Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative

The Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative (AIGI) was launched in September 2023 as one of three new research programmes at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. It aims to understand and anticipate lasting risks from artificial intelligence through rigorous research into the technical and computational elements of AI development, combined with deep policy analysis. AIGI is co-directed by Professor Robert Trager, a social scientist specializing in international relations and frontier AI regulation who also serves as International Governance Lead at the Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI) and Senior Research Fellow at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, and Professor Michael Osborne, a specialist in machine learning. The initiative is one of the few centres in the world to combine computational science with social science approaches to AI governance. The initiative's research spans six main domains: Frontier AI Governance, Technical AI Governance, International AI Governance, Social Impact of Emerging Technologies, China AI Governance, and Open Problems in Frontier AI Risk Management. Its work includes understanding frameworks for national and international AI regulation, exploring the technological feasibility of using AI to facilitate AI governance, and investigating how the AI industry can cooperate with international institutions for public benefit. AIGI runs the Technical AI Governance (TAIG) DPhil Studentships programme, a first-of-its-kind doctoral training opportunity hosted jointly with the Department of Engineering Science. The programme aims to fund seven DPhil students per year, training researchers who can bridge the gap between advanced AI systems and effective governance. The initiative has had significant policy impact, with agenda-setting research informing policy and regulatory discussions at the UN, EU, UK, and US levels. Affiliates hold senior roles at the EU AI Office, the UK AI Safety Institute, and international standards bodies. Director Robert Trager has delivered nearly 100 talks globally and represented AIGI at major summits including the AI Seoul Summit and the UN's AI for Good Global Summit. In early 2026, AIGI convened a high-level dialogue in New Delhi ahead of the India AI Impact Summit. While AIGI is a separate organization from the Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI), the two share close collaborative ties and some personnel. GovAI was founded in 2018 by Allan Dafoe at Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute and became an independent nonprofit in 2021. Allan Dafoe now serves as a visiting fellow at AIGI while holding the role of Director of Frontier Safety and Governance at Google DeepMind.