This project has received funding via the EUI ESR call 2026, dedicated to Early Stage Researchers.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) poses profound challenges for the international community. Existing debates on the global politics of AI governance have largely focused on the strategies and normative ambitions of major powers such as China, the US, the EU and Russia. By contrast, less attention has been paid to middle powers, despite their growing technological capabilities, diplomatic resources and normative ambitions to shape emerging governance frameworks.
Contributing to ongoing debates, the project examines the role of middle powers in AI governance. It explores how middle powers can contribute to the development of a coherent international framework for governing AI and assesses their potential to act as bridge-builders between competing great-power approaches.
The project focuses on two middle powers - the UK and South Korea - and aims to make three contributions.
- To advance a novel understanding of the role of middle powers in global AI governance.
- To broaden middle-power scholarship beyond traditional issue areas such as trade, security and climate change by analysing middle-power behaviour in a new and rapidly evolving domain of global governance: AI governance.
- To generate important implications for the EU and its member states. For many EU countries that can also be considered middle powers, the findings offer guidance on how to leverage their strategic positions to shape global AI governance more effectively.