Working with the Regional Disarmament and Science and Technology briefs of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), Charles Ovink specializes in responsible innovation, the impact of emerging technologies on disarmament and non-proliferation, military uses of AI, and disarmament education and outreach. He has previously served as Associate Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), Programme Manager for the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), and a consultant for the United Nations University and Creative Environmental Networks. He has led responsible innovation work with New York University, Umeå University, Sorbonne University Pierre and Marie Curie, the University of Tokyo, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the ASEAN Foundation, among others. He has been a frequent speaker on Responsible AI in the military domain, including for the Stockholm Security Conference, the Nikkei AI Summit, and as an expert witness for the UK House of Lords. He has written on AI both in his UN capacity and for IEEE Spectrum, a publication of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is a member of the IEEE-Standards Association Research Group on Issues of Autonomy and AI for Defense Systems. He received his Master’s degree from Waseda University in Tokyo, focusing on political security and power transition. He can be reached at [email protected]
