Technology empowerment and risk coexistence: advances, focus and responses in international AI governance research

Purpose This study aims to explore the advances, focus, and responses in international AI governance. In the digital and intelligent era, artificial intelligence (AI) governance has become a focal point for nations worldwide. Systematically reviewing the current state of AI governance research internationally not only facilitates the advancement of theoretical studies in AI governance but also provides valuable references for enhancing societal risk governance capabilities and effectiveness. This effort supports countries in achieving controlled risks and orderly development during their digital transformation, thereby realizing their governance objectives. Design/methodology/approach This study uses bibliometric, altmetric and content analysis methods to examine advances, developmental trends and societal attention in AI governance research from an international perspective, drawing on journal articles published between 2015 and 2025 from the Web of Science, Altmetric.com and Dimensions databases. The analysis encompasses 11,309 articles sourced from the Web of Science database. Meanwhile, the Dimensions database is used to investigate citation distribution patterns of published AI governance articles. In addition, the Altmetric.com database provides altmetrics indicators data for AI governance papers, yielding six altmetrics indicators for 300 representative AI governance publications, amounting to 30,201 altmetrics mentions records in total. Findings This study identifies five major research themes in current AI governance, constructs their theoretical frameworks and examines the key societal concerns in AI governance research. Furthermore, based on the established theoretical frameworks, it summarizes four major risks in current AI applications. Grounded in the multistakeholder collaborative governance theory, this study proposes an AI collaborative governance framework and six corresponding governance strategies. Originality/value Based on bibliometrics and altmetrics, this paper comprehensively maps the international AI governance framework, thereby providing a panoramic reference for sorting out the core issues and evolutionary logic in the field of AI governance. Furthermore, building on this foundation, and in accordance with the theory of multistakeholder collaborative governance, the paper proposes a theoretical framework and response strategies for multistakeholder collaborative governance of AI. In the section on response strategies, this paper puts forward a corresponding AI governance strategies, which will help enterprises establish a credibility foundation in economic activities and business innovation, enable governments to provide precise regulatory pathways in policy formulation and implementation and empower the public by building channels for participation in governance, cognitive enhancement and value identification.