Russell Wald (Stanford HAI)

Russell Wald leads the policy team at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI) that advances the organization’s engagement with U.S. and international governments and civil society organizations. In this leadership capacity, Wald sets the strategic vision for policy research, education, and outreach at HAI, and directs a dynamic team to equip policymakers with the knowledge and resources to take informed and meaningful actions on advancing AI with ethical and human-centered values. He is the co-author of various publications on AI including, Building a National AI Research Resource (2021), Enhancing International Cooperation in AI Research: The Case for a Multilateral AI Research Institute (2022), The Centrality of Data and Compute for AI Innovation: A Blueprint for a National Research Cloud (forthcoming: Notre Dame Journal of Emerging Technologies). Wald has held various policy program and government relations positions at Stanford University for nearly a decade. He also served as special assistant to Amy Zegart and Ashton Carter at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC). In 2014, he co-designed and led the inaugural Stanford congressional boot camp, and has since created numerous tech policy boot camps, establishing a strong and effective tradition of educating policymakers at Stanford and enhancing the collaboration between governments and academic institutions. Russell Wald is the Director of Policy for Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). In this role he is responsible for leading the team that advances Stanford HAI’s engagement with governments and civil society organizations to see a world benefit from the human-centered uses of artificial intelligence. Prior to his work at Stanford, he held numerous roles with the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. He is a Term Member with the Council on Foreign Relations, Visiting Fellow with the National Security Institute at George Mason University, and a Partner with the Truman National Security Project. Wald is a graduate of UCLA.