Between September 24 and 26, the inaugural cohort of the ORF America and ORF U.S.-India AI Fellowship Program (AIFP) convened in Washington, D.C. This was the final meeting of the AIFP, which brought together 20 fellows (10 from the United States and 10 from India) with diverse backgrounds in industry, government, and academia to study and write about AI, and its implications for the economy, security, and society.
Day 1
To kick-off the meeting, fellows reported on notable AI policy updates from the United States and India over a working breakfast. The cohort then visited the State Department to brief senior officials on their research that spanned a wide range of AI and public policy issues, including AI safety, infrastructure buildout, AI security, large language models, semiconductors and geopolitics, as well as workforce development and bilateral cooperation.
After lunch, the fellows discussed the geopolitics of AI with a panel of DC-based technology experts. The day culminated with a public program on “Shaping U.S.-India AI Cooperation”, which highlighted key areas for bilateral cooperation under the new U.S. AI Action Plan and concluded with the launch of the U.S.-India AIFP Edited Volume: “Shaping U.S.-India AI Cooperation: Insights from the Inaugural U.S.-India AI Fellowship Program”.
Speakers:
Gregory Allen, Senior Advisor, Wadhwani AI Center, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Amanda Craig, Senior Director of Public Policy, Office of Responsible AI, Microsoft
Rajesh Gupta, Professor and Dean of the School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences, University of California San Diego
Sakshi Gupta, Staff, Government Affairs, Qualcomm
Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America
Namgya Khampa, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India to the United States
Hodan Omaar, Senior Policy Manager, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation
Mohammed Soliman, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
Day 2
In the morning, the cohort visited the Center for Security and Emerging Technology to engage with experts on AI security and safety. During a series of roundtable discussions in the afternoon, fellows had the opportunity to brief each other and debate their respective research topics.
