Task Force 1: Transformative Technologies — AI and Quantum

Hodan Omaar is a senior policy manager at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation’s (ITIF’s) Center for Data Innovation. She leads ITIF’s work on US policy in artificial intelligence and quantum technologies across a range of sectors such as health care, education and government. Previously, Hodan worked as a senior consultant on technology and risk management in London, UK, where she audited IT security and management controls at various firms. In addition, Hodan was an economist in Berlin, Germany, where she developed a financial model for the storage of data on a blockchain database. She has an M.A. in economics and mathematics from the University of Edinburgh.

Tobby Simon is the founder and president of Synergia, a strategic affairs think tank that provides insights and advisory services to industry, military, government and research institutions on advanced technologies, international relations and security. He is a member of the Trilateral Commission and was a commissioner with the Global Commission on Internet Governance. He served as an advisory board member at the Center for a New American Security and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Tobby has a postgraduate degree in management and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School. He was a research affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for five years.

Eleni Diamanti is CNRS research director at the LIP6 laboratory of Sorbonne University in Paris. She received her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 2006 and performed her post-doc as a Marie Curie fellow at the Institute of Optics Graduate School in Palaiseau, France, before joining the CNRS in 2009. Her research focuses on experimental quantum cryptography and communication, and on the development of photonic resources and applications for quantum networks. She is a recipient of a European Research Council Starting Grant, coordinator of the Paris Centre for Quantum Technologies, and was awarded the CNRS Silver and Innovation Medals in 2024. She also serves as a member of the European Quantum Technologies Flagship Strategic Advisory Board and is the co-founder and scientific advisor of the start-up company Welinq, which specializes in quantum interconnect technology.

Giacomo Persi Paoli is the head of the Security and Technology Programme at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). With more than two decades of experience, he specializes in the implications of emerging technologies — particularly artificial intelligence and cyber — on international peace and security. His recent work focuses on the governance of these transformative technologies, including their impact on arms control, strategic stability and global security frameworks. Giacomo holds prominent advisory roles in shaping the governance of emerging technologies. He is a member of the Expert Advisory Group of the Global Commission on Responsible AI in the Military Domain. Before joining UNIDIR, he was associate director at RAND Europe, where he led the defence and security science, technology and innovation portfolio. He also directed the Centre for Futures and Foresight Studies, focusing on scenario planning and strategic forecasting. Earlier in his career, he spent 14 years as a warfare officer in the Italian Navy, gaining extensive operational and leadership experience.

Giacomo holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rome, a master’s degree in political science from the University of Pisa and a master’s degree in international affairs and diplomacy at the University of Trieste. Fluent in English, French and Italian, he is a recognized voice in international security, actively supporting multilateral processes aimed at shaping the governance of emerging technologies. He regularly engages with policy makers and publishes research on the security implications of AI and cyber technologies, fostering collaboration across the international community.