Wendell Wallach

Wendell Wallach is a bioethicist and author whose work focuses on the intersection of technology, ethics, and governance. Wallach has engaged with issues related to ethics, artificial intelligence, governance, bioethics, robotics, and philosophy since the early development of AI alignment.

Before his academic and ethics career, Wallach founded and led two computer consulting companies, Farpoint Solutions LLC and Omnia Consulting Inc., serving clients such as the State of Connecticut, PepsiCo International, and United Aircraft. He later sold his interests in both companies. This background in technology provided Wallach with a practical perspective as he began examining the moral and societal implications of the digital age.

Wallach is known for two books: he co-authored "Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong," which helped define the field of machine ethics, and wrote "A Dangerous Master: How to Keep Technology From Slipping Beyond Our Control," which addresses the governance of high-risk technological systems. He also edited the eight-volume "Library of Essays on the Ethics of Emerging Technologies."

Wallach served as an advisor to The Hastings Center and as a scholar at the Yale University Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, where he chaired Technology and Ethics studies for eleven years. He holds positions as Emeritus Chair of Technology and Ethics Studies at Yale, scholar with the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, and fellow at the Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technology. Wallach received a grant to develop workshops on artificial intelligence and ethics, bringing together diverse stakeholders. He served as Carnegie/Uehiro Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, where he founded and co-directed the AI and Equality Initiative.

The World Economic Forum appointed Wallach co-chair of its Global Future Council on Technology, Values, and Policy. He served as lead organizer for the 1st International Congress for the Governance of AI. Wallach received the World Technology Award for Ethics and for Journalism and Media, as well as a Fulbright Research Chair at the University of Ottawa. He was featured in the film "Honda Dreams: Living With Robots," directed by Joe Berlinger, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Wallach has been interviewed and quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and BBC News, and has appeared on MSNBC, FOX, FOX Business Channel, PBS, and numerous national and local radio shows. His experience spans technology, philosophy, international policy, and media, positioning him as a leading voice on the ethical challenges presented by artificial intelligence.