Alka Patel

Alka Patel serves as the first Head of AI Ethics Policy for the Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) where she leads the implementation of the DoD AI Ethics Principles and more broadly Responsible AI. In her role, she works across cross-functional areas of product development/delivery, workforce education, acquisition, and international efforts in advancing Responsible AI. Most recently, Alka was the inaugural Executive Director of the Digital Transformation and Innovation Center sponsored by PwC at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to leading the start-up of the $13 million center including developing and executing strategy and operations, she managed the industry sponsor’s relationship as well as managed over 25 research projects (from project scoping through delivery) with interdisciplinary faculty teams in the area of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and cybersecurity/privacy.