Seth Center

Seth Center is a strategist, tech diplomat, and historian who operates at the intersection of artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and statecraft. From 2023 to 2025, Center served as the Acting Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technologies at the U.S. Department of State. In this role, he led the United States international strategy and diplomatic engagement on AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology. Previously, Center was Senior Advisor to the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), where he directed the drafting of the Commission’s final report. His government service also includes a tenure as Director for National Security Strategy and History at the National Security Council (2017–2019), where he directed the 2017 National Security Strategy. Center has also served on the State Department’s Policy Planning staff and as the historian for the National Security Council. Outside of government, he has held senior advisory and fellow roles at the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 

He earned a PhD from the University of Virginia and a BA from Cornell University.