Abstract
Internationally, many states have launched ambitious strategies to promote AI and correspondingly, AI has become an object of considerations how to regulate this development at transnational level. Currently, there are at least 27 proposed AI principles with a cross-border scope, which show how states, research institutes or business around the world are approaching AI.
This increasing number of those initiatives raises various questions. In this respect, AI principles help to frame the global AI debate.
They represent different sets putting different emphasis on different topics. On the other hand, they may complement each other and provide building blocks for a broader consensus as well.
All initial proposals are of soft law nature. Nevertheless, in the future, they can form the basis of binding international standards or help governments design national legislation as "hard legalization" followed in other new fields in the past.
In any case, AI principles will likely define social and ethical considerations about the next development of AI. The proposed contribution will focus on the current state of play in a landscape of international AI governance, considering and comparing various initiatives.
We will evaluate existing AI principles and make a case against possible fragmentation. In order to respond constructively to current trends, we will argue for more active role of relevant international organisations in developing transnational rules for AI.