Lee J. Tiedrich is an elite expert on artificial intelligence and policy surrounding emerging technologies. She brings to her work a passion and genuine interest in her field alongside her keen ability to identify optimal solutions. Ms. Tiedrich works with the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), an international initiative that aims to promote the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence to benefit humanity. She is a member of the Multi-stakeholder Experts Group with GPAI and co-leads both the Intellectual Property Committee and the Artificial Intelligence and Climate Committee. Addressing legal and policy considerations related to AI and data responsibility, Ms. Tiedrich helps to mitigate the risks and maximize the benefits of AI for societal improvement. She consults with government agencies in the United States and abroad to offer insights on legal frameworks and policies surrounding scientific advancements.
The key to Ms. Tiedrich’s success is her tenacity and talent for cultivating enduring professional relationships while valuing and incorporating diverse perspectives in her work. She strives to create mutually beneficial outcomes that facilitate the practical implementation of ethical principles in AI technologies. With her expertise in handling niche and intricate issues, Ms. Tiedrich addresses areas where legal frameworks are hopelessly lacking, such as responsible data scraping. She mitigates cybersecurity risks, negotiates agreements, structures investments, and assists companies in navigating data licenses and data-sharing arrangements to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Regularly, she participates in speaking engagements and disseminates her research findings to government leaders, regulators, academics, and industry representatives across the globe. Ms. Tiedrich’s subject matter expertise and talent as a communicator led to her securing funding from Duke University for a project involving the responsible use of AI data and models.
Consistently ranked in The Legal 500, a directory of premier legal professionals, Ms. Tiedrich was also recognized among the Women Innovators by Duke University in 2022. Among her accomplishments, she designed a practicum for an ethical technology course at Duke University, in which graduate students from various disciplines across the university convene to devise practical solutions for ethical technology problems in the real world. As a lifelong trailblazer, Ms. Tiedrich was one of few women in the 1988 graduating class of Duke University’s electrical engineering program. After earning a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering, she attended the Carey Law School at the University of Pennsylvania and obtained a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1991.
With more than 30 years of professional experience, Ms. Tiedrich’s current endeavors synthesize her prior experience in both law and engineering. In 1992, following her higher education journey, she became an associate with Covington & Burling LLP. Becoming a partner in 1999, she served the firm for more than 20 years, working on intellectual property law and co-chairing the firm’s global and multi-disciplinary artificial intelligence initiative. In 2021, Ms. Tiedrich became a distinguished faculty fellow in law and responsible technology at Duke University, where she established a scholarship fund. Formerly, she shared her knowledge as a board member of UC Law San Francisco’s Center for WorkLife Law.
Internationally recognized for her knowledge of artificial intelligence and surrounding policy, Ms. Tiedrich has been invited twice to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Expert Group on AI to present her research findings. She has also been invited to Belgium by the director-general of the European Data Protection Board for a closed-door session on AI regulation. In 2018, Ms. Tiedrich authored “10 Best Practices for Due Diligence in AI Transactions” with Law360.
Ms. Tiedrich plans to pursue specialized consulting work in the coming years related to developing responsible technology approaches and managing liability for diverse organizations. She aims to grow her personal brand, launch her company, and stand as an independent expert in responsible AI implementation. Focusing on developing an ethical framework for technological advances while keeping individuals in mind, Ms. Tiedrich strives to ensure that personal data remains protected against unethical usage.
