AI Governance Lab

at Stanford University

About the Lab

The AI Governance Lab focuses on creating the institutional framework for the AI transition. We study how law, policy, and institutions can adapt to rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, and what changes will be necessary in the early years before we enter the post-AGI society.

The lab's work is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on political science, philosophy, law, computer science, and policy. Because AI shapes every field, governing it well requires the perspectives of each of these disciplines.

Training is central to the lab. Students, predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars lead their own projects with close mentorship, supported by research funding, weekly lab meetings, and collaboration across the team.

People

Co-Directors

Postdoctoral Scholars

Predoctoral Scholars

News

Events

  • AI Governance Lab
  • HAI
  • Stanford Law School
  • Ethics in Society

November 2026

  1. A Conversation with Jacob Coxon & Rob Reich 4:30–5:30 pm, Gates Computer Science, Room 119, and onlineCo-hosted with HAI: former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher Jacob Coxon talks with Professor Rob Reich about leaving Anthropic and the tensions it reveals in the AI industry. Hosted by the lab
  2. The AI-Native Law Firm: Hype, Reality, and What's Next 12:45–2:00 pm, Room 270, Stanford Law SchoolAI Initiative Speaker Series panel with Ryan Daniels, Alisa Hall, and Chris Kercher, moderated by Professor David Freeman Engstrom. Hosted by Stanford Law School
  3. Unsettling the New AI Status Quo 11:30 am–5:00 pm, Cypress Lounge, Tresidder Memorial UnionThe 2026 Ethics and Technology Practitioner Fellows present their work, including a session on the AI accountability gap. Hosted by the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society
  4. Ghost in the Machine: Screening and Q&A 5:30–8:00 pm, McClatchy Hall, Room 101, and online for the panelStanford Critical AI screens the 2026 documentary on the buried history of AI, followed by a panel with director Valerie Veatch and Professor Johnathan Flowers, moderated by Yasi Khan and Allana Moore. Dinner served. Hosted by the lab
  5. Privacy Law in Practice: Lunch with Sabrina Ross 12:45–2:00 pm, Room 280B, Stanford Law SchoolStanford Privacy and Cybersecurity Law Association lunch with Sabrina Ross, Chief Privacy Auditor of the California Privacy Protection Agency. Hosted by Stanford Law School
  6. Best Practices for the Use of LLMs as Judges 1:00 pm, OnlineAI Measurement Science Center seminar with Khaoula Chehbouni. Hosted by Stanford HAI
  7. Understanding Work Using AI 2:00–4:00 pm, Gates Computer Science, Room 119, and onlineDigital Economy Lab seminar and fireside chat with Phil Lewis of the National Center for O*NET Development, followed by a panel with Diyi Yang and Erik Brynjolfsson. Hosted by Stanford HAI
  8. Research Acceleration: The View Inside OpenAI 12:00–1:00 pm, Gates Computer Science, Room 119, and onlineDigital Economy Lab seminar with Christopher Ong of OpenAI on how AI agents are changing research inside frontier labs. Hosted by Stanford HAI
  9. Auditing the Frontier: The Technical and Legal Challenges of AI Oversight 12:45–2:00 pm, Room 95, Stanford Law SchoolStanford AI Law Society lunch with Spencer Amdur of the Institute for Law & AI on independent auditors, AI oversight, and writing effective AI legislation. Hosted by Stanford Law School
  10. AI Priorities for Boards of Directors 2.0 11:00 am–12:30 pm, OnlineFinal session of the Rock Center for Corporate Governance's online course on how boards should oversee AI. Hosted by Stanford Law School
  11. Beyond the Billable Hour: The Future of Lawyering in the Age of AI 12:45–2:00 pm, Room 280A, Stanford Law SchoolPanel of legal engineers from SLATA and Women of Stanford Law on how generative AI is changing legal practice, with a live demonstration. Hosted by Stanford Law School
  12. AI Goes Mainstream: The Scaling Era and the Rise of Generative AI 12:00–1:15 pm, Gates Computer Science, Room 119HAI seminar with Michael Wooldridge of Oxford on the third AI100 report. Hosted by Stanford HAI
  13. How to Make AI Agents Obey the Law 12:45–2:00 pm, Room 270, Stanford Law School, and onlineAI Initiative Speaker Series, with Christina Knight, formerly of Scale AI, and Stephanie Sharron of Morrison & Foerster, moderated by Professor Nate Persily. Hosted by Stanford Law School
  14. The Eureka Machine: Why AI Is the Key to Unlocking a New Era of Scientific Discoveries 12:00–1:00 pm, Gates Computer Science, Room 119, and onlineDigital Economy Lab seminar with Richard Socher, CEO of Recursive. Hosted by Stanford HAI

December 2026

  1. Gurus, Hucksters, Entertainers: How Influencers Reshaped Social Media 12:00–1:15 pm, Gates Computer Science, Room 119, and onlineHAI seminar with Angèle Christin of Stanford and Hannah Zeavin of UC Berkeley, co-sponsored by Public Humanities at Stanford. Hosted by Stanford HAI
  2. Annie Liang: DEL Seminar Series 12:00–1:00 pm, Gates Computer Science, Room 119, and onlineDigital Economy Lab seminar with Annie Liang of Northwestern University. Hosted by Stanford HAI

For more on campus, see the Stanford Law AI Initiative, Stanford HAI, and Ethics in Society event pages.

Stay in Touch

The lab publishes a newsletter on Substack, covering AI policy, democratic governance, teaching, and research. Subscribe to get updates on our work.

To reach the lab directly, write to aigovernancelab@stanford.edu.

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