by Jeroslyn JoVonn
March 13, 2026
“I simply need individuals to really feel company and energy on this second,” Jawando mentioned. “I hate the truth that most individuals really feel like this know-how is going on to them.”
Civil rights lawyer Michele Jawando has been promoted from president to CEO of Omidyar Community, the place she goals to carry better inclusivity to the quickly evolving AI period.
On March 11, the philanthropic group based by billionaire eBay founder Pierre Omidyar introduced that Jawando will start her new position as CEO subsequent month, the Related Press studies. “Our focus will probably be ensuring that there’s a rather more numerous set of views and folks and coalitions and voices shaping the moments, the alternatives, and the foundations for the AI period,” Jawando mentioned in an announcement.
A civil rights lawyer and former Google govt who oversaw the corporate’s public coverage partnerships, Jawando will now lead one of many best-funded know-how organizations working to broaden affect over how synthetic intelligence is developed, deployed, and controlled past Silicon Valley.
“I simply need individuals to really feel company and energy on this second,” she mentioned. “I hate the truth that most individuals really feel like this know-how is going on to them.”
Jawando’s appointment comes at a time when the philanthropic sector has been watching intently because the Trump administration clashed with Anthropic after the agency declined to permit the federal authorities unrestricted army use of its know-how. The dispute highlights Jawando’s view {that a} small group of corporations shouldn’t be liable for setting the guardrails round what she described as “actually highly effective super-tools.”
Omidyar Community has lately sharpened its give attention to synthetic intelligence, launching a $30 million generative AI portfolio to handle what leaders see as gaps in philanthropy’s engagement with the quickly evolving know-how. Whereas philanthropic teams usually lack the monetary energy and political affect of AI corporations valued within the tons of of billions—lots of which have secured favorable insurance policies underneath Trump—Jawando mentioned her position will probably be to construct stronger connections throughout philanthropy and make sure the views of working persons are included in shaping the way forward for AI.
“The accountable and secure use of AI shouldn’t be only one firm’s mantra,” Jawando mentioned. “It’s not that some corporations are too accountable and others aren’t. It’s simply that we don’t have a public governance framework.”
Outgoing CEO Mike Kubzansky praised Jawando’s appointment, highlighting her position as co-chair of a philanthropic coalition committing $500 million to AI initiatives that prioritize the general public curiosity. He additionally credited her with bringing new funders into the area, together with the Doris Duke Basis and the Lumina Basis.
“She hardly ever jumps to the oppositional card first,” he mentioned. “She finds new companions for us and she or he brings individuals alongside.”
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