About
A student-led platform at the Hertie School dedicated to the governance and societal implications of artificial intelligence. We create a space for critical discussion, debate, and engagement on how AI is reshaping our society, connecting students with leading experts and opportunities in AI governance.
Mission and vision
Hertie graduates go on to shape policy in governments and international organisations around the world. AI will profoundly affect every field they work in. We exist to make sure they are ready for that.
Our goal is to build a community of students who understand the risks and opportunities of AI, can engage critically with the people building and regulating it, and are actively contributing to better governance in Germany, across Europe, and internationally.
Why AI governance
AI systems already shape how people find work, access public services, and participate in democratic life. The pace of development is outrunning the frameworks designed to govern it. The EU AI Act is now being implemented, international competition over frontier models is growing, and questions around safety standards, liability, and compute governance remain largely open.
These are policy problems, yet they are often discussed without enough input from people trained in public policy. Students with that background can make a real and early contribution.
Our approach
Education
Speaker sessions, workshops, and structured discussions built around live debates, not slide decks. The goal is genuine fluency, not just awareness.
Debate
Every session includes structured debate or Q&A. We invite speakers who disagree and let ideas be tested in the room.
Research
We support members in developing policy memos and essays on AI governance, and help them build a track record for careers in the field.
Community
A growing network connected through events, reading lists, and partnerships with SAIGE, BlueDot Impact, and ML4Good.
Why Berlin and Europe
Berlin sits at the intersection of technology, politics, and civil society, and at the heart of the EU AI Act's implementation. For students who want to work in AI governance, there is no better place to start.
How we started
Founded in 2025 by three MPP students who saw a gap: Hertie produces policy thinkers for influential roles, yet had no dedicated space for AI governance.
Inspired by similar initiatives at Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE, we built something comparable in Berlin. We are a student club funded through an external fellowship programme.
Team
Leadership
Giulio Bernasconi
Co-founder
MPP student at the Hertie School specialising in AI governance and digital regulation. Previously graduated magna cum laude from University College Utrecht in Political Science and International Law. His research explores European AI regulation, including work with Professor Jat Singh on trustworthy data science and with RAND on the role of middle powers in AI governance.
LinkedIn
Arslan Jurion
Co-founder
MPP student at the Hertie School specialising in AI regulation and food systems policy. Holds a BA with honours in International Relations from Leiden University. In 2024 he stood as lead candidate for the European Parliament elections in French-speaking Belgium with Volt, and contributed to research on global food catastrophe risk at ALLFED.
LinkedIn
Shikhar Agarwal
Co-founder
MPP student at the Hertie School focusing on AI governance, democratic processes, and labour markets. A Yale-NUS graduate in ecological economics, he has organised for climate justice across Asia and Europe, built civil society coalitions, and co-founded non-profits and startup incubators in Singapore and the UK. Especially interested in ensuring AI tools amplify rather than entrench existing power imbalances.
LinkedInFunding
Kairos supports AI safety field-building through their Pathfinder programme, which helps accelerate promising initiatives.
Get involved
Explore events and ways to contribute to AI governance work at Hertie.