On 16 September 2026, Alain Herrmann, Commissioner at the CNPD, spoke in Riyadh at UNESCO’s 4th Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, during the panel entitled “The Role of International Collaboration in AI Supervision – with the Global Network of AI Supervisory Authorities (GNAIS)”.
The CNPD also co-chairs the Global Network of AI Supervisory Authorities (GNAIS) alongside the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA). In this capacity, it contributes to efforts aimed at strengthening international cooperation among authorities responsible for supervising artificial intelligence.
The Global Forum brings together representatives of governments, public authorities, international organisations, academia, civil society and the private sector to address issues relating to the ethical and responsible governance of artificial intelligence.
From institutional cooperation to operational cooperation
The panel discussions focused on the role that international cooperation among supervisory authorities can play in addressing the development of AI systems that increasingly transcend national borders and individual regulatory frameworks.
In his remarks, Alain Herrmann emphasised that international cooperation cannot be limited to institutional exchanges or the convergence of general principles. It must also enable authorities to develop practical cooperation mechanisms, share their experiences and approaches and, where necessary, better coordinate their actions in situations with a cross-border dimension.
Such cooperation is becoming all the more important as supervisory authorities are confronted with technologies, models and actors that may be similar across several jurisdictions.
Building trust among authorities
One of the key messages conveyed by the CNPD during the panel concerned the need to build trust among supervisory authorities.
This trust goes beyond establishing forums for discussion or sharing information on an occasional basis. It requires authorities to gradually develop an understanding of their counterparts’ methodologies, supervisory processes and working standards.
Such mutual understanding is essential. It makes it possible to better understand how another authority arrived at a particular analysis or conclusion and, over time, to build a sufficient level of trust to rely on certain results of its work, where the applicable legal frameworks and circumstances allow.
This approach can help avoid the systematic duplication of analyses, facilitate the handling of cross-border issues and make cooperation among authorities more effective. The objective is therefore to move beyond a model based primarily on the exchange of information towards a form of cooperation in which authorities develop a sufficient understanding of one another’s methods to work together effectively.
International networks such as GNAIS can play an important role in this development by creating the conditions for authorities to better understand one another’s practices, compare their methods and gradually build operational trust.
GNAIS as a platform for cooperation among supervisory authorities
UNESCO’s Global Network of AI Supervisory Authorities (GNAIS) aims to bring together authorities responsible, in various capacities, for supervising artificial intelligence and to promote the exchange of experiences, practices and expertise across jurisdictions.
As co-chair of GNAIS, the CNPD actively contributes to guiding and developing the network’s activities. This commitment reflects the Commission’s determination to promote international cooperation mechanisms that make AI supervision more consistent and effective while taking account of the specific features of different legal frameworks.
For the CNPD, GNAIS’s ambition extends beyond creating an additional forum for dialogue among regulators. The network can foster greater mutual understanding of supervisory methodologies and practices and, over time, create the conditions for authorities to place greater reliance on work carried out by their counterparts.
This approach can promote more operational cooperation, reduce unnecessary duplication and facilitate the handling of issues relating to AI systems operating across several jurisdictions.
An essential international dimension to AI supervision
Artificial intelligence inherently raises challenges that transcend national borders. The same systems, models or services may be deployed simultaneously across numerous jurisdictions.
Against this background, the ability of authorities to cooperate, share their expertise and better understand one another’s approaches is an important factor in supporting the development of AI supervision that is effective, consistent and built on trust.
The CNPD’s participation in the Global Forum and its role as co-chair of GNAIS form part of its broader commitment to the responsible governance of artificial intelligence and to stronger cooperation among authorities at both European and international level.
