Hodan Omaar

This post is part of our ongoing series on China’s AI unicorns. Moonshot AI, a Beijing-based startup, rose quickly in China's AI market with its flagship chatbot Kimi, known for processing 2 million characters and a consumer-focused approach.

Five Chinese generative AI start-ups, known as "AI Tigers," have achieved unicorn status by 2025, highlighting China's rapid innovation and distinct strategies in the global AI race. This blog series delves into each of these five startups.

If President-elect Trump wants AI to be a meaningful part of his legacy, he’ll need to focus on delivering the promise of his 2019 initiative, which pledged “AI for the American people.” That will require a clear agenda to accelerate adoption, prioritize innovation, and ensure the diffusion of AI’s benefits across the entire country.

California often sets the tone for national policy, but the recently passed AI Transparency Act (SB 942) is an example of what not to do.

To avoid disadvantaging and stifling open-source AI, BIS should consider adjustments of reporting for open-source models, allowing for the continued growth of innovation while ensuring the necessary security oversight.

Legislators currently lack the necessary information about how harms from AI systems may materialize and evolve in the real world to design truly effective regulations.

Instead of focusing on imposing AI-specific guardrails, Australia’s regulatory framework should prioritize mechanisms for accountability, transparency, and traceability in decision-making processes, particularly within the public sector.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of California’s AI safety bill (SB 1047) was a sensible move, but a deeper issue remains unresolved. A fundamental flaw of the bill lies in its approach to AI safety: it attempts to identify risky systems based solely on assessments made before deployment.

As the United States commands the field with English-language large language models (LLMs) and China climbs the ranks to secure the lead in models for Chinese-language tasks, Europe is barely in the game when it comes to mastering models for its own languages.

China’s lead in quantum communications is undeniable, but its overall quantum prowess is limited; without computing breakthroughs, the United States still holds the upper hand.

The Center for Data Innovation submitted comments to the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (AISI) on its draft guidelines, Managing Misuse Risk for Dual-Use Foundation Models (NIST AI 800-1).

China’s relentless drive and strategic investments in AI suggest it is only a matter of time before it catches up—if not surpasses—the United States’ early lead.

ITIF’s spring seminar course explores core emerging technologies and issues that are reshaping our world and, in the process, creating public policy challenges and opportunities. The course is open to congressional staff only.

Please join ITIF for a virtual panel discussion with technology policy experts who will highlight and critique the most counterproductive tech policies of the past year, and consider how the incoming administration and Congress can turn the page.

Hodan Omaar speaks about the economic potential of AI in the United States at a panel discussion hosted by Microsoft.

Watch now for a timely discussion by The Center for Data Innovation and The Asia Group on how AI governance is unfolding globally, the key tensions shaping global regulations, and what these developments mean in the United States, the Indo-Pacific, and beyond.

Hodan Omaar speaks at the Central European Initiative's panel event on EU competitiveness in Vienna.

Watch now for a panel discussion exploring how threats from AI voice cloning are likely to develop, what countermeasures exist, and actionable steps policymakers can take to address both national and international threats.

Hodan Omaar speaks at the 2024 State of the Net Conference on a panel about artificial intelligence and creativity in the arts.

Hodan Omaar speaks at Foreign Policy's FP Tech Forum during the 78th annual UN General Assembly. She joins an expert panel to explore how technologies are shaping geopolitics and development around the world.

Gillian Diebold and Hodan Omaar speak about artificial intelligence and how it will impact different sectors of society at a webinar hosted by the Internet Law & Policy Foundry.

Watch the panel discussion on what the NQIA got right, where there is room for improvement, and what policymakers should do next.

Watch ITIF's Center for Data Innovation's panel discussion on the impact and efficacy of AI policy to date. Experts will debate on how policymakers can best nurture the capabilities and activities of the U.S. AI ecosystem moving forward.

Hodan Omaar speaks at Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center's event emphasizing the importance that policymakers ensure to internationalize efforts to mitigate harm from deepfakes and disinformation as malign information campaigns are increasingly targeting non-English speakers and immigrant communities.