About

As Director of Policy, Delivery & Customer Success at the Responsible AI Institute, Var helps organizations use AI in alignment with best practices, authoritative frameworks, and global AI laws. He is a Co-Instructor, along with Alexis Cook, of Kaggle’s AI Ethics course. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Var previously practiced law at Cravath and worked on the Clinton Global Initiative.

Responsible AI Institute

The Responsible AI Institute develops certification programs for AI at the product level, informed by global AI principles, laws, standards, frameworks, sector-specific guidance, and stakeholder input. Additionally, it advises companies and policymakers on AI issues and works closely with partners in civil society, academia, and industry. ​Read the Responsible AI Institute's white paper to learn more.

Recent Articles

• On the AI in Finance Regulatory Roundtable held by UK Financial Conduct Authority and RAI Institute, Ashley Casovan, Arlene Lo, Henrike Mueller, Mario Rivero-Huguet, and Var Shankar, OECD Policy Wonk, July 25, 2023
  
• We need to use AI to fight climate change, Claire Dennis, Johannes Leon Kirnberger and Var Shankar, OECD Policy Wonk, May 30, 2023
• Understanding the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, Reva Schwartz (NIST), Ashley Casovan and Var Shankar, Responsible AI Institute Blog, March 21, 2023
• What to Expect from Biden on AI, Var Shankar, Responsible AI Institute Blog, November 16, 2022
• This underestimated tool could make AI innovation safer, Ashley Casovan and Var Shankar, World Economic Forum Agenda, August 5, 2022
• A Risk-Based Approach to AI Procurement, Ashley Casovan and Var Shankar, University of Pennsylvania Regulatory Review, July 11, 2022
• A framework to navigate the emerging regulatory landscape for AI, Ashley Casovan and Var Shankar, OECD Policy Wonk, May 4, 2022

Recent Talks

• AI Workshop with RAI Institute, NIST (Elham Tabassi), and SCC (Tom Lebrun), June 28, 2023
• Panels on AI Regulation, AI Summit London, June 14-15, 2023
• Unlocking the Future of AI, Access Partnership Podcast, May 2, 2023
• AI Opportunities and Challenges, Princeton University, February 28, 2023
• AI Development Roundtable moderated by CEO of The Atlantic, February 13, 2023
• Fireside Chat with Arvind Karunakaran from Stanford HAI, AI Summit New York, December 6, 2022
• Policy Priorities for Responsible AI, AI Los Angeles, June 16, 2022
• Why Context is Key for Responsible AI, CascadAI, May 31, 2022

Kaggle Course

Kaggle's Intro to AI Ethics course was co-developed by Var Shankar and Alexis Cook from 2020 to 2021.

1: Intro to AI Ethics - Tutorial
2: Human Centered Design for AI - Tutorial, Exercise
3: Identifying Bias in AI - Tutorial, Exercise
4: AI Fairness - Tutorial, Exercise
5: Model Cards - ​Tutorial, Exercise