Michael Bąk

Biography

Michael L. Bąk is a technology governance and public policy leader, strategist and former diplomat with more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of technology, international relations, political economy and democracy, primarily across Asia. He has held senior roles with Meta, the United Nations, USAID and international policy organisations, bridging government, industry, multilateral institutions and civil society.

As Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Thailand and regional institutions, Michael navigated diplomatic and regulatory challenges involving digital rights, platform governance, information integrity and the responsibilities of technology companies. Previously, as a diplomat with USAID and senior peace and development adviser to the United Nations, he engaged governments, ambassadors and international partners on sensitive governance, human rights and development issues.

As Executive Director of the Forum on Information and Democracy, Michael worked with governments and civil society worldwide to advance international cooperation on information integrity and democratic governance. At AI Safety Asia, he shaped regional policy priorities and engagement with governments and multilateral institutions on frontier AI.

Michael has advised governments and engaged regional institutions, including ASEAN, on emerging technology-policy challenges. Most recently, his work on the ASEAN Development Outlook, Volume 2 strengthened analysis and recommendations on online scams, information integrity and emerging technologies.

Through his newsletter, (margin*notes)^squared (www.margin-notes-squared.com), Michael writes about technology, power and the decolonisation of tech policy, amplifying perspectives often missing from global debates. Based in Bangkok, he advocates international cooperation on AI that safeguards human agency and ensures Global Majority perspectives help shape its future.