AXM participated in events surrounding the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80), contributing to discussions on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) safeguards and the role of programmable consent in governing AI's interaction with creative and cultural works.
The United Nations General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the United Nations. UNGA80 convened world leaders, policymakers, technologists, and civil society to address pressing global challenges, including the governance of emerging technologies.
AXM's participation focused on the concept of DPI Safeguards Day — a day dedicated to examining how digital public infrastructure frameworks can incorporate safeguards that protect the rights and interests of individuals and communities as AI systems scale.
Programmable Consent
At the core of AXM's contribution was the concept of programmable consent — the idea that consent to use creative and cultural works in AI systems should not be a one-time, static decision, but rather a dynamic, machine-readable expression that can be updated, scoped, and enforced across systems.
Programmable consent represents a shift from the current paradigm, where consent is often buried in terms of service or expressed through legal instruments that machines cannot interpret. Instead, it envisions consent as a first-class technical object — portable, interoperable, and enforceable at the speed of AI.
DPI for Creative Works
The discussions at UNGA80 built on a growing international dialogue about digital public infrastructure — the shared systems that enable economic participation, identity verification, and governance at scale. AXM's perspective is that the principles of DPI, which have transformed financial inclusion and identity in countries around the world, should be extended to creative works and cultural assets.
This means building infrastructure that enables:
- Identity: Verifiable authorship and custodianship of creative works
- Consent: Machine-readable, portable expressions of what uses are permitted
- Exchange: Structured pathways for value to flow back to rights holders
- Audit: Immutable records of how works are accessed and used
Looking Ahead
AXM's participation at UNGA80 reflects the organization's commitment to engaging with the global policy community on questions of AI governance, cultural rights, and digital infrastructure. The conversations at the General Assembly underscore the urgency of building systems that ensure AI's interaction with human creativity is governed, transparent, and equitable.
We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to these important discussions and look forward to continued engagement with the United Nations and the broader international community on the future of AI governance and creative rights.