Experts

Kerstin Vignard

Ms. Vignard is an international security policy professional with interests at the nexus of international policy, technology and ethics. Her areas of expertise include AI, autonomous technologies, cyber, and human enhancement.

Following a 25-year career at the United Nations, in 2021 Vignard joined the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab where she works on a range of issues related to improving technical advice to multilateral policy fora and engaging technologists on ethical, legal and social implications of innovation. 
 
From 2019 to 2021, Vignard was on special assignment leading the UNIDIR team supporting the Chairmen of the last Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Cyber Security and the Open-Ended Working Group on ICTs. She led UNIDIR’s team supporting four previous cyber GGEs. Prior to that assignment, Vignard was Deputy to the Director at UNIDIR (2012-2019), and UNIDIR’s Chief of Projects and Publications (2005-2012). In addition to her institutional responsibilities, Vignard established UNIDIR’s workstream on increasing autonomy in weapon systems and AI-enabled weapon systems. She remains affiliated with UNIDIR as a non-resident Senior Fellow. 

In 2021 Vignard was named to the list “100 brilliant women in AI ethics” and is a research scholar affiliated with the Institute for Assured Autonomy.