Marine
Collins Ragnet
NYU Peace Research & Education Program
A Franco-American researcher and former diplomat who founded and leads the Peace AI initiative at New York University. Her work examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping power, sovereignty, and participation, with particular attention to the Global South, where she works with communities negotiating the terms of their own digital futures.
Marine Collins Ragnet is Head of Innovation Research at NYU's Peace Research and Education Program (PREP), where she founded and leads the Peace AI initiative. She spearheads research on community-centred approaches to AI governance, with a team of researchers in Kenya, Malawi, the Philippines, and the United States.
Her research examines how power disparities in technological development influence governance structures, especially in regions experiencing accelerated AI adoption without robust regulatory frameworks. A cornerstone of her work is developing accessible AI oversight mechanisms that meaningfully include communities traditionally marginalised in technology policy conversations.
She is also a Senior Fellow at the Portulans Institute, Managing Editor of the Cambridge Journal of Artificial Intelligence, and a member of UNESCO's Women4EthicalAI Expert Group.
Marine came to academic research through a decade in diplomacy and international affairs, advising senior officials across three governments and a multilateral mission. That experience grounds her work in how policy is actually made, and in the gap between what is written in Geneva or Brussels and what unfolds on the ground.
peace, equity, and resilience.
Research & Focus Areas
- Participatory approaches to AI governance
- Digital sovereignty in the Global South
- Power asymmetries in technological development and democratic oversight
- Accessible AI oversight tools for marginalised and conflict-affected communities
- Indigenous data governance and participatory data commons
Building AI Governance with the Communities It Affects
Peace AI Initiative, NYU PREP
Directs research on participatory AI governance, developing practical AI oversight mechanisms and AI tools for communities in regions experiencing rapid AI adoption without corresponding governance frameworks.
Malawi Voice Data Commons
Builds multilingual, locally governed data infrastructures that strengthen humanitarian response and responsible AI development.
Mitigating AI-Driven Power Concentration in Fragile Contexts
A study developing participatory AI governance mechanisms and community-led oversight frameworks across Kenya, Malawi, and the Philippines.
From Diplomacy to AI Governance
A career that moved from global advertising through diplomacy to participatory AI governance research, spanning public, private, and NGO sectors and advising Ambassadors, Ministers, and Heads of Missions within the U.S., French, and European governments.
Diplomacy & Government
Spokesperson
Led anti-disinformation efforts during a fragile period of post-conflict transition, pioneering approaches to counter disinformation in resource-constrained settings.
Advisor
Worked on technology and economic policy, translating governance frameworks into accessible stakeholder engagement mechanisms.
Office of the Minister for Development
Served within the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including in the office of the French Minister for Development.
European External Action Service
Held a position with the EU's diplomatic service.
Research & Policy
Senior Fellow
A Washington-based research institute focused on innovation and technology policy, contributing to conversations on digital inclusion, governance, and peace.
Managing Editor
Also a member of UNESCO's Women4EthicalAI Expert Group.
Research Positions
Research focused on technology governance, disinformation, and public-private partnerships.
Master of Science
Graduate degree from New York University.
Teaching the Politics of AI
AI and the Global Majority: Peace, Power and Participation
Adjunct Instructor at the NYU School of Professional Studies, Center for Global Affairs (GLOB1-GC2630).
The course invites students to interrogate dominant narratives about AI development and to study community-led alternatives, from indigenous data governance frameworks to participatory data commons.
AI Ethics
Teaches in the Philippines, where she works alongside faculty and indigenous elders on AI governance.
Her diplomatic experience shapes how she teaches: she asks students to take seriously how policy actually gets made, the constraints officials face, and the distance between international frameworks and realities on the ground.
Writing on AI, Sovereignty, and Peace
AI Sovereignty in Kenya: Building a Future Rooted in Local Ownership and Innovation
A developing-country path to AI sovereignty through infrastructure, governance, data ownership, and human capital.
Read on Brookings ↗OECD.AI Expert Profile
Expert profile and AI Wonk contributions on the OECD's AI policy observatory.
View on OECD.AI ↗Tech Policy Press Contributor
Contributor profile and articles on technology and democracy.
Read on Tech Policy Press ↗China and the US Wrestle for Dominant Pandemic Narrative in Europe
Analysis of competing great-power narratives during the pandemic.
Read on Responsible Statecraft ↗AI for Peace: Bridging Tech & Human Development
Moderates discussions on AI for peacebuilding.
Visit NYU Steinhardt ↗Youth & Ethical AI in Humanitarian Crises
On youth engagement and ethical AI governance.
Read on NYU Steinhardt ↗Ethical, Inclusive Frameworks for Sustainable Change
At Earth5R and in her wider advisory roles, Marine brings her expertise in diplomacy and AI to design innovative, ethical, and inclusive frameworks for sustainable change.
Her vision centres on building bridges between policymakers, technologists, and communities, so that technology serves as a driver of peace, equity, and resilience.
About Marine Collins Ragnet
Who is Marine Collins Ragnet?
Marine Collins Ragnet is a Franco-American researcher and former diplomat. She is Head of Innovation Research at New York University's Peace Research and Education Program (PREP), where she founded and leads the Peace AI initiative. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Portulans Institute, Managing Editor of the Cambridge Journal of Artificial Intelligence, a member of UNESCO's Women4EthicalAI Expert Group, and Strategic Advisor to Earth5R.
What does Marine Collins Ragnet research?
Her research focuses on participatory approaches to AI governance, digital sovereignty in the Global South, power asymmetries in technological development, and accessible AI oversight mechanisms for marginalised and conflict-affected communities. She conducts fieldwork in Malawi, Kenya, and the Philippines.
What is the Malawi Voice Data Commons?
The Malawi Voice Data Commons, led by Marine Collins Ragnet, is a GovLab and Microsoft-supported consortium with UNDP, the Government of Malawi, Ushahidi, and Mozilla. It builds multilingual, locally governed data infrastructures that strengthen humanitarian response and responsible AI development.
What was her career before AI research?
She spent a decade in diplomacy and international affairs, advising senior officials across three governments and a multilateral mission. She served in the office of the French Minister for Development, as Advisor at the U.S. Mission to the OECD in Paris, and as Spokesperson for the EU Advisory Mission in the Central African Republic, where she led anti-disinformation efforts. She also held research positions at The GovLab, the U.S. Department of State, and the United Nations.
What is her role at Earth5R?
As Strategic Advisor to Earth5R, she brings her expertise in diplomacy and AI to design innovative, ethical, and inclusive frameworks for sustainable change.