Lead, Strategic Integration, Artificial Intelligence

About the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the international organization for public-private cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

About the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR)

This position is part of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR). The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) helps leaders anticipate exponential technologies and drive responsible sectoral and industry transformation. The C4IR brings together leaders from business, government, international organizations, academia and civil society to shape the global agenda on technology governance and technology applications for industries and society.

About the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network (C4IR Network)

The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network accelerates the responsible adoption of technology and transformation of industry at the national, subnational and global levels via policy-making, pilots and partnerships. In just six years, the Network has grown to 19 centres across five continents, with measurable impact at local and global levels.

Why we are Recruiting

In recent decades, the utilization of technology in national development has surged remarkably. From the era of industrialization and mechanization to the era of wireless connectivity and the proliferation of mobile devices, technological advancements have facilitated the leapfrogging of inequities and paved the way for economic growth and development.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge technologies continue to fuel the digital economy, their impact and influence on governments, enterprises, institutions, and individuals are increasingly evident. AI holds immense potential to significantly accelerate existing strategies while also offering novel solutions to global economies. However, the harnessing of AI opportunities has been uneven across regions.

Launched in June 2023, the AI Governance Alliance (AIGA) aims to provide guidance on the responsible design, development, adoption, deployment, and governance of AI. It seeks to address these challenges by delineating the enablers of AI adoption and devising sustainable solutions tailored to the diverse challenges encountered by different countries and regions in implementing them, thereby bridging regional and country-level gaps in AI technology.

Recognizing both the significant economic and social potentials of AI, the accompanying risks of cutting-edge technologies, and the need of a regional approach, C4IR collaborates closely with the Network of Affiliate Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution to address these issues.

The Regional Agenda Lead, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will play a key role in advancing AIGA’s mission and will work closely with the network of independent C4IR Affiliate Centers to promote AI adoption, address specific challenges faced by industry and other sectors in different countries and regions for the responsible and inclusive development of AI.

Relevant focus areas include:

• Identifying best practices across industries to facilitate regions in scaling and deploying AI effectively, including necessary enablers such as infrastructure and public-private partnerships.

• Recognizing the urgent need of countries of all sizes to establish their own AI ecosystems and the importance of adapting existing solutions to suit their specific contexts - unlocking the unique capabilities of AI for countries and regions with varying resource levels

• Exploring, accelerating and scaling across countries multistakeholder collaborations or pilots which have the potential to accelerate AI adoption, usage, and deployment in a safe and inclusive way

Reporting Lines and Interactions

The Lead, Strategic Integration, Artificial Intelligence will report to the Digital Technologies Portfolio Manager, based in Geneva. Operating within an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment, the Lead will navigate multiple teams and geographic locations to effectively fulfil the responsibilities of the role.

This role entails close collaboration with various stakeholders, including the broader AIGA team located in Geneva, San Francisco, New York, China, and Japan. Additionally, there will be interaction with the C4IR Network and Partnerships team, serving as key liaisons for independent national/thematic C4IR centres, as well as direct engagement with staff from these affiliate centres.

Breakdown of main responsibilities

The Regional Agenda Lead, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning position is of critical importance for advancing Forum’s work on AI, expanding the C4IR network, and increasing the engagement of Affiliate Centres by ensuring their deeper and strategic integration into global  Forum initiatives.

The main responsibilities include:

Strategic integration and thought leadership

• Stay abreast of the latest developments in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and related fields, providing thought leadership within the organization and externally

• Lead the workstream on ‘National AI Ecosystems’, focused on advancing the transformation of driven by AI at a regional and national level. This entails:

  • Engage industry leaders, governments, and other constituents to co-create guidelines, tools and frameworks to enable transformation and promote and accelerate responsible adoption of AI in countries and regions

  • Work closely with the C4IRNetwork and Partnerships team, and the Independent Centres to foster collaboration with local and regional stakeholders to shape workstreams which can drive impact and support ongoing regional work around AI in a strategic way

• Develop and implement the strategic integration strategy with the C4IR affiliate Centres to ensure seamless collaboration with the World Economic Forum on the topic of AI and digital technologies – connecting them at the global level end enabling them to drive their regional agendas

• Incubate and kick off new projects where needed and ensure outputs and ambition levels are aligned with the other Forum’s activities

• Collaborate with C4IR Network and Partnerships team to ensure the successful delivery of relevant joint AIGA-C4IR independent centres events and other deliverables where network members actively contribute, to strengthen the C4IR agenda and community, and advance AIGA objectives and deliverables.

Community engagement

• Manage and animate multistakeholder communities by communicating updates regularly, lead working group meetings, onboarding the relevant stakeholders

• Connect regularly with community members to stay at the forefront of the applications, impact and implications of digital technologies

• Cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships with key C4IR Affiliate Centres, relevant organizations, governments, and industry leaders to advance the goals of the C4IR

Team and resources

• Work with Forum partner organizations to onboard new fellows to support with the work, and work closely with project fellows to drive the initiatives forward

• Work closely with the Forum AI team based in India, China and Japan

• Drive cross-functional collaboration within the Forum ecosystem to leverage resources and expertise for maximum impact

Preferred Requirements and Experience

• Master’s degree preferred in a relevant field such as business, policy, strategy, technology, etc.

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in public administration, government affairs, management consulting, technology business, government or international organizations in positions covering topics of AI and frontier technologies partnership, data, innovation, or business strategy.

• Demonstrated experience in establishing and leading operations across multiple jurisdictions and sectors.

• Excellence in written and spoken English. Strong communication and presentation skills, and experience designing, managing and facilitating communities, workshops, and meetings both virtually and in person. Strong ability to write informative and insightful content.

• Demonstrated ability to work across different cultures and with high level officials and executives, and in a fast-paced environment.

• Proven excellent project management skills; attention to detail; capacity to apply critical thinking, synthesize various viewpoints, consult broadly, communicate clearly, turning ideas into tangible action and impact, and manage both long- and short-term objectives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

• Excellent ability to manage relationships externally and internally.

• Collaborative, agile, and results oriented.

Why work at the Forum:

The Forum believes that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to improve the state of the world by building awareness and cooperation, shaping mindsets and agendas, and driving collective action. Join us and become a driver for positive change!