Building bridges across the divides that shape our world-between East and West, local and global, power and possibility.
The people making decisions and the people living with consequences rarely occupy the same room. That gap fascinated me before I understood how dangerous it was.
The world is fragmenting. Nations talk past each other. 89,000 municipalities operate in isolation. Data sits in silos while decisions get made in the dark.
The people who will shape the next decade aren't the ones who pick sides. They're the ones who can stand in both rooms at once—translating, connecting, building pathways where none existed.
Chinese Embassy to Pentagon. Track-2 diplomacy for the AI age.
Davos strategy meets municipal execution. 89,000 jurisdictions connected.
Heads of state to communities. Infrastructure that serves everyone.
Raw intelligence into actionable policy. Clarity from chaos.
Advising on Chinese AI strategy and emerging technology competition at the Department of Defense.
National Security Council and State Department consultations on technology governance.
Track-2 diplomatic engagement. Building dialogue when official channels are strained.
Returning Davos speaker. Organizing ministerial AI dialogues with four continents.
Invited participant. Smart cities, sustainable infrastructure, global development.
Congressional expert witness. Briefing Senate and House on AI policy and national security.
Global Infrastructure Intelligence
Every municipality in America operates in isolation. 89,000 jurisdictions making decisions without knowing what the town next door learned yesterday.
ArtifexAI builds the connective tissue-transforming fragmented municipal data into unified intelligence that governments, developers, and communities can actually use.
Shaping the Rules of the Game
As Policy Committee Chair, I coordinate with Congress, the NSC, and State Department on technology governance frameworks-translating technical complexity into actionable policy.
Distinguished Member status. Building the bridge between AI practitioners and the legislators who will determine how this technology shapes society.
Global Leaders Society
Convening former heads of state, ministers, and industry leaders on AI governance. Co-chairing the AI Council alongside presidents and prime ministers who shaped the last three decades.
From Nobel Sustainability Trust weekends to ministerial dialogues at Davos-building the relationships that turn policy ideas into global action.
Strategic Intelligence on US-China AI Competition
Deep analysis of Chinese AI strategy, technology competition, and the geopolitical implications of infrastructure decisions. Read by Pentagon officials, Senate staff, and Fortune 500 leadership.
Not news aggregation-original intelligence synthesis for people who make decisions that matter.
Key contributor to ASFAI's submission to the White House, outlining strategic recommendations for maintaining American AI dominance through innovation-first policies, export controls, and workforce protection.
Read SubmissionInfrastructure, cybersecurity, ethics, and AI in government—a comprehensive blueprint for federal AI strategy over the next five years.
Distinguished Member contributor to ASFAI's formal response shaping the 2025 National AI Research & Development Strategy.
View DocumentASFAI analysis of tariff implications on technical infrastructure, energy, and talent for AI competitiveness.
Read BriefCo-authored the Climate Resilience chapter for J3D.AI's foresight whitepaper, developed at the World Economic Forum.
Read Whitepaper
December 2025
"The irony is painful. The administration frames this as protecting American values against Chinese-style centralized control. Then don't use China's methods to get there."
Quoted as expert source on President Trump's executive order blocking state AI laws—analyzing the federal-state divide on AI governance and the tension between innovation and constitutional rights.
Read Full Article"This is brilliant... a burgeoning threat [requiring] more urgency and an integrated push from government, industry, and the public."
"Your insights are timely, sharp, and impactful. You deserve more attention and action. Great work."
"Russ is a brilliant technologist and strategic thinker. His analysis makes impacts across industries worldwide. One of the preeminent minds in AI today."
"Your keynote speaker was amazing and I truly learned a lot. You've given us lots to think about and a good mandate to pursue."
"Your remarks on the university's role in the AI era set the tone for the day and sparked thoughtful discussion across the panels."
"A tireless force driven by deep belief in AI's potential. Whether mentoring, building tools, or challenging assumptions, Russ brings boundless energy and purpose."
"Your level of focus and inspection is quite brilliant but you also write so incredibly well. Thanks for sharing your research."
"This nailed something most people are missing: the control is now happening at the infrastructure layer, not the content layer."
"Your piece is one of the rare attempts to look at the architecture, not the headlines."
"I enjoyed our conversation! The episode turned out really well. A fascinating story of how a broken sewer led to becoming an expert on international AI relations."
"AI's greatest power isn't automation or prediction. It's the ability to extract strategic insights from massive amounts of information that human analysts could never process."- Russ Wilcox
3× coverage in 2024
Autodesk University 2024
American Society for AI
Nairobi 2024
Boston
MIT, UCLA, Boston University
Track-2 dialogues between Washington and Beijing. Closed-door briefings with defense officials and diplomats. Strategy sessions where policy meets execution.
I partner with governments, global institutions, and leaders navigating the collision of AI, national interest, and a fragmenting world order.
If that's the work you're doing, let's talk.