Jovan Kurbalija

Dr Jovan Kurbalija is the Founding Director of DiploFoundation and the Head of the Geneva Internet Platform. A former diplomat, Dr Kurbalija has a professional and academic background in international law, diplomacy, and information technology. He has been a pioneer in the field of cyber diplomacy since 1992 when he established the Unit for Information Technology and Diplomacy at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in Malta.

Dr Kurbalija was a member of the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Internet Governance (2004-2005), special advisor to the Chairman of the UN Internet Governance Forum (2006-2010) and a member of the High-Level Multistakeholder Committee for NETmundial (2013-2014). In 2018-2019, he served as co-Lead and Executive Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations (UN) High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation.

He has taught AI, digital diplomacy, and cybersecurity at Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, the College of Europe in Bruges, the University of Malta, and the University of St. Gallen.

His book, An Introduction to Internet Governance, is translated into nine languages and used as a textbook for academic courses worldwide.

Dr Kurbalija has been involved in AI since 1992, when he created the first expert system on international law. He has been addressing AI holistically from technological, legal, governance, philosophical, and linguistic perspectives. As a conceptualiser of bottom-up AI, Dr Kurbalija has been focusing on open-source AI.

Related sessions

18 January 2024

Open Source (generative) AI for Public Services Innovation

14:00 - 15:15 CET Geneva | 08:00-09:15 EST, New York | 21:00-22:15 CST, Beijing

Alejandra Lagunes Soto Ruiz (Republic of Mexico), David Manset (ITU), Jovan Kurbalija (DiploFoundation)...

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Wallis and Futuna Islands	WF	WLF	Developing

Jovan Kurbalija

Jovan Kurbalija

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