Meet Arati Prabhakar, Scientist Who Introduced AI To US White House

Artificial Intelligence(AI) is booming and world leaders are trying to keep pace with this swiftly expanding technology. In comes Arati Prabhakar, an engineer and social worker, who introduced the White House to the future of AI and set the ball rolling for regulations in advancing technology. It all started in March 2023, when she brought a laptop into the Oval Office and showed President Joe Biden how ChatGPT works. Six months later, Biden issued an 'executive order on safe, secure, and trustworthy artificial intelligence.' Today, Prabhakar is the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and closely works with the President to shape the AI course. 

Who Is Arati Prabhakar?

Arati Prabhakar was born in 1959 in New Delhi and moved to the United States when she was three years old. She grew up in Lubbock, Texas, and was encouraged to enter the field of STEM from a very young age. Prabhakar holds a degree in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in applied physics.

Prabhakar was the first woman to earn a PhD in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1984. After receiving her PhD, she went to Washington, D.C., on a congressional fellowship with the Office of Technology Assessment from 1984 to 1986.

Then, from 1986 to 1993, she worked with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), initially as a program manager but later as founding director of the Microelectronics Technology Office. From 1993 to 1997, Prabhakar was appointed as head of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Prabhakar held many leadership positions throughout her career. In October 2022, she was appointed the Science Advisor to the President of the United States. She serves as the 12th director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). She is also the CEO of a nonprofit organization called Actuate. 

In 2023, Prabhakar made headlines when she called for an AI collaboration with India. Speaking to the Press Trust of India, she shed light on a discussion between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Biden. She addressed that the conversation around AI was about how to achieve safe technology so all citizens benefit from it.