About
Nusrat Farooq is an expert in Trust & Safety, with experience spanning both business and geopolitics. She is the Founding Partner at Artificial Intelligence Strategy. She previously led the enhancement of Incident Response Protocols at the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), which is founded by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube. In this role, she coordinated responses to terrorist and violent extremist attacks across 60+ countries, working with over 30 technology companies and 200+ global stakeholders.
Before joining GIFCT, Ms. Farooq consulted on international development, track-2 diplomacy, conflict resolution, deplatforming non-state actors, education, business development and social science field surveys for organizations such as the World Bank, Columbia University Law School, New America Foundation, UNICEF, Inter-Mediate, India Institute, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
She has been recognized as an emerging leader by Germany’s Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit and Morocco’s Policy Center for the New South, with which she remains actively involved. Farooq is also a member of the American Political Science Association (APSA), the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN) and Women's Regional Network-India (WRN).
A technologist and thought leader, Farooq holds an MPA summa cum laude from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Engineering (summa) from the University of Kashmir. She is proficient in English, Kashmiri, Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic.
Media Appearances and Invited Talks
Fighting Violent Extremism and Terrorism on Digital Platforms
In this interview recorded during the 2022 Atlantic Dialogues, columnist Helmut Sorge speaks with Nusrat Farooq about combating violent extremism and terrorism on digital platforms. Watch the interview here.
AI to the Forefront at Atlantic Dialogues 2024
Nusrat Farooq spotlighted Artificial Intelligence at the Atlantic Dialogues 2024 in Rabat, Morocco. In a dynamic townhall moderated by Nik Gowing, former BBC journalist and debate moderator, she engaged with global leaders—including former prime ministers, ambassadors, generals, think tank executives, and journalists—highlighting AI's pivotal role in shaping global policy and security.
Global South Challenges and AI's Role in Security, Atlantic Dialogues 2024
At the 13th Atlantic Dialogues, Nusrat Farooq joined Richard Lui of MSNBC to discuss key challenges for the Global South, AI's transformative role in security, and what’s at stake. The conversation followed insights from global leaders, including Mats Karlsson (World Bank Group), Jaibal Naduvath (ORF America), John Sawers (Newbridge Advisory), Seth Stodder (U.S. Homeland Security), and Miguel Ángel Toma (Argentina).
Workshop on AI and Information Integrity, Atlantic Dialogues 2024
Nusrat Farooq presented a workshop titled "Artificial Intelligence and Information Integrity: Challenges and Policy Solutions" at the Atlantic Dialogues 2024 in Rabat, Morocco. The session engaged 40 emerging leaders from 30+ countries, focusing on the role of AI in disinformation, influence operations, and their impact on democratic processes. Participants explored policy solutions to address challenges in the evolving digital information ecosystem.
Pursuing a PhD, Columbia University
In this Columbia University panel, the panelists discussed what it means to pursue a PhD, the questions one faces while deciding to pursue one. The panelists included Columbia Professors Douglas Almond, Ester Fuchs, Jeffrey Shrader, and Tamar Mitts. Filip J. S. and Nusrat joined as Columbia SIPA alumni.
The Future We Want, Atlantic Dialogues 2022
The Closing Plenary Session of the 11th edition of the Atlantic Dialogues conference was dedicated to the 2022 Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders cohort. Moderated by Zeinab Badawi, President of SOAS University of London: Pauline Batista (Brazil), Media production Assistant at United Nations; Amine Derj (Morocco), MBA, Co-founder & CEO, Jodoor; Nusrat Farooq (India), Technology & Programs Associate, Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism; Lavar Thomas (USA), Environmental Justice Expert; and Cecilia Vidotto Labastie (France), Europe Program Officer, Institut Montaigne
Tech & Democracy Report, Tech Policy Press 2023
The Tech & Democracy report by All Tech is Human center around four key topics - Misinformation and Disinformation, Digital Governance & Policy, Online Radicalization and Extremism and Technology & Elections, as well as best practices related to multistakeholder collaboration, civil society empowerment, and accountability. In addition, the report features profile interviews with 40+ individuals actively working in the space. Read here.
Publications
The Invisible Hand of Artificial Intelligence in Transnational Repression
The Invisible Hand of Artificial Intelligence in Transnational Repression
The Invisible Hand of Artificial Intelligence in Transnational Repression
Artificial intelligence, including generative AI, is transforming the landscape of digital transnational repression. Digital transnational repression includes digital surveillance, deployment of spyware, phishing, and hacking attacks, doxxing, online harassment, and disinformation campaigns, all of which violently threaten targeted individuals, often forcing on them self-censorship and isolation from social media. Read more.
Content Warfare: Combating Generative AI Influence Operations
The Invisible Hand of Artificial Intelligence in Transnational Repression
The Invisible Hand of Artificial Intelligence in Transnational Repression
State and non-state actors are leveraging advanced AI tools to influence operations, evade content moderation, and conduct sophisticated propaganda campaigns across multiple platforms. It highlights recent instances of AI-driven influence operations in the US, the challenges in detecting and countering such activities, and the necessity for a collaborative approach against these emerging threats. Read more.
Bracing for Black Swans: Artificial Intelligence and Elections in 2024
The Invisible Hand of Artificial Intelligence in Transnational Repression
Reimagining International Security: Multilateralism vs Multi-Stakeholderism
With more than half of the global population across 78 countries participating in elections in 2024, and with artificial intelligence (AI) derived misinformation and disinformation identified as the foremost global risk factor in terms of election outcomes, multiple black-swan events--that are high impact and difficult to predict but inevitable-- can be anticipated. Read more.
Reimagining International Security: Multilateralism vs Multi-Stakeholderism
Reimagining International Security: Multilateralism vs Multi-Stakeholderism
Reimagining International Security: Multilateralism vs Multi-Stakeholderism
With the advent of social media more than a decade ago, and now with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, international security has become increasingly complex in terms of its cross-sectoral and transnational nature. Multilateralism as the only response to international security concerns is an outdated lens; multi-stakeholderism is the new fresh lens. Read more.
Communications During an Incident Response
Reimagining International Security: Multilateralism vs Multi-Stakeholderism
Hate in the Times of Covid-19 Can We Blame the Print Media in India?
To improve communication in the current multi-stakeholder international system, Incident Response teams should provide communication
and engagement training to their internal teams and those identified as relevant third-party
stakeholders and partners. Where appropriate, conducting debriefs and establishing information-
sharing agreements with close partners can be helpful if any sensitive information is shared. Read more.
Hate in the Times of Covid-19 Can We Blame the Print Media in India?
Reimagining International Security: Multilateralism vs Multi-Stakeholderism
Hate in the Times of Covid-19 Can We Blame the Print Media in India?
Using Machine Learning, we analyzed bias in Covid-19 reporting by top five English newspapers in India: how their reporting acted as a catalyst in accelerating Islamophobia in India during Covid19. Alongside the severe havoc that Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) wreaked in the global economy, it also unleashed a worldwide pandemic of hate targeting minorities and marginalized groups. Read more.
Re-imagining Educational Learning in India
Blockchain For Property: A Roll Out Road Map for India
Blockchain For Property: A Roll Out Road Map for India
The objective of this report was to understand the scope and explore possibilities and challenges for implementing 21st-century skills in school curricula for 150 million students in the age group of 14-18 in India. Read more.
Blockchain For Property: A Roll Out Road Map for India
Blockchain For Property: A Roll Out Road Map for India
Blockchain For Property: A Roll Out Road Map for India
This volume is an attempt to imagine key design and policy questions that would be relevant if India were to move to a blockchain based land records system and answer those questions within the larger legal and policy framework governing the country. Read more.
Business and Policy Consulting
Teaching
INAF U6600: Testing Models in Public Policy. Spring 2021. Columbia University, SIPA
INAF U6600: Testing Models in Public Policy. Spring 2021. Columbia University, SIPA
INAF U6600: Testing Models in Public Policy. Spring 2021. Columbia University, SIPA
Teaching Assistant to Professor Sharyn O’Halloran for a 3-credit advanced course on data analytics for testing, evaluating, and predicting public policy outcomes. The course trained students to critically assess policymaking models, formulate testable hypotheses, and apply advanced data science methods, including data visualization, model diagnostics,
PUAF U6120: Politics of Policymaking. Fall 2020. Columbia University, SIPA
INAF U6600: Testing Models in Public Policy. Spring 2021. Columbia University, SIPA
INAF U6600: Testing Models in Public Policy. Spring 2021. Columbia University, SIPA
Teaching Assistant to Professor Rumela Sen for a 4-credit core course on the politics of policymaking in developing and underdeveloped countries. The course explored how decision-makers in these contexts select tools and strategies to address persistent political, social, and economic challenges. I facilitated two weekly discussion sessions to engage students in analyzing lectures and assigned readings. I also graded students.