From artificial intelligence to digital governance, the rules shaping new technologies are increasingly being debated on a global stage. Earlier this month, that conversation included a voice from the School of Public Affairs. Interim Dean Christopher M. Weible traveled to Rome to join international scholars and experts in examining how technology can strengthen democracy and protect individual rights rather than erode them.

Weible was a featured keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual REMIT Conference, held April 15–16, at Luiss Università di Roma. The international conference convened leading scholars and policy experts to examine the regulation of strategic technologies in the context of global governance, geopolitics, and individual rights.

The conference, titled “Regulating Strategic Technologies: Global Governance, Geopolitics and Individual Rights,” is part of the European Union–funded REMIT (Reigniting Multilateralism via Technology) research project. Funded through the EU’s Horizon Europe program, REMIT focuses on how emerging technologies, particularly digital technologies, are challenging existing systems of global governance and reshaping national security, democracy, and individual rights.

Weible delivered one of the conference’s two keynote addresses, joining Paolo Benanti, an associate professor at Luiss Università di Roma, Franciscan priest, and internationally recognized expert on the ethics and governance of artificial intelligence who advises the Vatican, the Italian government, and the United Nations on technology policy.

Weible’s keynote, titled “Democracy and Technology: How Coalitions, Beliefs, and Innovation Shape Policy and Society,” drew on decades of scholarship in public policy, democracy, and governance to explore how governments and institutions can navigate technological innovation while upholding democratic values and human rights.

“As digital and strategic technologies advance rapidly, the challenge for policymakers is not only how to regulate innovation, but how to do so in ways that are transparent, ethical, and comprehensive,” said Weible. “Forums like REMIT are essential because they bring together scholars and practitioners across disciplines and national contexts to think seriously about the future of multilateral governance.”

The two-day conference brought together researchers from REMIT partner institutions and other academic organizations, with participants from Italy, across Europe, and the United States. In addition to the keynote addresses, the program featured a high-level roundtable discussion on Europe’s regulatory challenges in the digital domain, with particular attention to balancing technological innovation with user protection. Three thematic panels explored the geopolitics of strategic technologies, digital governance and human rights, and digital autonomy in international relations.

The event also served as an important platform for presenting key findings from the REMIT project to a broader academic and policy-oriented audience. REMIT aims to generate evidence-based policy recommendations to support the European Union in rethinking multilateral governance across four critical technology areas: digital technologies, health and biotechnology, security and defense technologies, and financial technologies.

Weible’s participation underscores the School of Public Affairs’ growing global engagement and its leadership in research at the intersection of public policy, democracy, and technology. As Interim Dean and Co-Director of SPA’s Center for Policy and Democracy, Weible is internationally recognized for his work on policy processes, advocacy coalitions, public discourse, and transformational policy change. His scholarship has helped shape both academic debates and practical approaches to governance in complex policy environments.

“SPA’s mission is deeply aligned with the goals of projects like REMIT,” Weible said. “We are committed to advancing research and education that strengthens democratic governance and addresses global challenges, especially those posed by emerging technologies.”

The conference highlighted the importance of sustained international collaboration as governments and institutions confront both the opportunities and risks created by rapid technological change. Weible’s keynote contribution reinforced SPA’s role as a thought leader in global conversations about technology, governance, and democracy.