Search
AI-powered search, human-powered content.
scroll to top arrow or icon

How AI can be used in public policy: Anne Witkowsky

There are some pretty sharp people all around the world trying to craft policy, but their best efforts are often limited by poor data. Anne Witkowsky, Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, says that’s about to change.

“Data-driven, evidence-driven decision-making by policymakers is going to be more successful” with the help of artificial intelligence, she said during a Global Stage livestream event at UN headquarters in New York on September 22, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Witkowsky said the focus needs to be on inclusion and partnership with governments in developing countries to use new technology to “build resilience” against the unrelenting pressure such states face.

The discussion was moderated by Nicholas Thompson of The Atlantic and was held by GZERO Media in collaboration with the United Nations, the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, and the Early Warnings for All initiative.

Watch the full Global Stage conversation: Can data and AI save lives and make the world safer?

More from Global Stage

How can AI enhance human progress?

As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and more deeply embedded in everyday life, how can we ensure it remains a tool for human progress, and under human control?

How AI could accelerate global development

As countries work to meet development goals amid funding constraints, AI is emerging as a potential tool to accelerate progress and expand opportunity. Robert Opp of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Justin Spelhaug of Microsoft Elevate discuss how AI can support development and humanitarian efforts around the world.

How AI safety must evolve as agentic AI advances

As agentic AI reshapes how the technology is built and deployed, Partnership on AI CEO Rebecca Finlay explains why global cooperation on safety can't wait.

Preparing for El Niño: How better forecasts and AI can help

On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis sits down with Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), to discuss the developing El Niño, the growing importance of early-warning systems, and how artificial intelligence is changing weather forecasting.

How AI is changing the cybersecurity battlefield

On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis sits down with Hayete Gallot, Executive Vice President of Security at Microsoft, to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming cybersecurity, and why traditional defenses must evolve to keep pace.

Why the world is more optimistic about AI than the US

As AI adoption expands around the world, a new Gallup-Microsoft survey reveals a striking divide in how people feel about the technology.