Fall 2026: entries due 14 November. Online finals 5 December.

Global AI Debates

Global AI DebatesGlobal AI DebatesGlobal AI Debates
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Global AI Debates

Global AI DebatesGlobal AI DebatesGlobal AI Debates
Home
Directors
Partners
Register
Rubrics and Format
Featured Submissions
Past Results
FAQ
Resources
More
  • Home
  • Directors
  • Partners
  • Register
  • Rubrics and Format
  • Featured Submissions
  • Past Results
  • FAQ
  • Resources
  • Home
  • Directors
  • Partners
  • Register
  • Rubrics and Format
  • Featured Submissions
  • Past Results
  • FAQ
  • Resources

What should our future with AI look like?

What should our future with AI look like?What should our future with AI look like?What should our future with AI look like?

Explore ethical questions about AI through an international speech, essay and debate competition.

What should our future with AI look like?

What should our future with AI look like?What should our future with AI look like?What should our future with AI look like?

Explore ethical questions about AI through an international speech, essay and debate competition.

Founding Institutions

Modus Ponens Institute

Modus Ponens Institute

Modus Ponens Institute

Large black letters M and I with a red Greek letter rho in the center.

The Modus Ponens Institute teaches philosophy, ethics and debate and helps organise Global AI Debates.

DebateUS!

Modus Ponens Institute

Modus Ponens Institute

Logo with the text 'DebateUS!' in red and blue.

DebateUS develops educational resources for debate and public speaking and helps organise Global AI Debates.

TKE Ethics

Modus Ponens Institute

TKE Ethics

Abstract logo with dark blue and gradient purple-blue shapes forming the letters TKE.

TKEthics organises student ethics events and helps organise Global AI Debates.

Global AI Debates gives students a place to explore ethical questions about AI, consider different perspectives and explain their own views.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at Stefan.Bauschard@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Schools and institutions can submit any number of entries. Each essay team has 2–5 students; if the essay advances, two students from that team represent it in the live debates. Speech entries are individual, with divisions for ages 7–10, 11–13 and 14–18. Primary speeches are five minutes; Middle and High School speeches are seven minutes.

Yes. Schools may submit multiple essay teams and individual speech entries. Each entry has its own fee. Essay teams have 2–5 students, and the two students who debate in the finals must come from the team that wrote the essay.

You can apply for both, but the finals are on the same day, at the same time!

Sure!

 A rubric is available describing how each essay and speech will be judged. All videos and essays will be anonymously reviewed (no student or school information will be present).



Students may use as much or as little AI as they wish when submitting their essays. We do not, however, recommend using it if you hope to win. The important thing to consider is if the essay meets the rubric criteria and if the students will be prepared to verbally defend their arguments as well as rebut their opponents’ arguments in the elimination debates.  Most judges tend to react badly to AI written text. 

Our panels include researchers, educators and practitioners with experience in AI, ethics and debate. Specific panels are confirmed closer to each round.

For Essay & Debate: Teams submit a 1,500-word essay. Round I narrows the field; the top 8 essays advance to live elimination rounds (quarterfinals → semifinals → finals).

For Speech: The top 20% of video submissions in each division advance from Round I. The top finalists in each category compete in a live final round.

Each speech entry or team essay entry costs US$120, or US$100 per entry when an institution submits 10 or more entries. An essay entry covers the team, rather than charging each student separately. There is no additional judging fee.


Student names can be added later, by the submission deadline of 14 November 2026. Register here: https://globalaidebates.com/register

Entry fees support tournament administration, including payments to judges who review essays and speeches. A grant from the Future of Life Institute supports the Fall 2026 prize pool and access to the competition.

Yes. Our free preparation resources include topic introductions, arguments, discussion questions and further reading: https://globalaidebates.com/resources


The AI legal personhood guide supports High School Speech and Essay & Debate. Primary and Middle School entrants should start with their own age-group topics in the competition FAQ: https://globalaidebates.com/faq-3

Find rubrics on this website from the menu!

English is the default language for the live debates.

We are actively seeking event sponsors and sponsors of the age-based divisions. 

Letter from the Founders

Powerful individuals and corporations with staggering wealth and influence are leading us into a new industrial revolution defined by artificial intelligence (AI). On its current trajectory, AI is aimed at replicating and then exceeding human-level intelligence. This AI will redefine everything, from our personal relationships to education, work, and even the very beginning and end of life.


While this technological transformation is likely inevitable, it is through our collective action that we can each find our home in this new world in a way that promotes human flourishing. The future of AI belongs to all of us, not just the limited number of individuals who are currently driving its development.


Global AI Debates was created to empower students to become active participants in shaping the AI revolution, including what it means to be "AI Literate." We believe AI literacy should develop through open dialogue and exchange across our communities.


The decisions we make today about AI will echo through the generations. This is a chance to be part of that crucial conversation and help define the world you want to live in. Get involved in the Global AI Debates - the future is yours to shape.

Smiling man in a gray suit and tie against a plain background.

It is my bias that students themselves will start to drive this conversation around AI literacy. This shift is already beginning in some spaces, particularly with the rise of Global AI Debates. This is why I have emphasized many times that teaching students how to debate is one of the most essential skills we can provide in the era of AI, especially in student competitions. - Dwayne Matthews, TomorrowNow Learning Labs, XPRIZE Advisor

Copyright © 2026 Global AI Debates - All Rights Reserved.



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