Designing a Joint International AI Lab

As advanced artificial intelligence (AI) risks grow, nations may need bold global coordination. This new CIGI paper explores how a joint international AI lab could enable safe and collaborative development of frontier AI systems. Drawing lessons from high-security biosafety labs, it examines governance, information security and emergency protocols — and weighs this approach against a national “AGI Manhattan Project.” Read the paper to explore how global cooperation could shape the future of AI.

As humanity pushes further into space, ethical and legal frameworks lag behind. This new analysis calls for a space ethic that reconciles competing values, from economic development to sociocultural preservation. The authors urge greater consultation, especially with Indigenous peoples, to ensure sovereignty and self-determination are respected in shaping space governance. Before space mining and settlement accelerate, the world must establish legal systems to recognize and adjudicate claims. Read the analysis to explore how ethics and inclusion can guide the next frontier.

CIGI is pleased to welcome Barry Sanders as a visiting senior fellow. Barry is a leading figure in quantum science and technology, with research spanning quantum sensing, communication, computing and optics. He is the scientific director of the University of Calgary’s Quantum City, where he leads efforts to build a quantum innovation ecosystem in Canada. Barry is also an advisor for the European Organization for Nuclear Research’s Open Quantum Institute and Google’s XPrize, a mentor for Creative Destruction Labs in Toronto and Calgary, and co-lead of the Canada-France Centre national de la recherche scientifique International Research Network.

A warm welcome to Barry!

Canada risks entering the 2026 CUSMA review unprepared. In this commentary, Barry Appleton calls for a sovereign advisory system with a Canadian Trade and Economic Security Council and sectoral advisory groups to provide confidential, expert guidance and ensure inclusive, strategic trade negotiations. Read the full analysis to explore how Canada can regain foresight and leverage in the digital economy.

Canada once led the world in military drones but fell behind due to decades of underinvestment. In this piece, co-published by CIGI and The Walrus, Wesley Wark argues that the war in Ukraine has made the need for drones impossible to ignore. With emerging domestic innovators, a growing commercial sector and expertise in AI, Canada has the tools to build a dual-use drone industry. Read the full article to explore how Canada can pivot from bystander to leader in drone technology.