Boston, MA – April 10, 2024 – Boston Global Forum (BGF) is proud to announce that Dr. Alondra Nelson, former Deputy Assistant to President Joe Biden, former Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, has been selected as recipient of the 2024 World Leader in AI World Society (AIWS) Award.
The prestigious award recognizes Dr. Nelson’s outstanding contributions to shaping global public policy, the governance of artificial intelligence (AI), and our understanding of the societal dimensions of AI development and deployment.
During her tenure at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Dr. Nelson spearheaded the development of the “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights,” which was incorporated into both President Biden’s historic executive order on artificial intelligence and enacted into policy for the federal government. In leadership at OSTP, she also provided guidance to expand taxpayer access to federally funded research, served as an inaugural member of the Biden Cancer Cabinet, strengthened evidence-based policymaking, and galvanized a multisector strategy to advance equity and excellence in STEM.
In 2022, Nature recognized Dr. Nelson as one of 10 people in the world who shaped science. In 2023, she was named to the inaugural TIME100 list of the most influential people in AI. She was also nominated by the Biden-Harris administration, and appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, to serve on the UN High-Level Advisory Board on AI, which released its interim report in December.
The ceremony honoring Dr. Nelson will take place at 1:00 pm on April 30, 2024 at Harvard University Loeb House. The event will feature a keynote address, “Governing the Future: AI, Public Policy and Democracy,” by Dr. Nelson herself, who will receive the award from Governor Michael Dukakis, as well as remarks from prominent figures in the field of AI ethics, policy, and science.
“We are thrilled to honor Dr. Alondra Nelson with the 2024 World Leader in AI World Society Award,” said Nguyen Anh Tuan, Co-Founder and CEO of Boston Global Forum. “Her dedication to advancing civil and human rights, democratic freedoms, and responsible practice in the use of AI technology exemplifies the spirit of the AI World Society initiative, and we are grateful for her invaluable contributions to shaping the future of AI for the betterment of humanity.”
Prior recipients of the AIWS World Leader Award have included Ambassador Amandeep Singh Gill, the United Nations Envoy on Technology; Stavros Lambrinidis, European Union Ambassador to the United States; internet pioneer Vint Cerf; and Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese Minister of State for Economic Security.
For more information about the event, please visit the Boston Global Forum website at bostonglobalforum.org.
Contact:
Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of the Boston Global Forum
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 617 286 6589
Lee Sandberg, Communications Director, Institute for Advanced Study
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 609 455 4398