Michael Horowitz Joins U.S. Department of Defense

Michael C. Horowitz, Richard Perry Professor of Political Science and director of the Perry World House, was tapped this spring by the U.S. Department of Defense to lead the newly created Emerging Capabilities Policy Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The office shapes U.S. defense policy on the use of new technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Perry World House’s Executive Director, LaShawn R. Jefferson, will serve as Senior Executive Director during Horowitz’s leave of absence. “While I am saddened to be leaving Perry World House for a time, I know that the team will continue to deliver the amazing events, programs, and research that we have become so well known for under LaShawn’s leadership,” says Horowitz. “I’m excited to be taking an active hand in developing national policy on a critical area that I’ve engaged with throughout my academic career.”

Horowitz’s research interests include the intersection of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics with global politics and military innovation. He is a senior fellow for defense technology and innovation at the Council on Foreign Relations. Horowitz previously worked with the Pentagon, in 2013, as a fellow with the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. In his new role, he will support the Defense Department’s efforts to maintain the U.S. military’s leading edge through more effectively speeding the integration of emerging technologies and shaping policies for their use.