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Gregory C. Allen

Director of Strategy and Policy, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center

U.S. Department of Defense

Gregory C. Allen is now the Director of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). He previously served as Chief of Strategy and Communications, advising on development and implementation of the DoD AI Strategy and responsible for the JAIC’s communications and messaging.

Before joining the JAIC, Allen was an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where he focused on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, space, and national security. His writing and analysis has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Economist, Nature, CNN, Fox News, Foreign Policy, and WIRED. His notable publications include: “Understanding AI Technology—A Guide for DoD leaders”); “Understanding China’s AI Strategy: Clues to Chinese Strategic Thinking on Artificial Intelligence and National Security”; “AI Researchers Should Help with Some Military Work”; and “Artificial Intelligence and National Security.”

Prior to working at CNAS, Allen was the head of market and competitive strategy Blue Origin, a space technology manufacturer founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Before that, he was a senior project manager at Avascent, a management consulting firm that provides corporate strategy advisory services to major technology firms.

Allen holds a joint MPP/MBA degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School.

Baidoa, Somalia

Makeshift, temporary shelter made of plastic and clothing at a refugee center in Baidoa, Somalia.