Vilas Dhar
Vilas Dhar is recognized globally as a leading expert on the future of artificial intelligence and its role in shaping society. At the intersection of technology, governance, and human aspiration, he works to ensure that innovation serves the public good and strengthens the institutions that sustain democratic life.
As President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a $1.5 billion global philanthropy, Dhar leads efforts to demonstrate how data and AI can be harnessed to advance equity, human dignity, and collective progress. Under his leadership, the Foundation has become one of the largest global funders of AI for public purpose, directing more than $500 million to organizations advancing climate action, public health, education, and democratic governance.
Dhar’s expertise is acknowledged across international governance. He has served as a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, is the U.S. Government’s nominated expert to the Global Partnership on AI, and contributes to advisory councils at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI, OECD.AI, and MIT Solve. In 2022, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader, honoring his contributions to global dialogue on responsible innovation.
A widely regarded public intellectual, his essays and commentary have appeared in U.S. News & World Report, Nature, Indian Express, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe. His LinkedIn Learning course, Ethics in the Age of Generative AI, has been translated into six languages and reached over 750,000 learners worldwide.
