Gartner Expert

Var Shankar

Sr Director Analyst

Var Shankar is a Senior Director - Analyst at Gartner. He advises CIOs and AI Leaders on their AI governance priorities, which often include adopting principles and policies, organizing committees, redesigning processes, evaluating tools, navigating Microsoft, Amazon and Google environments, and navigating workforce considerations. An attorney by background, Var is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He is an expert on AI laws, regulations and frameworks, including the EU AI Act, US federal and state requirements and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. He does not offer legal advice. Var is also a leading authority on international AI standards. He is a member of the OECD Network of Experts on AI, the World Economic Forum's AI Global Alliance and the Brookings Forum for Cooperation on AI.

Previous experience

Led Council on AI Governance. Helped industry-leading organizations set up their AI governance programs. Co-developed Google / Kaggle AI Ethics course.

Professional background

Council on AI Governance, Executive Director, 1 years

Responsible AI Institute, Executive Director / Director, 2 years

Google / Kaggle, Co-Instructor, AI Ethics, 1 years

Education

J.D., Harvard Law School

B.A., Political Science, Duke University

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Top Issues That I Help Clients Address

01

AI and agent governance

02

AI laws, standards and frameworks

03

AI maturity models

04

Driving and measuring AI value

05

Responsible AI