Global AI policies converge on economy, ethics diverge on rights

Researchers Benjamin Faveri and Brie Bhasin have published a comprehensive analysis of global AI policy strategies in a new arXiv paper titled *Policy Convergence and Divergence Across National and Within Regional AI Strategies*. The study examines 74 national AI strategies and 3 regional strategies (AU, EU, Nordic-Baltic) to identify patterns in policy design elements like goals, approaches, and principles.

The analysis reveals strong horizontal convergence among nations around economic competitiveness, research support, and ethical AI use. However, there are persistent divergences in human rights goals, participatory governance approaches, and human-centric principles. Vertical convergence—alignment between national and regional strategies—varies significantly: the AU shows the highest vertical alignment, the EU demonstrates strong alignment on regulatory and economic priorities but diverges on human-centric values, and the Nordic-Baltic region displays mixed convergence.