Michael Glawson, PhD
Clear thinking for the people facing the hardest problems in politics, technology, and global risk.
- PhD philosopher: tech ethics, AI governance, systems thinking, policy, strategy
- Ethics training adopted by Fortune 500 companies, state governments, and university systems
- Invited speaker at Yale, Vassar, and universities across the US and Europe
Michael Glawson, PhD
Philosopher, consultant, and public speaker. A decade of applied work at the intersection of ethics, politics, AI, and global catastrophic risk.
Download CVI am a philosopher of technology and ethics with a decade of experience bringing disciplined philosophical thinking to bear on the hardest problems in politics, technology, and public life.
Across that decade the through-line has been translation: carrying serious moral reasoning into a Fortune 500 boardroom, US Senate and gubernatorial campaigns, and university lecture halls, and making it usable in each. The executive ethics training I built wasn't about compliance, but about making moral judgment a practical skill that supports an organization's long-term flourishing. The same instinct shapes how I advise leaders, teams, and campaigns today.
My current work focuses on the governance, policy, and philosophical dimensions of artificial intelligence and global catastrophic risk, and on the people carrying the existential and psychological burdens that arise from working at this frontier.
- PhD in philosophy — technology ethics, AI governance, systems thinking, policy, and strategy
- Policy and messaging advisor to US Senate and gubernatorial campaigns
- Executive ethics training adopted by Fortune 500 firms, state governments, and university systems
- Built university programs in engineering and technology ethics
- Invited lectures at Yale, Vassar, and universities across the US and Europe
- Philosophy faculty at three universities for over a decade
Selected Works
Scholarship and public writing spanning AI safety, technology ethics, and policy.
Consulting & Advisory
My consulting work centers on a single kind of problem: decisions of outsized consequence, where the stakes are high, the uncertainty is deep, and the ethical dimensions can't be set aside. I bring disciplined systems thinking and deep expertise at the intersection of technology, policy, and human values, for the work where no trusted playbook exists.
Frontier AI, global catastrophic risk, and political life are not separate practices. They are instances of the same work: bringing structured moral and strategic reasoning to problems that resist it. The people I most often work with include:
- AI safety and governance professionals, building and governing systems of unprecedented consequence, and carrying the weight that comes with it.
- Political campaigns, policymakers, and advisors, bringing moral clarity to the issues that will define the next decade, in language voters can trust.
- Global catastrophic risk professionals, working under existential stakes in biosecurity, climate and sustainability, and beyond.
"The hardest problems don't announce themselves as philosophical. They arrive as business decisions, policy choices, or moments of personal crisis. I help people see them clearly, and act accordingly."
People working at the frontier of AI and global catastrophic risk carry burdens most professional support structures aren't built for. The weight is real, and it deserves more than a compliance framework or a wellness program. I offer personal philosophical guidance that helps people think and live well in the face of what confronts them.
I help campaigns turn complex, high-stakes issues into clear, credible positions. The issues that matter most to voters — AI governance, technology policy, national security, the health of democracy itself — are hard to understand and harder to communicate well. I help campaigns grasp them deeply enough to build policy worth defending, then find language that resonates with the voters they most need to reach.
Lectures & Keynotes
Available for keynote addresses, invited lectures, and panel discussions on AI policy, technology ethics, political philosophy, and the nature of careful inquiry into contested questions.
- Cultivating Clarity and Joy in the Face of Potential Doom
- The Moral Strategy for Reviving Liberal Democracy
- How to Win Without Losing Your Soul: Ethics and Political Communication
- When the Frameworks Aren't Enough: Philosophy for Consequential Decisions
- The Future of AI Governance: What Leaders Need to Understand Now
Press & Interviews
Available for interviews on AI safety and governance, technology ethics, political philosophy, and the nature of contested empirical questions. I respond to all inquiries within 48 hours.
Recent commentary for The Debrief, KPFK Los Angeles / Pacifica Radio, The Curious Introvert, and The Chrissy Newton Show, on AI policy, technology ethics, national security, and public life.
Get in Touch
For interviews, expert commentary, and media appearances on AI, technology ethics, political philosophy, and national security. I respond to all inquiries within 48 hours. Please indicate if you are working to a specific deadline.
For political campaigns, organizations, and speaking engagements, please reach out with a brief description of your needs and timeline.
One-on-one and small-group philosophical counsel for leaders across fields where the decisions are hard, the stakes are high, and the ethical dimensions are real — AI researchers and developers, public health and biosecurity professionals, policymakers and government advisors, and sustainability strategists.
If something on this site resonates, please get in touch.