Kurbalija’s book on internet governance turns 20 with new life at IGF
Amid rapid digital change and rising AI hype, a familiar voice returns to challenge the buzzwords and bring clarity to the evolving debate.
At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, Jovan Kurbalija launched the eighth edition of his seminal textbook ‘Introduction to Internet Governance’, marking a return to writing after a nine-year pause. Moderated by Sorina Teleanu of the Diplo, the session unpacked not just the content of the new edition but also the reasoning behind retaining its original title in an era buzzing with buzzwords like ‘AI governance’ and ‘digital governance.’
Kurbalija defended the choice, arguing that most so-called digital issues—from content regulation to cybersecurity—ultimately operate over internet infrastructure, making ‘Internet governance’ the most precise term available.
The updated edition reflects both continuity and adaptation. He introduced ‘Kaizen publishing,’ a new model that replaces the traditional static book cycle with a continuously updated digital platform. Driven by the fast pace of technological change and aided by AI tools trained on his own writing style, the new format ensures the book evolves in real-time with policy and technological developments.
The new edition is structured as a seven-floor pyramid tackling 50 key issues rooted in history and future internet governance trajectories. The book also traces digital policy’s deep historical roots.
Kurbalija highlighted how key global internet governance frameworks—such as ICANN, the WTO e-commerce moratorium, and UN cyber initiatives—emerged within months of each other in 1998, a pivotal moment he calls foundational to today’s landscape. He contrasted this historical consistency with recent transformations, identifying four key shifts since 2016: mass data migration to the cloud, COVID-19’s digital acceleration, the move from CPUs to GPUs, and the rise of AI.
Finally, the session tackled the evolving discourse around AI governance. Kurbalija emphasised the need to weigh long-term existential risks against more immediate challenges like educational disruption and concentrated knowledge power. He also critiqued the shift in global policy language—from knowledge-centric to data-driven frameworks—and warned that this transformation might obscure AI’s true nature as a knowledge-based phenomenon.
As geopolitics reasserts itself in digital governance debates, Kurbalija’s updated book aims to ground readers in the enduring principles shaping an increasingly complex landscape.
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