The world faces an onslaught of crises: from climate change, the war in Ukraine, debt, inequalities, multilateral malaise and geopolitical tensions, to the ongoing risk of future global pandemics. At the same time, by many measures, the standard of living continues to increase across the globe, and prospects for great technological leaps are real. Governance remains an essential ingredient for how societies innovate ways forward.
It is an important time for think tanks to play leadership roles in building and supporting fact-based visions of the future. CIGI’s focus on governance and institutions in the digital age remains highly relevant, especially on technological changes that drive innovation and progress but that can also threaten society’s fabric. Data, transformative technologies including AI, digital currencies, cybersecurity and digital platform governance issues remain core.
In the year since I became CIGI’s president, we have launched new initiatives and further expanded our partnerships and funding. Our work has grown on critical issues around emerging technologies, including our Global AI Risk Initiative, which focuses on the global risks of advanced AI systems and seeks to inform and mobilize Canadian expertise and domestic and foreign policy actions. We launched the Digital Policy Hub, through partnerships with universities, governments and the private sector, and have established a platform for a new group of diverse, innovative thinkers across disciplines who will further their career development and contribute to CIGI’s policy research.
CIGI’s worldwide network of fellows constitutes a truly impressive group. Their influential and timely research, along with the contributions of our partners and supporters, is remarkable and has sparked new forms of collaboration. I invite you to explore their work at CIGIonline.org.
I look forward to another excellent year ahead.
Paul Samson
President, CIGI