At the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80), world leaders called for urgent action on democratic AI governance. Yet efforts at the UN to establish international oversight fell short, underscoring the difficulty of aligning nations with vastly different standards and purposes.
The Boston Global Forum (BGF) believes the time has come for democracies to act together. Since 2017, BGF has pioneered frameworks for AI governance through the AI World Society (AIWS) Initiative, the Social Contract for the AI Age, AIWS Government 24/7, the Boston Finance Accord for AI Governance 24/7, and the Abe AI Finance Protocol.
In 2020, BGF and the World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid co-founded the Global Alliance for Digital Governance (GADG), bringing together former heads of state and government with thought leaders to champion democratic values in the digital era. The Global Alliance for Digital Governance now provides the foundation to expand and develop this mission into the Global Alliance for Democratic AI and Digital Governance.
Building on this foundation, BGF calls for uniting trusted democracies to establish ethical frameworks and governance models for the AI Age.
The Alliance will begin with five core nations:
- United States – global leader, birthplace of the Internet and AI
- Japan – anchor of ethics and trusted democracy
- India – vibrant democracy with advanced AI and digital platforms
- Israel – innovative and agile nation
- Vietnam – a transforming country, committed to reform, openness, and international integration
Vietnam’s leadership has articulated a strong vision for responsible integration with the global community. At Columbia University in 2024, Chief of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, declared: “Viet Nam’s development path cannot separate from the common trend of the world and human civilization. We will continue to accelerate the process of reform, opening up, and comprehensive and extensive international integration.”
Reaffirming this vision at UNGA80, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong stated: “By promoting the responsible development of advanced technologies, Vietnam is linking its domestic modernization with global concerns about ethics, inclusiveness, and security in AI.”
Vietnam is uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge between developed and developing nations. Its responsible approach to modernization, coupled with its openness to global norms, gives Vietnam the credibility to convince other emerging economies to join this alliance and adopt ethical standards for AI and digital governance.
This coalition will be guided by World Leaders in AIWS, including Audrey Tang, Alondra Nelson, Sanae Takaichi, Vint Cerf, Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Amandeep Gill, Ángel Gurría, and Professor Judea Pearl.
It will also be led by Boston Global Forum’s leadership team, including:
- Nguyen Anh Tuan, Co-Founder, Co-Chair, and CEO, BGF
- Governor Michael Dukakis, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, BGF
- Professor Alex Pentland, MIT
- Professor Nazli Choucri, MIT
- Professor Thomas Patterson, Harvard Kennedy School
- Professor David Silbersweig, Harvard Medical School
- Yasuhide Nakayama, Former Japanese State Minister
- Elisabeth Moreno, Former French Minister
- Glen Weyl, Microsoft Research Leader and Founder, Plurality Institute
- Jeff Saviano, Harvard Contributor in the AI Ethics
Taiwan’s digital democracy will serve as a case study, offering valuable lessons in civic participation, transparency, and resilience. Expansion will follow with trusted democracies such as Sweden and Norway.
The Global Alliance for Democratic AI and Digital Governance will ensure that artificial intelligence and advanced technologies are aligned with democracy, human rights, peace, and shared prosperity. It will serve as a counterweight to authoritarian AI models and an engine for ethical innovation.
