Nguyen Anh Tuan is a visionary leader and innovator who has used his deep understanding of global technology, media, and governance to look forward to a world governed by a social contract of promise and possibility. He serves as the Co-Chair and CEO of the Boston Global Forum (BGF), co-founded in 2012 with former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.
BGF has emerged as a “think and do” tank dedicated to fostering peace, security, and innovation through international collaboration, particularly at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, political exchange, and cultural exchange. It is a mission Tuan personifies; in other capacities he is a Distinguished Member of the Wilson Center’s Institute for Strategic Competition Steering Committee, co-founder of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) and of the AI World Society (AIWS) Initiative, launched with Governor Dukakis in 2017, to advance ethical AI development. His AIWS Government 24/7 Initiative—envisioning AI-driven governance with governments serving citizens 24/7—earned him the title of Person of the Year 2018 from Vietnam National Television (VTV). In January 2025, Nguyen Anh Tuan was honored with the UNGSII Award at Davos, recognizing his outstanding leadership and contributions to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through AI innovation.
Tuan has also co-authored influential works, including the Social Contract for the AI Age (2020) and Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment (2021), shaping new political and social models for a better, safer, and more prosperous world through a humane pursuit and deployment of creative technological advance.
With deep ties to academia, Tuan served on the Harvard Business School Global Advisory Board (2008-2016) and chaired the International Advisory Committee of the UNESCO-UCLA Chair on Global Learning and Global Citizenship Education (2015-2017). As Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School in 2007, he researched trends in electronic media, further solidifying his expertise. His initiatives, such as Global Cybersecurity Day and the BGF-G7 Summit Initiative reflect his commitment to peace and security in the digital age.
This was the spirit which infused the launch of the Shinzo Abe Initiative for Peace and Security—founded on July 10, 2022— honoring the legacy of Japan’s late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in fostering global peace and innovation. It also animates the selection each year of a World Leader for Peace and Security, whose recipients reflect the ideal of what Tuan has described as “global enlightenment”, ranging from statesmen to civil servants, spiritual leaders to political figures.
Hailing from Nha Trang in Vietnam, he envisions his hometown as a global innovation city, drawing inspiration from Boston. Tuan’s remarkable career began with groundbreaking contributions to Vietnam’s digital landscape. He founded VietNet, the country’s first TCP/IP-based Internet service provider, and later established VietNamNet, Vietnam’s leading online newspaper, where he served as Founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief from 1997 to 2011. Under his stewardship, VietNamNet became a platform for reform, introducing the innovative “VietNamNet Online Roundtable” to engage the public in live discussions with political, social, and cultural leaders. His pioneering efforts earned him recognition as one of Vietnam’s Top 10 Outstanding Young Talents by the government in 1996.
Tuan’s recent efforts include advocating for the AIWS Film Park, a hybrid cinema hub blending natural and AI-driven studios, and fostering Vietnam-U.S. film collaboration, as highlighted at the BGF Roundtable on March 11, 2025, at Harvard. Today, Nguyen Anh Tuan continues to bridge cultures, technologies, and ideas, driving a future where AI and humanity coexist for the greater good.
Tuan’s leadership has positioned BGF as a key player in addressing emerging global challenges. His humility and sense of inclusion have made all who know and have worked with him a part of his great adventure, an adventure which, in its truest sense, is eight billion people strong.
March 19, 2025
Writer: Ramu Damodaran, Founding Chief of the United Nations Academic Impact, former Editor-in-Chief of the United Nations Chronicle, and Permanent Observer of the University for Peace to the United Nations.
