Merve Hickok

Merve is the President and Policy Director at Center for AI & Digital Policy. Merve is a policy expert, with testimony to the US Congress, State of California, New York City and Detroit City councils. She holds policy expert positions at UNESCO Experts without Borders, the Council of Europe, and OECD AI. She is a Council on Foreign Relations – Hitachi Fellow, with research on US-Japan AI policy and governance. Her contributions and perspective have featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, CNN, Forbes, Bloomberg, Wired, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Politico, Protocol,  The Economist and MIT Technology Review. Merve authored the book ‘From Trustworthy AI Principles to Public Procurement Practices’ - first book to provide an in-depth analysis of the public procurement of AI systems.

Merve Hickok is the founder of AIethicist. Her work focuses on impact of AI systems on individuals and society - particularly the impact on fundamental rights, democratic values, and social justice. At University of Michigan, she is the data ethics lecturer at School of Information, the Responsible Data and AI Advisor at Michigan Institute for Data, AI and Society, and an affiliated faculty at Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy (Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program).

Merve also works with several non-profit organizations globally to advance both the academic and professional research in this field for underrepresented groups. She has been recognized by a number of organizations - most recently with Lifetime Achievement Award - Women in AI of the Year - 2023, as Runner-up for Responsible AI Leader of the Year - 2022 (Women in AI) and as one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ – 2021.