Prof. Robert Trager

Projects

Research Direction: Technical Scoping for Global AI Project

We’ll explore how a global AI project could be designed and governed, researching technical feasibility, institutional structures, and strategic implications for international cooperation.

Specific questions could include:

• How viable is distributed training across borders?

• Should actors build or rent compute infrastructure?

• What are the sovereignty implications of different AI development strategies?

• What are optimal development paths for non-US actors?

What I'm looking for in a Mentee

I’m especially excited to work with two types of researchers:

• Researchers with technical background to help with technical scoping (e.g. viability of distributed training, build-vs-rent compute).

• Researchers with an international relations background to analyse governance and strategy questions (e.g. sovereignty considerations).

Bio

Robert is Director of the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative at the University of Oxford and a Senior Research Fellow at Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. He is a recognised expert in the international governance of emerging technologies, diplomatic practice, institutional design, and technology regulation. He regularly advises government and industry leaders on these topics. Much of his recent research has focused on international governance regimes for AI. Previously, he was Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles.