Helen Toner is Director of Strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). She previously worked as a Senior Research Analyst at the Open Philanthropy Project, where she advised policymakers and grantmakers on AI policy and strategy. Between working at Open Philanthropy and joining CSET, Toner lived in Beijing, studying the Chinese AI ecosystem as a Research Affiliate of Oxford University’s Center for the Governance of AI. She has written for Foreign Affairs and other outlets on the national security implications of AI and machine learning for China and the United States, and she has testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Toner holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and a Diploma in Languages from the University of Melbourne.

Last Updated: November 16, 2020

Conversation

03.22.22

Will China Set Global Tech Standards?

Graham Webster, Helen Toner & more
In early February, the European Commission issued a sweeping strategy for setting global technology standards. Coming on the heels of Beijing’s latest standards strategy, released in October, it reflects Europe’s efforts to push back against China’s...

Conversation

11.18.20

How Can the U.S. Maintain Global Leadership in Science and Technology?

Susan Shirk, Helen Toner & more
Among the central issues the incoming U.S. presidential administration will face as it formulates policy toward China is the interconnectedness between the two countries in the spheres of science and technology. U.S. concerns over national security...