Advancing representative and inclusive AI governance with UNIDIR’s Women in AI Fellowship

From 8-12 June, UNIDIR’s Women in AI Fellowship welcomed 33 women diplomats representing 32 countries and 1 regional organization for a week-long training at the United Nations Office in Geneva.

This year’s programme provided the Institute’s growing network of Women in AI fellows with grounding in the technical, legal, governance and ethical dimensions of AI, particularly in terms of its applications in international peace and security. The training enabled participants to navigate present and future challenges around emerging technologies.

Through expert-led lectures, interactive sessions, and tabletop exercises, the programme reflected the breadth and diversity of both its participants and its subject matter. Fellows explored AI across multiple dimensions – the technological foundation of AI and biases, military applications and international humanitarian law, and multilateral approaches to advancing AI governance.

Discussions extended to AI’s place in the broader international defence architecture, strategic foresight around its use, and the growing policy relevance of the nexus of emerging technologies like AI and cybersecurity. Fellows were also introduced to broader considerations and implications of military AI, including through the lenses of human rights, gender considerations, responsible AI and ethics, as well as multistakeholder and regional perspectives from across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Europe.

UNIDIR actively leads initiatives to strengthen knowledge and dialogue on the governance of military AI. This fellowship reflects the Institute’s key priority of ensuring that women can participate meaningfully in shaping these discussions.