Lauren Kahn is a Senior Research Analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), focusing on the national security applications of AI. Previously, she was a Policy Advisor for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense. She is a specialist in artificial intelligence and drones in warfare.

At the DoD, she worked extensively with external partners to develop national and international AI and autonomy policies and norms, as well as with internal DoD stakeholders to translate strategy into budget and programming decisions, ensuring the best and most cutting-edge tools and technologies reached our warfighters.

Before entering government, she served as a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania’s global policy think tank. Her work has appeared in outlets including Foreign Affairs, Lawfare, War on the Rocks, the Journal for Conflict Resolution, and AI & Society, and has been featured in The Economist.

Members may want to check out her recent NPR interview on how the United States is using artificial intelligence in the Iran War:
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/15/nx-s1-5745863/how-the-u-s-is-using-ai-in-the-war-in-iran

Lauren holds a master’s in computer and information technology and a B.A. in international relations, both from the University of Pennsylvania.

Please join us for what promises to be a very timely discussion, and bring a guest!