Our Mission
Facilitate community-focused AI resources across the country
We meet people where they are to enable the next wave of transformative technology by a representative, new, diverse generation of the AI workforce.
SeedAI
Behind the name
We're bringing together the components of AI development and packaging them so that any community can grow an AI ecosystem.
SeedAI - The Name
Our Latest Event
SXSW 2023
A world driven by AI, cultivated by the people, and accessible to all. A future built on universal power to create, explore, benefit, and enjoy. A new era we can trust because we all have a hand in it.
Our People
Meet the minds behind SeedAI
Our team brings extensive experience from Congress, the executive branch, advocacy organizations, startups, tech companies, and other NGOs. We’re dedicated to building a solid foundation for AI in America.
Austin Carson, Founder & President

Austin is the Founder and President of SeedAI, a nonprofit organized around the belief that in order to responsibly harness the power of AI, we need frameworks and environments to co-create, evaluate, and make active decisions on the technology and the policies that govern it.

Previously, Austin established and led the DC government affairs operation for NVIDIA, translating NVIDIA’s expertise in artificial intelligence and high performance computing for policymakers. Prior to joining NVIDIA, he held a number of public sector and NGO positions, serving as Legislative Director for Chairman Michael McCaul and Executive Director for the Technology Freedom Institute. Austin co-founded the Congressional Tech Staff Association, co-led the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus and the Congressional High Tech Caucus, and is a founding fellow of the Internet Law and Policy Foundry.

Zeke Reffe-Hogan, Chief of Staff

Zeke Reffe-Hogan is the Chief of Staff at SeedAI. He has worked as a political outreach director, communications strategist, and organizer on congressional and advocacy campaigns. He is a graduate of Brown University and Deep Springs College, where he studied art and literature. As an artist, he modeled for and collaborated with Sam Contis on photographs in MOMA’s permanent collection; wrote, co-directed, and acted in short films which have been shown at galleries and museums such as the Mills College Art Museum; he is currently working on a Jane Austen style drama set at an AI company.

Denzel Wilson, Grassroots Community Manager

Denzel Wilson serves as Grassroots Community Manager for SeedAI and is a current student at the University of Houston studying Psychology and Computer Science. He sits as the current Executive Director of the Society of High-Performance Computing Professionals and served as the lead architect of the HCC AI & The Future of Houston conference and was a part of Houston Community College's first cohort of AI graduates in the spring of 2022. Denzel has worked full-time as an Automation Consultant while finishing his bachelor's degree. He also works in the community by teaching students STEM and Artificial Intelligence. His passion is AI, working specifically with brain-computer interfaces and computer vision. He is a PepsiCo Uplift Scholarship recipient, Intel AI Impact Festival national winner, and has been featured in numerous publications such as Forbes, NVIDIA blog, the Houston Chronicle, AWS blog, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He aspires to be the CEO of his own company and effectively bring AI tools and ecosystems to underserved communities.

Dan Benavente, HR, Finance & Ops Director

Dan's interest in technology started at a young age, attaining hardware and networking certifications in high school. He is a graduate of George Mason University and Louisiana State University where he studied economics and business. He was previously employed by Cornerstones’ Emergency and Supported Housing Division, and has a professional background in economics, human services and operations management. Dan is a privacy and cryptocurrency enthusiast in addition to his affinity for quality Mexican food.

Amma Boateng, Associate

In July 2022, Amma joined SeedAI, where she plans our regional AI Across America events and engages our grassroots networks. Amma Boateng is an experienced leader in grassroots movement building and community engagement. After graduating with a B.S. in Biology from Howard University, Amma accepted a fellowship with GlobeMed and worked as a community educator in rural villages in Nancholi, Malawi. Afterward, Amma joined the United Nations Foundation (UNF) in Washington, DC, where she mobilized grassroots networks around malaria advocacy, led youth engagement programs, and organized the annual leadership summits. In 2019 Amma founded the Black Affinity Group and PRIDE Affinity Group to bring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion resources to employees of color and LGBT+ employees at the UNF. After three successful years at the UNF, Amma is now pursuing her Juris Doctorate at Howard University School of Law with a focus on tech law. Her goal is to help address emerging legal issues within this space.

Rachel Wolbers, Senior Advisor

Rachel currently works for the Glen Echo Group and advises us on organizational development and AI policy. She was previously Head of Global Engagement at Meta’s Oversight Board. Before that, she served in the US Department of Commerce as an internet policy specialist and on Capitol Hill for a Congressman on the Judiciary Committee. Rachel recently completed a Fulbright program where she published a dissertation on multistakeholder solutions to addressing challenges raised by generative AI.

Aalok Mehta, Senior Advisor

Aalok Mehta is a Senior Advisor at SeedAI. Previously, he was the U.S. policy lead for OpenAI. He also served as a senior professional staff member for the House Appropriations Committee, a senior policy advisor at the Federal Communications Commission, and an economic and technology policy advisor at the National Economic Council and Office of Management and Budget. He covered science and technology for a number of years as a reporter and editor in Washington, D.C. He has a Ph.D., M.A., and M.P.P. from the University of Southern California and a B.A. from Rice University.

Jay Cho, Senior Advisor

Jay comes to SeedAI with a fervor for increasing access to artificial intelligence for all people and draws great inspiration from his Korean heritage. He is passionate about increasing AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) participation at the nexus of technology and policy. Jay supports SeedAI with strategic planning and decision-making. He also builds and maintains critical relationships in the policy sector. He previously served on the board of Korean Americans for Organizing Fund, a political action committee focused on supporting Korean American political candidates. 

Having started his career as an unpaid intern, Jay also works diligently to increase opportunities for students to gain early career experience in AI and policy regardless of their families’ socioeconomic status. He previously served as Chair of the Corporate Leadership Council for College to Congress, a nonprofit focused on helping students afford internships on Capitol Hill. In 2022 Jay joined VMware as Director of Federal Government Relations.

Board Members
Jack Clark

Jack is a co-founder at Anthropic, an AI safety and research company, and was previously the Policy Director of OpenAI, an AI deployment company. Jack is also co-chair of the AI Index at Stanford University, co-chair of the OECD’s working group on the classification and definition of AI systems, and a member of the OECD’s working group on measuring the relationship between AI and Compute. Jack also writes a popular technical newsletter about cutting edge AI research, called Import AI.

Tiffany M. Moore

Tiffany serves as senior vice president of political and industry affairs for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™. Moore’s role includes overseeing CTA’s U.S. jobs, and DEI initiatives. She also leads the association’s advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill on issues including communications, technology policy, patent litigation reform, strategic immigration reform, international trade, and overseeing CTA’s political action committee. Moore joined CTA as vice president of government and political affairs in 2015.

Shane Tews

Shane is a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). She works primarily on cybersecurity, technology, innovation policy, and internet governance issues. She is also president of Logan Circle Strategies, where she focuses on information communication technology and cybersecurity policy issues including privacy, data protection, 5G next generation networking, the Internet of Things, internet governance, and digital economic policy. She is currently vice chair of the board of directors of the Internet Education Foundation, which governs outside work for the Congressional.

Kellee Wicker

Kellee Wicker serves as executive director of Hack the Future, a new series of events organized by SeedAI in partnership with the Wilson Center Science and Technology Innovation Program (STIP). Kellee also leads STIP at the Wilson Center, a Congressionally-chartered think tank that provides nonpartisan counsel and insights on global affairs to policymakers through deep research, impartial analysis, and independent scholarship. The STIP team provides research and insight to Congress, global policymakers, and the general public on a number of emerging technologies and scientific advances, with special emphasis on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space in the commercial age, and more. Through games, experiential learning, and educational opportunities, STIP also works beyond traditional research to directly provide policymakers and their staff with the foundational knowledge they need to devise smart legislation and regulation that protects individuals and workers while continuing to bolster flourishing technological innovation.

Tyrance Billingsley

Tyrance Billingsley II is a Tulsa entrepreneur, technologist and community leader. He is the founder and executive director of Black Tech Street, an initiative to rebirth Historic Black Wall Street as a Black Innovation Economy and build mechanisms for black people to embrace technology as a means to build wealth and impact the world. Black Tech Street's industry development focuses are cybersecurity, business intelligence/data analytics and responsible artificial intelligence. Tyrance recently brokered an alliance with Microsoft to support the creation of 1,000 black cyber professionals in Tulsa by the year 2030. He believes that technology, specifically AI, presents the perfect opportunity to rebuild society in a way that is fair and equitable.

Our Audiences
Who is SeedAI for?
Academia
The next generation of AI leadership is in the classroom and in the lab.
We help institutions and students connect with the public and private sector to promote and accelerate AI innovation and applications.
Industry Leaders
AI is driving our economy forward, and both large corporations and startups are setting the direction.
We help leaders and teams at the forefront of innovation contribute to projects to make the most of their opportunities.
Government Leaders
We’re planning today for a future we cannot yet imagine.
We help leaders at all levels of government understand, harness, and capitalize on AI innovation for the good of their constituents.
Nonprofits
There’s tremendous amount of research into the impact of new technologies like AI.
We help connect these experts and their work to the right audiences in every community.
Foundations & Grantmakers
Funding the initiatives and programs that implement new solutions to the development and use of AI is key to their success.
We partner with foundations and grantmakers to help connect programs with essential resources and funding.
Technologists & Developers
We connect AI technologists and their efforts to projects where they can make a difference.
We convene our technologist and other experts in events and workshops, so business leaders and technologists can come together to solve our most difficult challenges.
Academia
The next generation of AI leadership is in the classroom and in the lab.
We help institutions and students connect with the public and private sector to promote and accelerate AI innovation and applications.
Industry Leaders
AI is driving our economy forward, and both large corporations and startups are setting the direction.
We help leaders and teams at the forefront of innovation contribute to projects to make the most of their opportunities.
Government Leaders
We’re planning today for a future we cannot yet imagine.
We help leaders at all levels of government understand, harness, and capitalize on AI innovation for the good of their constituents.
Nonprofits
There’s tremendous amount of research into the impact of new technologies like AI.
We help connect these experts and their work to the right audiences in every community.
Foundations & Grantmakers
Funding the initiatives and programs that implement new solutions to the development and use of AI is key to their success.
We partner with foundations and grantmakers to help connect programs with essential resources and funding.
Technologists & Developers
We connect AI technologists and their efforts to projects where they can make a difference.
We convene our technologist and other experts in events and workshops, so business leaders and technologists can come together to solve our most difficult challenges.