New York and Vienna, 18 June 2026 - A new United Nations initiative is bringing together leading companies and experts to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can strengthen anti-corruption ethics and compliance programmes in business.
Launched on 18 June 2026, the Think Lab on AI for Business Integrity, co-led by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Global Compact, brings together 34 companies from 22 countries, alongside academia, to advance the responsible use of AI for business integrity.
The Think Lab builds on recent global milestones that have shaped the current business integrity agenda. At the Private Sector Forum held on the margins of the eleventh session of the Conference of the States Parties (COSP11) to the UN Convention against Corruption, business leaders, policymakers and experts highlighted the transformative potential of AI, innovation and collective action for anti-corruption efforts.
Key priorities identified included: guidanceon using AI for business integrity, the ethical use of AI in compliance functions, and implications for young professionals and the future of the compliance profession. These priorities are now taken up by the new Think Lab.
In March 2026, UNODC and the UN Global Compact released the updated global standard, An Anti-Corruption Ethics and Compliance Programme for Business: A Practical Guide. The Guide provides a comprehensive framework for effective compliance programmes in a rapidly evolving risk landscape. The Guide highlights AI as an emerging area requiring more practical guidance.
Responding to this need, the Think Lab serves as a platform for collective learning, knowledge exchange and innovation. It will explore how to advance AI as a tool for business integrity while ensuring its ethical and responsible use. At the kick-off meeting, participating companies discussedkeyobjectives and priorities,exchanged experiences on the use of AI in compliance, and identified practical challenges and emerging risks.
Building on these discussions, participants will work together todevelop practical guidance onleveraging AI to strengthen anti-corruption ethics and compliance programmes, address ethical considerations and safeguards in the use of AI for business integrity, and explore real-world applications and case studies.
Over the next 18 months, the Think Lab will convene companies and experts through working sessions, in-person and online consultations and research activities to produce concrete outputs. These results will contribute to global discussions and are expected to be presented at the COSP12 Private Sector Forum, scheduled for December 2027 in Uzbekistan.
Project overview: Integrity Engine
