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and legal judgment. They demonstrate both the potential and challenges of applying AI in legal contexts, looking at various aspects of AI, from predictive modeling and natural language processing to ethical considerations and the intricacies of legal reasoning:

Swiss Peacetech Alliance

A collaboration with Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and EPFL to create an AI system to measure online polarization in virtual networks, addressing radicalization risks and incorporating peacemaking principles into AI algorithms

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Stories of the Future

A project to raise awareness among Swiss youth about the potential and pitfalls of AI for democracy through art, storytelling and design fiction. Done in collaboration with HEAD, ZHdk and the Center for Democratic Studies in Aarau

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Outreach Expertise

The Institute shares its research with policy- and decision-makers, and the public at large, through a wealth of events, videos, podcasts, its digital presence on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X, as well as its contributions to policy dialogues through its Geneva Policy Outlook.