You can view and download our 2023 annual report here.
2023 was a formative year for the Simon Institute for Longterm Governance (SI). We brought together key actors in international AI governance, leveraging the strengths of the international system and complementing its shortcomings. We published two major UN reports on rapid technological progress and its risks; ran briefings and retreats across New York, Geneva, and Paris; grew our team from three to six members; developed internal systems to scale with the increasing complexity of our work; and much more.
Our annual report provides an in-depth overview of our work throughout 2023, covering key figures, progress on our 2023-2025 strategy, notable achievements, and financial updates.
For a high-level summary of our accomplishments in 2023, we:
- Published the first-ever UN thematic study on Existential Risk and Rapid Technological Change, while simultaneously raising awareness of these topics during the Mid-term review of the Sendai Framework, speaking at the high-level meeting and being cited in the Mid-Term Review report.
- Collaborated with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, International Science Council, and Centre for the Study of Existential Risk to deliver a comprehensive report outlining hazards with escalation potential, and strategies for governing them. As part of the project, we conducted an extensive literature review on catastrophic and existential risks, surveyed over 250 domain experts on various hazard types, and formalized an updated classification.
- Published the FAIR framework; a Future-proofing framework for policy design emphasizing Adaptability, long-term Impact assessment, and Representation of future generations, and subsequently delivered a session on future-proofing for the UN’s High-Level Advisory Board on Multilateralism.
- Provided policy input advocating for heightened recognition of future generations in the Declaration for Future Generations, emphasized the importance of centering AI governance efforts on benefit sharing and frontier R&D during consultations for the Global Digital Compact, and supported coordination efforts around the Summit of the Future, including through a two-day workshop with 30 actors from across civil society, academia, and the multilateral system.
- Fostered trust-based relationships with Permanent Missions to the UN in Geneva and New York, resulting in a briefing series on AI governance co-organised with the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica and Kenya attended by 93 diplomats, tailored support to select missions on AI governance, and expanded collaborations with UN actors in New York for 2024.
- Were invited to New York, Paris, Boston, and Dubai to provide expert input to national representatives and international processes alike, from the World Economic Forum, to the OECD and UN.
- Hired 3 new full-time staff members, expanding the SI team to 6, while simultaneously updating our governance structure, refining our strategy, plans and internal processes for the 2023-2025 period, and initiating a successful launch to our next fundraising round.
For any questions, or to get in touch with our team, feel free to contact info@simoninstitute.ch.