Register now to reserve your place in our specialised spring courses!
👉🏼 Application deadlines for certificates issued by Diplo: 30 March 2026
For further information and to apply, click the course titles above or visit Diplo Academy’s course catalogue.
◆ Need financial assistance? Scholarships are available!
Thanks to support from the government of Malta, partial scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries to attend upcoming Diplo online courses. These scholarships cover 30%–60% of course fees and can be applied to most 2026 online courses. Browse our course catalogue and contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edufor further information.
Upcoming events
◆ Security and governance of open-source software (OSS): Masterclass #1 (4 Mar.)
This Geneva Dialogue masterclass opens the first thematic cycle of 2026, dedicated to the security and governance of open-source software (OSS). Its purpose is to establish a shared analytical baseline: how OSS functions as a systemic dependency; how security responsibilities are distributed across maintainers, vendors, users, and public authorities; and where current governance approaches struggle to manage risk, accountability, and resilience at scale.
The session is designed to bridge policy and technical perspectives, and to frame the key questions that will be explored in depth during the subsequent scenario-based consultation. Join us on 4 March at 12:00 UTC (13:00 CET). Learn more and register!
◆ Technology Innovations for Creative Diplomacy (18 Mar.)
The webinar Technology Innovations for Creative Diplomacy seeks to examine the impact of technological innovation on diplomatic practice, showcase creative applications of digital tools in public diplomacy and international engagement, and share practical experiences from technology-driven initiatives. It also aims to foster dialogue among key stakeholders on the opportunities, risks, and capacity needs in digital and creative diplomacy. Join us on 18 March, 13:00–14:30 UTC (16:00–17:30 EAT / 14:00–15:30 CET). Learn more and register!
Blogs and publications
◆ AI Summit in Geneva: 10 ways Switzerland can contribute to AI and humanity
The 2027 AI Summit in Geneva may define the next phase of AI governance. What lessons from Swiss innovation, governance, and multilateralism could help align AI with humanity’s priorities? Read the blog post!
◆ The New Delhi AI Summit: Inclusive rhetoric, fractured reality
As host, India sought to shape the global AI discourse by recentring it on development and inclusion. It did so by weaving policy into a narrative rooted in its own cultural and philosophical heritage. Yet, beneath this tapestry of inclusive rhetoric, the summit also laid bare the deepening fractures in global AI governance. Six observations illustrate this fragmentation. Read the blog post!
◆ The MANAV manifesto: Reclaiming agency for the majority
Most AI systems assume the user is highly literate, stably connected, and operating in a major world language. But what about the billions who do not fit this ‘ideal template’? This blog post explains the MANAV Vision, which was introduced at the 2026 AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
From blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer energy trading to the ‘inclusivity stack’ and authenticity labels for synthetic content, MANAV makes a structural claim: AI must serve human welfare and dignity, not just technological efficiency. Read the blog post!
◆ ‘The elephant in the AI room’: Does more computing power really bring more useful AI?
Does more computing power really mean better AI or just more hype? From economic risks to ethical blind spots, this post challenges the dominant mantra shaping today’s AI race. Read the blog post!
◆ AI as a tech ally in saving endangered languages
According to the UN, an indigenous language disappears roughly every two weeks. While AI cannot replace intergenerational transmission, new tools are offering a lifeline for documentation and revitalisation. From Woolaroo to Māori data sovereignty, this post explores how AI, when paired with the right policy, can become a powerful diplomatic ally in preserving global linguistic heritage. Read the blog post!
◆ Geneva peace talks: A test of mediation diplomacy in 2026
As Ukraine and Russia convened in Geneva for a third round of US-mediated talks in February 2026, we analysed the shift towards incrementalism, humanitarian corridors, and the role of third-party mediation in modern warfare. Read the blog post!
◆ Do catchwords pollute more than plastic?
Are we solving pollution or repeating slogans? This contrarian reflection probes the language that shapes the very narratives used in advocacy and diplomacy and shows how meaning can be smothered by well-intentioned words. Read the blog post!
◆ Is the journalist a scientist or an artist?
The post explores whether journalism aligns more closely with scientific methods or creative art, reflecting on debates in Western Europe about public-service media and the nature of journalistic practice, balancing factual inquiry with interpretation and narrative construction. Read the blog post!
◆ Corridors and calculations: America’s new diplomacy in the South Caucasus
Is the era of purely symbolic diplomacy ending? US Vice President JD Vance’s recent visit to the South Caucasus is a good example of modern statecraft. Instead of focusing on ceremonies in Yerevan and Baku, the trip centred on practical diplomacy, where peace depends on supply chains, energy networks, and shared technology. Read the blog post!
◆ The European marathon towards digital sovereignty
The EU is reassessing its reliance on non-European technologies. What does it truly mean for Europe to ‘act independently in the digital world’? Our latest analysis explores why digital sovereignty matters now more than ever, what the real challenges ahead are, and what the EU is doing about it. Read the DW analysis!
◆ AI slop’s meteoric rise and the impact of synthetic content in 2026
As AI slop floods digital platforms, questions emerge about trust, incentives, and the future of information governance. Read the DW analysis!
◆ DW Weekly #251: AI Summit in Geneva: Ten ways Switzerland can contribute to AI and humanity
In the latest issue of the DW Weekly newsletter:
Ten ways Switzerland can contribute to AI and humanity
Child safety backlash against tech intensifies
US diplomats to push back on global data sovereignty laws
February saw a huge shift in online collaboration, as key platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom debuted powerful AI-driven and real-time productivity advances. Read ConfTech Digest #55!
◆ Ephemera IV: Reflections on storytelling, spectacle, and speech
In ‘Ephemera IV’, the author reflects on the rise of the narrative ‘selfie’, the changing purpose of Universal Exhibitions, and Liang Shiqiu’s ‘martial arts of speech’. Read the blog post!
◆ Ephemera V: Reflections on vanishing books and diplomatic deepities
In ‘Ephemera V’, the author considers Dodge City’s discarded library books, the uneven preservation of culture through digitisation, and the emptiness of ‘diplomatic deepities’. Read the blog post!
Latest videos
◆ AI Shorts #27: Moltbook explained: The social network for AI agents
What happens when AI agents start talking to each other, and humans are no longer participants? In this episode, we explore Moltbook, an experimental social network built for AI agents to interact with one another. From debating philosophy to exchanging code, Moltbook raises serious questions about AI autonomy, cybersecurity risks, and digital governance.
◆ Think.Build.AI #3: From skills to stewardship
AI already shapes society. But when learned superficially, speed comes at the cost of understanding, trust, and accountability. This episode explores why apprenticeship-style learning, grounded in practice, experience, and responsibility, is essential for building not only AI skills, but also true stewardship.
◆ Geneva Dialogue Podcast#8: Changes in international order: What’s the expected impact on cyber diplomacy?
How do ASEAN actors balance national and regional priorities as cyberattacks intensify and geopolitical pressures grow? And how are public-private partnerships evolving to strengthen cyber resilience in a shifting world order?
In our latest Geneva Dialogue Podcast episode, voices from government and industry unpack what critical infrastructure protection looks like in practice across the ASEAN region.
Don’t miss…
◆ Shaping the global data economy: Trade rules, policy space and development
Join the webinar on 6 March to discuss digital trade norms that regulate the data economy, with a special focus on development. In this event, Diplo’s Marilia Maciel will unpack insights from her forthcoming policy brief on this topic, to be published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). Read more and register!
