Carol Kuntz

Adjunct Fellow (Non-resident), Strategic Technologies Program
Carol Kuntz

Carol Kuntz teaches on the policy implications of artificial intelligence at Georgetown University and conducts research at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Dr. Kuntz served in the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for more than 30 years. Her work focused on identifying changes in the strategic and technological environment and crafting new policies and programs given those changes. In the several years before Covid-19 emerged, she helped embed cutting-edge biotechnologies into the DOD’s biodefense program to strengthen its ability to protect against novel pathogens. For the five years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, Dr. Kuntz served as the homeland security adviser to the vice president of the United States. She led two presidential initiatives to strengthen defenses against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attacks through the creation of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and of Project Bioshield. At the end of the Cold War in 1989, she worked with top DOD officials to understand and respond to the changed strategic environment, helping to craft various strategy and defense planning documents. Dr. Kuntz received her PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her MPA from Princeton University and her BA from Cornell University. Dr. Kuntz received numerous awards over the course of her government career, including twice receiving the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service. Her most recent publication is the CSIS report Artificial Intelligence and War: How the Defense Department Can Lead Responsibly.

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Help Wanted: AI Needs Domain Experts

AI algorithms, while remarkable, are vulnerable to errors of various sorts. These errors can best be identified, measured, and mitigated through the structured interaction of technical AI experts and subject matter experts.

Commentary by Carol Kuntz — November 12, 2025

Audio Briefs

Help Wanted: AI Needs Domain Experts

An audio version of “⁠Help Wanted: AI Needs Domain Experts⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Carol Kuntz. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Carol Kuntz — November 12, 2025

Audio Briefs
Audio Briefs

Experts React: Unpacking the Trump Administration’s Plan to Win the AI Race

An audio version of “⁠Experts React: Unpacking the Trump Administration’s Plan to Win the AI Race⁠,” a new Commentary by CSIS’s Navin Girishankar, Kirti Gupta, Matt Pearl, Philip Luck, James Andrew Lewis, Leslie Abrahams, Sujai Shivakumar, Erin L. Murphy, Noam Unger, and Madeleine McLean. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs.

Podcast Episode by Navin Girishankar, Kirti Gupta, Matt Pearl, Philip Luck, James Andrew Lewis, Leslie Abrahams, Sujai Shivakumar, Matthew S. Borman, Noam Unger, Madeleine McLean, and Carol Kuntz — July 25, 2025

Audio Briefs

Experts React: Unpacking the Trump Administration’s Plan to Win the AI Race

The Trump administration's launch of its AI Action Plan and accompanying executive orders removes any doubt that global leadership in AI is at the heart of economic competitiveness and national security. Our experts unpack the administration's road map and its prospects for impact.

Commentary by Navin Girishankar, Kirti Gupta, Matt Pearl, Philip Luck, James Andrew Lewis, Leslie Abrahams, Sujai Shivakumar, Erin L. Murphy, Matthew S. Borman, Noam Unger, Madeleine McLean, and Carol Kuntz — July 25, 2025

Artificial Intelligence and War

The DOD needs AI-enabled military capabilities to shore up deterrence and warfighting. Yet it lacks the tools to predict the accuracy and robustness of the algorithms powering such capabilities, risking both military effectiveness and law-of-war compliance.

Report by Carol Kuntz — June 26, 2025

This Does Not Compute

Genomes: The Era of Purposeful Manipulation Begins

Jim Lewis talks with Carol Kuntz about her latest report on the development, best practices, and implications of the purposeful manipulation of genomes.

Podcast Episode by James Andrew Lewis and Carol Kuntz — July 11, 2022

CSIS This Does Not Compute

Genomes: The Era of Purposeful Manipulation Begins

The purposeful manipulation of genomes holds great economic promise and has broad strategic implications. If the United States wants to ensure leadership in this sector, the DOD needs to make structural reforms in its approach to emerging technologies.

Report by Carol Kuntz — July 8, 2022

Executive Education

Evolving Technologies: Innovation, Competition, and Change

This online, self-paced course focuses on the critical issues leaders must grasp as we move into a global environment increasingly reshaped by geopolitical and economic competition in high-tech manufacturing, biotechnology, security, and the unknowns of future innovation. Registration accepted on a rolling basis.