On March 14, 2025, Professor Ji Weidong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University was appointed as Co chair of the first Council of the Global Artificial Intelligence Network of the United Nations University by Tshilidzi Marwala, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and President of the United Nations University.
The United Nations University Global Artificial Intelligence Network (UNU Global AI Network) was launched by the United Nations University (UNU) to materialize the Global Digital Compact.
The UNU Global AI Network is a global platform that facilitates multi-stakeholder cooperation on AI to advance sustainable development. It is comprised of members of academic institutions, the private sector, international organizations, government institutions, and civil society organizations.
The UNU Global AI Network seeks to enhance international cooperation among stakeholders to promote AI for an inclusive, responsible, and sustainable digital future for all. It also facilitates the inclusion of voices from the Global South in global discussions on AI.
The Network unites the expertise of academia, the innovation of the private sector, the foresight of policymakers, and the engagement of civil society to:
1.Share knowledge on AI that benefits society as a whole.
2.Conduct research on AI to advance its benefits for the people and planet today and in the future and to counter potential harms from AI.
3.Co-create solutions to advance sustainable development for AI and with AI.
4.Promote evidence-based policymaking around AI and AI governance frameworks.
5.Establish partnerships on AI capacity-building to develop education and training programmes.
For more details, please click on the following link: https://unu.edu/unu-global-ai-network Or click on the end of the article to read the original text
JI Weidong is University Professor of Humanity and Social Sciences, Board Member of University Administration, President of China Institute for Socio-Legal Studies, and Director of Center for AI Governance and Law, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He is also President of Sociology of Law Branch, Shanghai Law Society; Founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Asian Journal of Law and Society; Chairman of the Association for Computational Law, China Computer Federation (CCF); Consultant of the Expert Consulting Committee of Shanghai National New-Generation AI Innovation & Development Pilot Zone; Member of China Digital Economy 50 Forum; Executive member of Chinese Judicial Research Society; Vice Chairman of Technology for Sustainable Development Goal Alliance for Asia; Co-Chair of UNU Global AI Network Board.
He was once selected as Board Member Co-opted of Research Committee on Sociology of Law, The International Sociological Association; Member of Council of the Japanese Association of Sociology of Law; Member of the Research Committee of the Asia Pacific Forum (Awaji Conference); Fellow of the Virtual Center for Advanced Studies in Institution, the Tokyo Foundation; Researcher and Member of Planning Committee, International Institute of Advanced Studies; Member of Global Agenda Council on Justice, World Economic Forum; Vice Chairman of the Guiding Committee of Legal Education, the Ministry of Education, China; President of Shanghai Rule of Law Association.
He was Dean and KoGuan Chair Professor of Law School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, 2008-2018; Professor, Graduate School of Law, Kobe University, Japan, 1996-2008; Visiting Scholar, Stanford Law School, U.S.A., 1991-1992.
Educational Background: LL.B., Peking University, China, 1983; LL.M., Kyoto University, Japan, 1987; Dr. Jur., Kyoto University, Japan, 1993.
Major Research Interests: sociology of law, comparative law and digital law.
Major Chinese Publications:
( 1 ) Constructing Rule of Law (Beijing: China University of Law and Political Sciences Press, 1999);
( 2 ) New Views on Constitutionalism (Beijing: Peking University Press, 2002, enlarged edition, 2005);
( 3 ) The Significance of Legal Procedures (Beijing: China Legal Publishing House, 2004);
( 4 ) Great Transformation and Rule of Law in China (Beijing: Peking University Press, 2013);
( 5 ) The Road to The Rule of Law: Social Diversity and Authority System (Beijing: Law Press, 2014);
( 6 ) Judicial Reform in China: The Path Dependence of Institutional Change and the Grand Design (ed., Beijing, Law Press, 2016);
( 7 ) Legal Changes in the AI Era (ed., Shanghai: Sanlian Press, 2020);
( 8 ) Transboundary Studies in Law: Norms, Facts and Interdiscipline (Beijing: Law Press, 2022);
( 9 ) The Order of the Metaverse: Virtual People, Crypto Assets, and Legal Innovations (Shanghai: People's Press, 2023)；
( 10 ) Sociology of Law (ed., Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2023)；
( 11 ) Computatinal Law and Data Ethics (ed., Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2024);
( 12 ) Information and Legal Reasoning in AIoT (ed., Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2024);( 13 ) Procedure and Argumentation: The Essence of Modern Rule of Law (Beijing: Peking University Press, 2025),etc.