An all-agency approach for the International AI Safety Report

The International AI Safety Report is among the most significant research publications in its field: a comprehensive, authoritative assessment of the risks and opportunities posed by AI. Written by an international team of experts and produced under the auspices of the UK government, it is read by policymakers, researchers and technology leaders across the globe.

DSIT approached Soapbox to create a new home for the report – bringing together branding, print and web.

The overall experience needed to be seamless, from a conference delegate picking up a printed copy at the India AI Impact Summit to a researcher browsing the online edition in Arabic. And the report also needed a distinct look – an identity of its own: visually striking and immediately recognisable, but professional and functional, in keeping with the tone and ambition of the project.

From a design perspective, there were two main challenges. The first was to hint subtly at the themes of AI and tech, without leaning into cliches and overused visuals. Flexible graphic devices, including gradient colours and glows, were a part of the overall solution. 

The second consideration was usability. The design system we were creating would need to be implemented with ease across web design and print-publication design. All in six languages. And all while remaining consistent and impactful. The choices we made around colour, typefaces, data visualisation styles and dozens of issues, large and small, made this a usable and flexible identity.

The 2026 report runs to 220 pages in English, typeset in five additional languages: French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese – all six of the UN’s official languages. The publication suite extended beyond the main report to encompass a Summary for Policymakers and several Key Update papers. Designing and typesetting across multiple scripts, reading directions and character sets demands careful preparation. We built templates for all five languages before typesetting began, and worked closely with DSIT’s translation team to ensure the handover of approved text was smooth.

In a collaborative process with the DSIT secretariat, we developed a suite of data visualisations to present clearly their complex findings – online and in print, and in all six languages. This meant taking a disparate collection of the authors’ visualisations, built using a variety of platforms, and redesigning them in the new look and feel – remaining faithful to the data and the authors’ intentions, and bringing consistency and clarity to the visuals.

The new website, built in Drupal, serves as the hub for the AI Safety Report series – housing the 2026 report, the 2025 edition, the Summary for Policymakers and several Key Update papers. Soapbox handled all content entry, uploading the full text and images to the content management system and carrying out thorough testing before launch.

We coordinated print production and delivery, alongside the website launch, ensuring both were ready for the India AI Impact Summit.

The International AI Safety Report now has a platform that reflects the scale and importance of the work: a coherent identity, a flexible publication style across languages and formats, and a digital home built to grow with the project in the years ahead.