Centre for the Governance of AI

The Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI) is an independent nonprofit research organization building a global research community dedicated to helping humanity navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI. Its mission is to positively shape the lasting impact of artificial intelligence on the world by supporting informed and effective decision-making by private and public institutions regarding the development and deployment of AI. GovAI traces its origins to Allan Dafoe's Global Politics of AI Research Group at Yale University, established in 2016. It became an academic center at the University of Oxford in 2018, initially operating within the Future of Humanity Institute. In 2021, GovAI relaunched as an independent nonprofit, and in 2024 completed its spin-out from Effective Ventures to become a fully independent entity. The organization is now led by Executive Director Ben Garfinkel, with Allan Dafoe serving as Founding Director and President. GovAI's research program is organized around three main themes: risk analysis, examining evidence regarding hypothesized risks from AI and AI's role in mitigating risks; best practices, studying how AI companies can responsibly develop and deploy systems while managing risks; and public policy, exploring how governments can ensure responsible AI development. Specific research areas include compute governance, frontier AI regulation, AI agent infrastructure policy, international AI coordination, dual-use AI capabilities, biosecurity threats, labor market impacts, and the economics of AI. The organization operates two legal entities: Centre for the Governance of AI, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States (EIN 99-4000294), and Centre for the Governance of AI, a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. In 2025, GovAI moved its UK operations from Oxford to a new London office at 20 Old Bailey, London. GovAI runs highly competitive seasonal fellowship programs that have grown significantly, hosting 36 fellows in 2024 with applications jumping from 670 to 9,700 between 2023 and 2024. Alumni have gone on to policy roles in government and positions at leading AI labs including Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic, as well as think tanks such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, and the Tony Blair Institute. GovAI's initial research agenda, published in 2018, helped define and shape the nascent field of AI governance, and its research developing the framework of cooperative AI led to the creation of a $15 million philanthropic foundation. The organization doubled its staff during 2024 and has been featured in Fortune, The Economist, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, and The Atlantic. GovAI is a partner of the Centre for Economic Policy Research and is registered on the EU Transparency Register.