LSE delivers AI governance programmes across Latin America and the Philippines in collaboration with the UK Foreign Office
Policy Fellows at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) have designed and delivered a series of capacity building and knowledge sharing programmes on AI governance in the Philippines and across Latin America in collaboration with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The programmes supported policymakers and technology practitioners to strengthen AI governance approaches and international regulatory alignment.
The bespoke programmes were led by Dr Florian Ostmann, Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Data Science Institute (DSI) and Chris Thomas, Policy Fellow at the DSI, who joined the DSI earlier this year. They collaborated with FCDO officials based in the host countries to tailor the sessions to country-specific challenges and local stakeholder interests. Professor Cosmina Dorobantu, Professor in Practice at the DSI, joined the team for the regional programmes in Latin America.
Advancing AI governance in the Philippines
The programme, delivered in Manila in February 2026, focused on AI governance and regulation, with particular emphasis on legislative bills currently under consideration in the Senate and House of Representatives. The sessions addressed foundational AI governance challenges, including institutional readiness and alignment with current legal frameworks, creating an opportunity for structured discussion, and supporting participants to explore potential capacity-building strategies and engage with key policy debates around the proposed legislation.
Regional AI governance knowledge sharing across Latin America
A tailored regional programme, delivered to policymakers from across Latin America in March 2026, took a broader focus. It was designed to support knowledge exchange between countries in the region and with the UK. Using lectures and shared resources as a starting point, facilitated workshop and discussion sessions enabled participants to identify shared AI governance challenges, discuss collaborative solutions, and pursue opportunities for future collaboration.
A first set of workshops took place at the Mexican Senate in Mexico City and saw participation from the legislative and executive branches of the Mexican government as well as a delegation of Colombian experts who have held roles advising the Colombian Government on AI.
A second set of workshops was delivered in the British Embassy in Brasília and brought together government officials and other AI governance leaders from Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. This included representatives from the Brazilian Data Protection Authority which is expected to serve as the primary competent authority for AI under Brazil’s proposed regulation.
In each case, the programme included a dedicated session on the implications of AI for the future of work, which highlighted emerging challenges around managing AI-driven labour market transitions. Insights shared by participants from their own jurisdictions have informed the LSE team’s work ahead of the inaugural Global Forum on AI and the Social Sciences, which will focus on AI and labour markets.
Dr Florian Ostmann, Distinguished Policy Fellow at the DSI, said:
“These programmes were built around meaningful knowledge exchange, shaped in close partnership with colleagues at the FCDO. Working with the FCDO across Latin America and the Philippines allowed us to design sessions that responded directly to national and regional priorities, while creating space for policymakers, researchers and practitioners to learn from one another across contexts.
We’re tremendously grateful for the insights shared with us through this collaboration, which are helping to shape the programme and content of the Global Forum on AI and the Social Sciences, and our wider work on AI governance.”