CSIS is a major Washington, DC-based bipartisan think tank that conducts policy research on national security, international affairs, and emerging technologies including AI. Its Wadhwani AI Center focuses specifically on the governance, geopolitics, and national security implications of artificial intelligence.
CSIS is a major Washington, DC-based bipartisan think tank that conducts policy research on national security, international affairs, and emerging technologies including AI. Its Wadhwani AI Center focuses specifically on the governance, geopolitics, and national security implications of artificial intelligence.
People
Updated 05/18/26Director, Wadhwani AI Center
Chief Communications Officer
Senior Associate
Senior Associate (Non-Resident)
Senior Associate (Non-Resident)
Non-resident Senior Associate
Non-Resident Fellow, Strategy & Statecraft
Senior Adviser
Funding Details
Updated 05/18/26- Annual Budget
- $65,116,006
- Current Runway
- -
- Funding Goal
- -
- Funding Raised to Date
- -
Org Details
Updated 05/18/26The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a nonprofit, bipartisan policy research organization founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and David Abshire at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. CSIS initially operated as part of Georgetown before becoming a fully independent 501(c)(3) organization in 1987. It is headquartered at 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, and employs over 200 full-time staff members. CSIS produces research, analysis, and policy recommendations across five principal domains: defense and security, economic security and technology, global development, and geopolitics and foreign policy. The organization publishes reports, hosts events and executive education programs, and provides Congressional testimony and government briefings to shape U.S. and allied policy. The Wadhwani AI Center was launched on April 3, 2023, made possible by a $5 million commitment from CSIS Trustee Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur with over 50 years of experience in AI and software companies. The center is directed by Aalok Mehta, with Gregory C. Allen serving as Senior Adviser. Allen previously served as Director of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. The center conducts research across three themes: AI governance and regulation, the geopolitics of advanced technology (including semiconductor export controls and U.S.-China AI competition), and AI autonomy and national security (including applications in the U.S. Department of Defense and intelligence community). The Strategic Technologies Program, a longer-standing initiative, addresses the social, economic, and security challenges created by emerging technologies, with a research agenda covering cybersecurity, digital governance frameworks, 5G and telecommunications, surveillance and privacy, and the role of technology in power and conflict. CSIS also operates the CSIS AI Council, an international body co-chaired by the CEOs of Accenture and Microsoft that works to translate AI principles into practice and accelerate regulatory interoperability. CSIS has addressed existential risk from AI in its research, including analysis of how to manage existential AI risk without undercutting innovation, debriefs on international AI safety summits, and proposals for Congressional safeguards such as mandatory Chief AI Safety Officers at large AI firms. The organization's annual revenue in fiscal year 2024 was approximately $59.8 million, with expenses of approximately $65.1 million, supported by a mix of corporate, foundation, government, and individual donors.
Theory of Change
Updated 05/18/26CSIS seeks to reduce risks from AI and advanced technologies by equipping U.S. government policymakers and allied governments with high-quality research and policy recommendations. The causal chain runs from producing rigorous analysis on AI governance, geopolitics, and national security implications, to advising Congress and executive branch officials through testimony and briefings, to influencing the design of domestic AI policy frameworks and international governance agreements. By improving policymakers' understanding of AI technology trends, promoting sound adoption of AI in government, and identifying protective safeguards against AI accidents and misuse, CSIS aims to reduce the probability that AI development leads to national security crises or catastrophic outcomes.
Grants Received
Updated 05/18/26Projects
Updated 05/18/26A program within CSIS, a major Washington DC think tank, that conducts policy research on AI governance, geopolitics, and national security implications of artificial intelligence, advising U.S. and allied governments on responsible AI policy.
A biweekly podcast from CSIS's Wadhwani AI Center that brings together policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to discuss AI policy, regulation, national security, and geopolitics. The show was founded and initially hosted by Gregory C. Allen and is now hosted by center director Aalok Mehta.
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