President William Ruto on March 8 appointed Philip Omondi Thigo as a special Envoy on Technology. Thigo was among latest appointees and nominations to the foreign Service. In October 2023, Thigo, an IT expert, had been appointed as a member of the United Nations-UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Thigo, who is currently serving as an advisor to the Presidency on matters AI and the Chairperson of First Lady Rachel Ruto’s Mama Doing Good Organization, was among the 38 names announced as members of the advisory body.
Joining him in the advisory body are a host of prominent scholars and executives in the AI field from across the world.
As the world moves to morph with the new era of AI, Thigo and company will assist the UN in carrying out analysis and advancing recommendations for the international governance of AI.
The 38 experts will offer diverse perspectives and options on how AI can be governed for the common good and aligning it with human rights.
“To foster a globally inclusive approach, the UN Secretary-General is convening a multi-stakeholder High-level Advisory Body on AI to undertake analysis and advance recommendations for the international governance of AI,” UN Stated in a statement.
Thigo will bring his decorated resume in the new role owing to the on list of achievements and accolades in his field.
About Philip Thigo
He is a graduate of, among others, Moi University and the Kenya Institute of Management Studies (KIMS) where he studied Management of Information Systems and System Analysis.
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Careerwise, the AI expert has been recognized in among others the World’s 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government by Apolitical in 2018 and Top 100 Most Influential African Leader in Technology and Telecommunications in 2023.
In addition, Thigo has served in many advisory roles including for NASA’s Earth Science Division on Earth Observations for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Digital Earth Africa.
Further, Thigo serves as the Sub-Regional Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council and runs the MtotoNews digital platform for children.
Other notable appointees in the UN body
Other notable names appointed to the body include Jaan Tallinn is a founding engineer of Skype and Kazaa, Dr. He Ruimin who is Singapore’s Chief Artificial Intelligence (AI) Officer, and Mira Murati, the Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI.
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In addition, James Manyika- a Senior Vice President of Google Alphabet- will also be part of the body.
According to UN, the expert-studded body will help to contribute towards achievement of a better-governed AI that is sensitive to human rights among other concerns.
However, the UN urged the world and relevant stakeholders to support the body in order to realize the set goals. The advisory body, according to UN, will be based in the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology (OSET).