Negotiation and AI

Overview

Artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies are advancing at a pace that far exceeds the ability of existing governance frameworks to regulate, integrate, and leverage them effectively. As AI increasingly shapes decision-making, power dynamics, and institutional effectiveness, governments and international organizations face growing challenges in adapting policies and governance mechanisms to keep pace. While global efforts to establish AI governance frameworks are underway, significant gaps remain between the speed of technological change and the capacity of institutions to respond.

AI presents both significant opportunities and complex challenges for multilateral negotiation and international cooperation, offering the potential to enhance institutional efficiency, improve analysis of complex issues, support consensus-building, and strengthen evidence-based decision-making, while also raising important ethical, regulatory, and governance concerns. At the same time, uneven access to and adoption of AI technologies risks widening existing digital divides, affecting the ability of states and institutions to participate fully and equitably in global governance processes.

Negotiation and Artificial Intelligence 

To address these challenges, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) are partnering to deliver an Executive Programme Series on Negotiation and AI. The series will equip leaders and practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the opportunities, risks, and implications of AI in negotiation, diplomacy, and international cooperation. 

The Executive Programme Series on Negotiation and AI includes three programs: Negotiation in the Age of AI, AI Governance, and AI and Decision-Making. The training programs are designed to build the capacities of a diverse cohort, including diplomats, delegates, international civil servants and policymakers, academics, and professionals working across the public and private sectors. More information on these programs can be found via the links below.

In the lead up to the Executive Programme Series, Columbia SIPA and UNITAR will be hosting a Roundtable on the 22nd of July at 10am ET / 4pm GVA time. For more information and to register please visit the following link. 

Executive Programme Series

Structure and Methodology

Professional Benefits

Participants in the Executive Programme Series on Negotiation and AI will gain access to a range of professional, academic, and networking benefits designed to support their leadership development and career advancement in an increasingly AI-enabled global environment.

• Joint Columbia SIPA–UNITAR Certificate: Earn a Joint Certificate from SIPA and UNITAR—two of the world’s leading institutions in multilateral diplomacy, public policy, and international affairs—upon the successful completion of each program. Participants who complete all three programs would additionally receive an overarching certificate or the full series.
• Access to World-Class Faculty and Practitioners: Learn from leading academics, policy experts, diplomats, negotiators, and practitioners from Columbia SIPA, UNITAR, and the broader international community who are shaping the future of AI governance and multilateral cooperation.
• Membership in a Growing Community of Practice: Become part of a global network of professionals, diplomats, government officials, international civil servants, and regulators focused on AI, governance, negotiation, and decision-making, creating valuable professional connections that can support future collaboration, policy dialogue, and professional opportunities.
• Peer Learning and Cross-Sector Exchange: Expand perspectives through engagement with participants working at the forefront of AI policy, diplomacy, and governance from different sectors and regions and gain practical insights into how AI challenges and opportunities are being addressed across different national and institutional contexts.
• Practical Skills and Applied Learning: Acquire hands-on experience with AI-enabled tools and policy frameworks as well as immediately applicable skills through case study analysis, negotiation simulations, real-word policy exercises, forecasting tools, and scenario planning.
• Enhanced Professional Credentials: Enhance your expertise and competencies in AI, negotiation, governance, and decision-making and gain insights into emerging international norms, regulatory developments, governance frameworks, and geopolitical dynamics that are shaping the future of artificial intelligence worldwide.
• Alumni Engagement Opportunities: Receive invitations to select thought leadership events, policy forums, and networking opportunities organized by Columbia SIPA and UNITAR, to remain engaged with evolving developments in AI and international affairs.
• Exposure to Global Centers of Diplomacy: Gain exposure to the global centers of diplomacy in New York City and Geneva.

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Program Faculty