Karine Perset assists governments in comprehending AI technologies

To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, we’re launching a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution. We’ll publish several pieces throughout the year as the AI boom continues, highlighting key work that often goes unrecognized. Read more profiles here.

Karine Perset works for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where she leads its AI Unit and oversees the OECD.AI Policy Observatory and the OECD.AI Networks of Experts within the Division for Digital Economy Policy.

Perset specializes in AI and public policy. She previously served as an advisor to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)’s Governmental Advisory Committee and as Counselor of the OECD’s Science, Technology, and Industry Directorate.

What work are you most proud of (in the AI field)?

I am extremely proud of the work we do at OECD.AI. Over the last few years, the demand for policy resources and guidance on trustworthy AI has significantly increased from both OECD member countries and AI ecosystem actors.

When we began this endeavor around 2016, there were only a handful of countries with national AI initiatives. Fast forward to today, and the OECD.AI Policy Observatory – a comprehensive resource for AI data and trends – documents over 1,000 AI initiatives across nearly 70 jurisdictions.