Regulating AI, Club de Madrid push democratic AI governance ahead of Geneva summit

Regulating AI Inc. and Club de Madrid co-hosted a global webinar on Democratic AI Governance on May 12, 2026, bringing together policymakers, former heads of state, multilateral officials and AI practitioners. The session produced six follow-up priorities aimed at shaping rights-based AI rules before the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance and AI for Good Summit in Geneva in July 2026.

Why it matters: - AI governance talks are moving from broad principles to implementation, with a focus on human rights, transparency and non-discrimination. - The webinar centered on how democratic countries, multilateral institutions and civil society can shape rules before Geneva 2026. - The agenda also reflected growing concern about military AI, cybersecurity risks and AI-enabled misinformation.

What happened: - Regulating AI Inc. and Club de Madrid co-hosted an online session on Democratic AI Governance on May 12, 2026. - The webinar convened global policymakers, former heads of state, multilateral representatives and AI practitioners. - The session aimed to shape inclusive AI governance frameworks ahead of the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the AI for Good Summit in Geneva in July 2026. - Sanjay Puri, founder and CEO of Regulating AI Inc. / Knowledge Networks Group, moderated the event.

The details: - Speakers included Esko Aho, Tarja Halonen, Mehdi Jomaa, Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, Sean Cleary, Ruben Campos and Micky Tripathi. - Special guests included Preetam Maloor of the International Telecommunication Union and Guillaume Andro of EY. - The discussion covered AI inclusion and equitable access, interoperable governance frameworks, human oversight, transparency and accountability. - Participants also discussed democratic safeguards, AI literacy, military AI applications and AI-enabled misinformation. - A strong consensus emerged that governance discussions need to shift toward implementation-oriented collaboration. - Participants emphasized multi-stakeholder engagement and stronger participation from the Global South. - Six follow-up action priorities were identified for Geneva. - The priorities include a Democratic AI Governance Coalition spanning governments, international organisations, industry, academia and civil society. - The priorities also include a Global South AI Readiness Initiative focused on digital infrastructure, AI literacy and public sector AI capacity. - Additional priorities include Sector-Specific AI Governance Pilots in healthcare, elections, public services and education. - The group called for a dedicated Military and Security Dialogue on AI to address autonomous weapons and cybersecurity risks. - The priorities include a Minimum Global Baseline for AI Governance anchored in human rights, transparency and non-discrimination. - The final priority is an AI Literacy and Public Awareness Initiative. - A roundtable to advance the priorities will be convened at AI for Good 2026 in Geneva. - Regulating AI Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based AI governance organization founded by Sanjay K. Puri. - The organization says its ecosystem includes CAIO Connect, ERAI Fellowship, PolicyOra, Universal AI Awards, AI Speakers Bureau and RALC. - Club de Madrid describes itself as the world’s largest forum of democratic former heads of state and government. - Club de Madrid works on democracy, democratic leadership, technology governance, democratic resilience and inclusive development. - More information is available through Regulating AI’s social channels, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X.

Between the lines: - The Geneva timing suggests the webinar was designed as a pressure point to convert shared principles into coordinated policy proposals. - The emphasis on the Global South signals a push to broaden AI rulemaking beyond wealthy states and major tech hubs. - The mix of former national leaders, multilateral officials and private-sector experts suggests an effort to give the governance agenda both political legitimacy and technical depth.

What’s next: - Organizers will take the six priorities to Geneva for follow-up during the AI for Good 2026 week. - A roundtable in Geneva is expected to move the proposals closer to coalition building and implementation planning. - The next test is whether the discussion can produce concrete cooperation among governments, institutions and industry before the July meetings.