Originally published: 5 Oct 2025
Guest: Michael L. Bąk | Policy and Digital Rights Professional | Board Member | Former Tech, Facebook, UN & USAID
Michael L. Bąk is a policy and digital rights professional with over 25 years of international experience working at the intersection of technology, democracy, and human rights. He has served as a diplomat representing USAID, the United Nations, and led public policy for Facebook in Thailand and regional institutions.
Michael is Co-Founder and Director of Sprint Public Interest, Global Advisor for Ethical AI Alliance, and author of the (margin*notes)^squared newsletter. His work focuses on building equitable frameworks for AI governance that center voices from the global majority.
Topic: How to integrate cultural context and nuance, and still scale for global ethical frameworks
In this episode, we explore:
Sovereign knowledge ecosystems: Why the Global South must steward its own research and policy development rather than translating itself for the North—and how philanthropic funding and academic networks can support knowledge generation that influences global discourse
The pro-social AI framework: Moving beyond the US profit-first versus EU human rights dichotomy to embrace pro-profit, pro-people, pro-planet, and pro-potential approaches developed by academic Cornelia Walther at Sunway University Malaysia
Recognition as algorithmic sorting: How lists like TIME's 100 Most Influential in AI (61% American, 75% from the global north) act like algorithms that determine who gets invited to shape the conversation—and what gets left out
The uncomfortable middle: Why the most powerful knowledge emerges when we build bridges from both sides and meet in the space where the ground feels less solid—where diverse voices, experiences, and wisdom create breakthrough insights
"You cannot use the master's tools to tear down the master's house." - Audre Lorde
“I really enjoyed recording this podcast -- 𝐀𝐈 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 -with Kamini Govender - she in South Africa and me in Thailand. We both explore AI governance outside the lanes created by Northern tech companies, governments and multilaterals to envision a new way of governing the kinds of technology we want in our lives. Always very happy to swap stories and share insights with others passionate about guiding technology that serves societies and citizens first and foremost.”
Michael L. Bąk
Episode length: 1 hour 11 minutes
Connect with Kamini: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamini-govender