A new initiative brings mental health experts and AI safety professionals to the same table, with a focus on teen mental health while working in the open for the public interest.

As policymakers grapple with the future of open AI, defining “openness” has become more important than ever. This post highlights a new paper that provides a shared framework for understanding openness in foundation models and reflects several years of collaborative work led by Columbia IGP and its partners.

There is an urgent need for a more nuanced and informed understanding of openness in AI systems, says Professor Camille François.

The Preliminary Report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, cowritten by IGP Faculty Advisory Board Member Maria Ressa, is a first-of-its-kind independent scientific assessment of the capabilities, emerging opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence. It’s central warning: current safeguards cannot keep pace with the growth of AI’s capabilities.

Read the new report from the IGP's Technology & Democracy Initiative, AI Slop and the Information Ecosystem, by Jen Weedon, Camille François, and Jeremie Ponak.

Camille François participated in the Inaugural high-level dialogue of the Faith-AI covenant of the Interfaith Alliance, gathering religious and spiritual leaders along with technology leaders to bridge the gap between the “Builders” and the “Stewards” (moral and spiritual leaders), presenting IGP's Technology & Democracy Initiative work on child safety safeguards.

Researchers, policymakers, and AI experts at a Columbia SIPA convening warned that generative AI and social media advertising systems are accelerating online scams and called for stronger platform accountability and regulatory oversight.

Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and Co-Chair of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI accepts the Champion of Global Leadership Award from Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, on April 8, 2026.

The Institute of Global Politics (IGP) Technology & Democracy Initiative and the Columbia Journalism School convened a public discussion on the collapse of the information environment and the frameworks needed to restore transparency and trust online.

"Children deserve to be protected as robustly as possible—and that requires tools we can actually understand," writes Camille François, Assistant Professor of Practice at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.