Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy: Power, Governance and Practice



Overview

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the foundations of diplomacy, governance and global power. This intensive three-day course offers diplomats, government officials and international affairs professionals a clear and practice-oriented understanding of how AI is transforming statecraft, multilateral cooperation and strategic competition.

Drawing on the latest global developments, including the EU AI Act, US Executive Order on AI, OECD frameworks, and the emerging G7 and UN governance processes, the course provides a structured overview of the opportunities, risks and geopolitical implications of AI for diplomatic work. You will examine how AI is influencing negotiation dynamics, intelligence analysis, crisis management, strategic communication and the interaction between democratic and authoritarian models of digital governance.

Through a combination of expert-led sessions, contemporary case studies and a half-day crisis simulation, the course equips participants with analytical tools and policy frameworks that can be directly applied in ministries, missions and international organisations. Sessions also introduce practical approaches for institutional preparedness, ethical adoption, and cross-government coordination, enabling participants to design informed strategies suited to their own national or organisational contexts.

Whether you are already working on technology issues or seeking to integrate AI awareness into your diplomatic practice, this course offers an advanced, forward-looking foundation for navigating AI’s growing role in international affairs.

Programme details

Day One - 13 April

Foundations: AI, Power and the Transformation of Diplomacy

Session 1: Artificial Intelligence and the New Landscape of Global Power

  • Key concepts, definitions and categories of AI relevant to diplomacy
  • How AI reshapes geopolitical competition, strategic advantage and national power
  • Understanding AI as infrastructure, intelligence, capability and governance system
  • Mapping the global landscape: US, China, EU, India, Middle East, Africa
  • Case study discussion: semiconductor geopolitics and strategic dependencies

Session 2: AI and the Future of Decision-Making in Diplomacy

  • How governments and international organisations use AI for analysis, forecasting and strategic planning
  • Institutional adoption challenges: technical, organisational, ethical and political
  • AI-assisted horizon scanning and early warning tools
  • Opportunities and limits of AI-powered decision-support
  • Case study: NATO’s emerging and disruptive technologies agenda

Session 3: Competing Models of AI Governance: Democratic vs. Authoritarian Approaches

  • Overview of global regulatory frameworks: EU AI Act, US Executive Order, OECD, G7 Hiroshima Process, UN initiatives
  • Digital sovereignty and divergent normative visions of governance
  • The risks and strategic impact of AI-enabled authoritarianism
  • Implications for diplomacy, partnerships and multilateral cooperation
  • Case study: China’s export of AI surveillance technologies

Session 4: Diplomacy in an AI-Shaped Information Environment

  • AI-generated information ecosystems: opportunities and vulnerabilities
  • Impacts on public diplomacy, strategic communication and counter-disinformation
  • Diplomatic risks of deepfakes and synthetic media
  • Case examples from elections, conflicts and multilateral negotiations
  • Interactive exercise: analysing an AI-influenced information scenario

Day Two - 14 April

Institutions, Strategy and Applied AI for Diplomats

Session 5: AI in Foreign Ministries, Embassies and International Organisations

  • How governments are integrating AI into diplomatic practice and workflow
  • Emerging use cases: diplomatic reporting, risk assessment, strategic foresight, policy drafting
  • Institutional barriers: skills gaps, data governance, accountability, procurement
  • Comparative examples:
  • European External Action Service (EEAS) digital diplomacy initiatives
  • UN bodies integrating AI for humanitarian forecasting
  • Small and medium-sized states adopting agile AI policies
  • Practical framework: assessing institutional readiness for AI adoption

Session 6: AI and Multilateral Governance: Norms, Standards and Global Coordination

  • Diplomatic negotiations behind the EU AI Act, US–EU dialogues, and G7 processes
  • UN attempts at coordination: High-Level Advisory Body, Global Digital Compact
  • The geopolitics of standards-setting and regulatory competition
  • The challenge of harmonising global governance in an era of strategic rivalry
  • Case study: regulatory fragmentation and its impact on cross-border digital cooperation

Session 7: AI, Security and International Stability

  • AI in defence, intelligence and hybrid threats
  • The risks of escalation, miscalculation and automated decision cycles
  • AI in conflict early warning, sanctions monitoring and peace operations
  • Dual-use dilemmas: balancing innovation with safeguarding
  • Case study: AI-enabled targeting, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and international law debates

Session 8: Tools for Diplomats: AI Applications for Policy, Strategy and Crisis Response

  • Using AI for scenario building, negotiation preparation and real-time analysis
  • Identifying trustworthy vs. high-risk AI outputs
  • Building AI-informed policy memos and strategic briefs
  • Practical exercise: evaluating an AI-generated diplomatic analysis for reliability and bias
  • Debrief on risks, opportunities and institutional safeguards

Day Three - 15 April

Strategic Futures, Institutional Application and Crisis Simulation
 
Session 9: Strategic Futures: AI, Diplomacy and the Global Order (High-Level Overview)

  • Emerging fault lines in AI geopolitics: great-power rivalry, middle-power coalitions, Global South agency
  • The future of multilateralism in an AI-dominated era
  • Anticipating governance gaps: safety, compute, data flows, cross-border regulation
  • Scenario analysis: AI futures in 2030 and their implications for diplomacy
  • Group reflection: national and organisational preparedness

Session 10: Institutional Approaches: Policy Design, Risk Management and Ethical Adoption

  • Frameworks for designing AI policies within foreign ministries and international organisations
  • Identifying risks, opportunities and constraints for institutional implementation
  • Ethical considerations and safeguards for diplomatic use of AI
  • Toolkits for integrating AI into strategic planning, crisis response and communication
  • Practical exercise: drafting an institutional AI adoption roadmap

Session 11: Crisis Simulation: AI-Influenced Geopolitical Flashpoint (Half-Day)
Duration: ~2 hours

Participants engage in a structured simulation involving an emerging geopolitical or diplomatic crisis shaped by AI technologies.

  • Roles assigned across states, ministries, and international organisations
  • Managing AI-generated misinformation, intelligence uncertainty and escalatory risks
  • Negotiation under time pressure and incomplete, AI-mediated information
  • Strategic decision-making: coordination, communication, and governance challenges

Session 12: Simulation Debrief, Synthesis and Action Planning

  • What the simulation reveals about AI vulnerabilities in diplomacy 
  • Good practice for cross-government coordination under AI uncertainty
  • Translating lessons to participants’ institutions and national contexts
  • Building a personal and organisational action plan for AI integration
  • Final reflections and course conclusions

Attending your course

Further details will be emailed to you two weeks ahead of your course, which will include registration information. 

Please get in touch if you have not received this information within five working days of the course start date.  

In the meantime, you may wish to plan your travel: Travel information

Certification

In order to be eligible for a certificate of attendance, you will need to attend the whole course. Participants who meet this criterion will be emailed after the end of the course with a link, and instructions on how to access their University of Oxford digital certificate. 

The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate, as well as share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
1. Standard course fee £1595.00
2. Discount fee package: 13 - 17 April 2026 £2445.00

Payment

This course can be taken separately or as part of a discount fee package including Negotiating Successfully in International Affairs and Diplomacy (16-17 April 2026), a saving of £270.

Fees include course materials, tuition, refreshments and lunches. The price does not include accommodation.

All courses are VAT exempt.

Register immediately online 

Click the “book now” button on this webpage. Payment by credit or debit card is required.

Request an invoice

If you require an invoice for your company or personal records, please contact us. The Course Administrator will then email you an invoice. Payment is accepted online by credit/debit card, or by bank transfer. Please do not send card or bank details by email.​

Tutor

Dr Jennifer Cassidy - Tutor

Dr Jennifer A. Cassidy is a leading global authority on the intersection of diplomacy, technology and governance. A Lecturer in Technology and Diplomacy at the University of Oxford, she has been part of the Oxford academic community for over sixteen years and completed the world’s first doctoral thesis on Digital Diplomacy at the University. Her research and teaching have shaped the evolution of this emerging field, bridging rigorous scholarship with the practical demands placed on diplomats and international institutions in an era of rapid technological change.

Before joining academia full-time, Dr Cassidy served as a diplomat with Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, with postings in Dublin and abroad. Her professional experience spans multilateral negotiations, crisis response, strategic communication and digital engagement—skills she now brings directly into her executive education work with governments, foreign ministries and international organisations. She is widely recognised for her ability to translate complex technological transformations into clear, actionable strategies for practitioners across diverse institutional settings.

Dr Cassidy is a frequent keynote speaker at major global forums, including the Munich Security Conference, the United Nations, the European Parliament and international conferences on AI governance, cybersecurity and diplomacy. She advises diplomats and senior officials on the geopolitical, regulatory and ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence, and her commentary appears regularly in international media such as the BBC, TRT World and other leading outlets. Her forthcoming edited volume on **AI and Diplomacy** further consolidates her role as a central voice in debates on how emerging technologies are reshaping the global order. Through her teaching across Oxford’s executive programmes, she equips practitioners with the strategic insight, analytical tools and institutional frameworks required to navigate twenty-first-century diplomacy.

Application

If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying, please click 'Ask a Question' at the top of this page. 

Level and demands

This course is aimed at: 

  • Diplomats, civil servants and officials from foreign ministries, embassies and consular services who are engaging with technology, AI governance or digital transformation.
  • Professionals working in international organisations (e.g., UN agencies, EU institutions, OECD, OSCE, NATO, regional organisations) involved in policy development, strategic planning, governance or innovation.
  • Government officials across ministries dealing with AI regulation, cybersecurity, technology policy, public communication or crisis response.
  • Staff from NGOs, think tanks, international charities and policy institutes working on technology, governance, global development or international security.
  • Analysts, advisers and professionals seeking to understand how AI is reshaping global diplomacy and who require structured, up-to-date training to support their institution’s strategic adaptation.
  • Early- to mid-career international affairs practitioners preparing for roles that involve AI policy, digital diplomacy, global governance or strategic communication.

Accommodation

Although not included in the course fee, accommodation may be available at our on-site Rewley House Residential Centre. All bedrooms are en suite and decorated to a high standard, and come with tea- and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi access and Freeview TV. Guests can take advantage of the excellent dining facilities and common room bar, where they may relax and network with others on the programme.

To check prices, availability and to book rooms please visit the Rewley House Residential Centre website. 

Enrolled students are entitled to discounted accommodation rates for the purpose of study, at Rewley House, and can contact the administration team for the promotional code to use for making online accommodation bookings via the website.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support