Anja Kaspersen | |
|---|---|
 Anja Kaspersen, AI for GOOD Global Summit 2017 | |
| Education | IMD Business School, London School of Economics Harvard Berkeley University of Oslo University of Trondheim Stanford |
| Employer(s) | Senior Fellow at Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, former Director at United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU United Nations NUPI Interpol IEEE Norwegian Ministry of Defence World Economic Forum International Committee of the Red Cross |
Anja Kaspersen is a director for Global Markets Development, Frontier and Critical Technologies at IEEE, a global charity and the world's largest technical professional organisation. Kaspersen is a former co-director and senior fellow at Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs where she launched the Artificial Intelligence Equality Initiative with Wendell Wallach. [1] [2] [3] [4] With scholars and thinkers in the field of technology governance, supported by Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and IEEE, Kaspersen and Wallach, provided a Proposal for International governance of AI with concrete modalities for implementation. [5] Kaspersen serves (in her personal capacity) as a member of the Interpol´s Standing Committee on Ethical Matters https://www.interpol.int/en/Who-we-are/General-Secretariat/Values-and-ethics, and in 2025 she was appointed as a member of the United Nations Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on Data Governance at All Levels https://unctad.org/system/files/information-document/cstd-wgdg-2025-05-01_members_en.pdf. She is an Executive in Residence at the NYU Stern School of Business. https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/news-events/executive-residence-panel-featuring-ali-heron-anja-kaspersen-jordan-hoffner and a Special Advisor on Digital Technologies, Equity, Peace and Democracy at the Kofi Annan Foundation. She is also affiliated with SWIFT Partners focusing on harnessing foresight to navigate knowns and unknowns in the field of AI.
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Kaspersen is the former director of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs in Geneva and Deputy Secretary General of the Conference on Disarmament (UNODA). [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] Previously, she held the role as the head of strategic engagement and new technologies at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). [12] Prior to joining the ICRC she served as a senior director for geopolitics and international security and a member of the executive committee at the World Economic Forum. [13] [14]
Kaspersen has also worked in business and has had a rich diplomatic and academic career. She is a published author, podcast host and a sought after public speaker and commentator on matters relating to geopolitics, international security, [15] peacekeeping, [16] arms control, [17] multilateral diplomacy, [18] emerging technology ethics, AI, cyber conflict, digital resilience [19] and oceans security. [20] [21] She is world renowned for her mixed social science interdisciplinary approach and is a strong supporter of multilateralism and of the use of science and technology diplomacy to promote adaptive arms control, technology and AI governance, responsible innovation and responsible applications, along with multilateral and globally cooperative arrangements and standards. [22]
Anja Kaspersen is an alumni International Gender Champion, [23] a member of the International Telecommunication Union, AI for Good Global Summit's Programme Committee, [24] a member of the IEEE Council on Extended Intelligence and Industry Activities on Ethics in Action in Autonomous and Intelligence Systems, [25] [26] Well-Being Initiative, Life Science Innovation and AI [27] and member of the Council of the International Military Council on Climate and Security [28] and the advisory board of ThinkTech. [29]
Kaspersen was selected for several consecutive years as one of the leading female Voices in the field of AI and ethics and recognised among peers as a fierce advocate for women, diversity and interdisciplinarity. In 2024 she ranked among Norway's Top 50 Tech Women. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1_CR_JAeDc https://www.abelia.no/50techkvinner/karede/. In 2019 and 2020 she was included in the "100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics list". [30] [31] . As a diplomat for Norway, she led multiple efforts to harneessed strong recogntion for Norway to provide a leading Voice on matters related to integrated peace operations, alongside global partners, as well as being the lead Coordinator for Norways acceptance as a partner in ASEAN.
As a Norwegian diplomat, she has worked extensively on International security, integrated peace operations and regional affairs. During her tenure in the Norwegian foreign service, she contributed to strengthening Norway’s engagement with regional and multilateral institutions, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Norway was accepted as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner at the forty eighth ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in August 2015, becoming the first European state to enter into such a formalised partnership. The partnership has since been developed through agreed practical cooperation areas, successive action plans and regular political dialogue.
Her work on peace operations, the rule of law, Law enforcement and Civilian crisis management has been reflected in Norwegian policy papers and proceedings addressing the evolution of multidimensional and integrated peace operations within the United Nations. These analyses have examined integrated mission design, political coordination and civilian components, as well as the operational requirements for effective law enforcement support and the strengthening of legal and institutional frameworks in post conflict environments.
In addition to pioneering and supporting international and multilateral efforts to establish global governance and interdisciplinary dialogue on the impact of new technologies and artificial intelligence on stability, society, resilience, non proliferation, Arms control, global standards and international safeguards, Kaspersen has been a consistent advocate for drawing lessons from historical models of cooperative governance around sensitive technologies. She has highlighted the role of institutions such as CERN and the multilateral frameworks developed in civil aviation and within the IAEA as examples of how international regimes have balanced technological progress, shared research and global safety norms. Her engagement with these governance traditions, combined with her background in technology, engineering and science, has enabled her to support initiatives aimed at deepening public and private sector understanding and cooperation, particularly in promoting the beneficial and responsible use of artificial intelligence. https://aiforgood.itu.int/event/un-leaders-roundtable-lunch-how-to-leverage-ai-in-the-un-in-support-of-safe-responsible-and-equitable-ai/. She was selected in 2020 as one of the top innovators by the World Summit AI and Inspired Minds for her work among top 50 Innovators. [32]