Susan Ariel Aaronson is Research Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University (GWU). Aaronson is also co-principal investigator with the NSF -NIST (National Science Foundation and (National Institute of Standards and Technology Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society, TRAILS, where she leads research on data and AI governance. Aaronson was recently named one of GWU’s Public Interest Technology Scholars, where she works to encourage interdisciplinary research on technology.

Susan is also director of the Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub at GWU. The Hub was founded in 2019 and educates policy makers, the press and the public about data governance and data-driven change through conferences, webinars, study groups, primers and scholarly papers. It is the only organization in the world that maps the governance of public, proprietary and personal data at the domestic and international levels. The Hub’s research has been funded by foundations such as Ford and Minderoo. Susan currently directs projects on governing data for generative AI, ensuring that data is globally accurate, complete, and representative and on AI protectionism. Aaronson also frequently writes on XR sets. She regularly writes op-eds for Barron’s and Fortune, and was a commentator on economics for NPR’s Marketplace, All Things Considered and Morning Edition, and for NBC, CNN, the BBC and PBS.