Branka Panic is the Founder and Executive Director of AI for Peace, a US based think tank ensuring artificial intelligence benefits peace, security, and sustainable development and where diverse voices influence the creation of Artificial Intelligence and related technologies. Branka Panic is a political scientist, expert in international security, international development policy, and peacebuilding. A passionate advocate for positive peace with 15 years of global experience in the humanitarian, peace, and development fields, Branka’s current emphasis is researching the benefits, risks, and ethical implications of exponential technologies. She is excited about combining data-centric and human-centric approaches to solving some of the biggest global challenges, particularly creating peaceful, just, and inclusive societies. Her insights and expertise in this field have earned her recognition as one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics in 2022. In addition to her leadership at AI for Peace, Branka is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University, where she focuses on researching the utilization of data-driven approaches to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, conflict early warning/early action, and designing the pathways to establishing a Peacebuilding Data Hub.
Branka is the author of “Data for Peace” online series, based at New York University. She is a co-founder and Board Member of the Center for Exponential Technologies, connecting policy and the tech world and a member of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, Working Group on Power and Technology. Her achievements in the fields of AI, peacebuilding, and conflict prevention have established her as a leading voice in the global discourse on these critical issues. She was a keynote speaker at the United Nations Technology in Peacekeeping Symposium, AI Summit New York, World Ethical Data Forum, GIZ Future Forum, Geneva Peace Week etc. Branka holds a M.A. in International Development Policy from Duke University, Sanford School of Public Policy, USA and a M.A. in International Security from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. She also studied International Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of North Carolina. Branka is a Rotary Peace Fellow Alumna, Paul Harris Fellow, and ambassador at the Institute for Economics and Peace. Currently, she works as a Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina.