From Riverside to the World: What AI Governance Demands of the Indian-American Diaspora

There is a quiet but consequential shift underway in how artificial intelligence is governed, and Indian Americans are increasingly at the center of it.

I did not expect that serving as a county commissioner in Riverside, California would place me at the international table where AI governance frameworks are being shaped. Yet today, I find myself operating in both worlds: as an appointed Commissioner overseeing public infrastructure for 2.4 million residents, and as a U.S. Delegate contributing to global AI standards through ISO/IEC committee.

These roles may appear unrelated. They are not.

Governance Is the Common Thread

At the county level, my responsibility is straightforward: ensure that systems people depend on, including flood control infrastructure, public resources, and regulatory oversight, are reliable, accountable, and resilient.

At the global level, the question is the same, just reframed: how do we ensure that algorithmic systems shaping financial decisions, healthcare access, or public services are safe, auditable, and aligned with public interest?

AI is no longer a technology story. It is a governance story.

And governance requires a rare combination: technical fluency, institutional understanding, and an appreciation for real-world consequences. That combination is rarer than it should be.

It is precisely why the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Specialist Program selected practitioners, not just academics, to support governments and institutions globally in building AI governance capacity. My work through this program focuses on helping partner countries design frameworks grounded in democratic accountability, interoperability, and practical implementation.

Because the reality is simple: the standards being shaped today will define how AI systems operate for decades. Countries and communities not present at the table now will inherit systems they did not help design.

What the Indian-American Diaspora Brings and What It Owes

The Indian-American community is uniquely positioned at this moment. We are among the most highly educated and professionally represented immigrant communities in the United States. We are overrepresented in technology leadership, medicine, law, and increasingly, policy. We have cultural and family ties to the world’s most populous democracy, a country that is itself navigating an ambitious national AI strategy and a complex relationship with both U.S. and Chinese technology ecosystems.

That positioning is not just an advantage. It is a responsibility.

For too long, the Indian-American community has treated policy and governance as someone else’s domain, the work of “insiders,” of people born into Washington networks, of those with law degrees from the right schools. That era is over. The AI governance vacuum is real. Technical complexity is rising faster than institutions can absorb. Practitioners, including engineers, executives, and risk professionals, are being pulled into the policy arena whether they planned for it or not.

For too long, the Indian-American community has treated policy and governance as someone else’s domain, the work of “insiders,” of people born into Washington networks, of those with law degrees from the right schools. That era is over.

A Practitioner’s Path into Policy

My own path reflects this shift. Before stepping into public service, I spent nearly 15 years driving digital transformation and risk strategy for global enterprises, including Apple, Disney, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. When I wrote my book, “AI and the Boardroom published by Springer Nature,” it gained traction with institutions like NATO and Google DeepMind not because I am a lifelong academic, but because I was writing from the front lines of actual enterprise AI deployment.

That practitioner credibility is exactly what the policy world needs more of, and the Indian-American diaspora has it in abundance.

Three Priorities Moving Forward

As I continue this work across local governance, international standards, and policy engagement, three priorities guide my approach.

First, I want to ensure that AI standards developed at the ISO level reflect the realities of emerging market economies, not just the priorities of Silicon Valley or Brussels. India, Southeast Asia, and the Global South will be among the largest consumers and producers of AI systems in the coming decade. Their governance needs must be built into the standards architecture from the beginning, not retrofitted after the fact.

Second, I am focused on making AI governance legible to elected officials and institutional boards. My work with the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on AI-enabled financial risk and my testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on model risk classification showed me that policymakers are hungry for practical, implementation-ready frameworks, not academic theory. Bridging that gap is where I believe diaspora professionals in governance can have the highest leverage.

Third, I want to demonstrate that local public service and global policy leadership are not mutually exclusive. The most credible governance voices are those who have skin in the game at every level, who are accountable to real constituents, not just conference circuits. Serving Riverside County residents while contributing to ISO standards is not a contradiction. It is, I believe, exactly the model of engaged citizenship the moment calls for.

An Invitation to the Community

If there is one message I would offer to the Indian-American community, it is this:

The moment for participation in governance is now.

The diaspora that helped build the internet, the cloud, and the modern enterprise software stack has both the standing and the obligation to help govern what comes next.

That does not require abandoning technical careers or entering traditional political pathways. It can begin with contributing to standards bodies, engaging in policy consultations, advising public institutions, or simply bringing governance thinking into everyday work.

The table has room, and your country, both of them, needs you at it.

But it will not remain open indefinitely.

The rules of AI, including how it is built, deployed, audited, and held accountable, are being shaped in real time. Those involved now will influence architecture for decades. Those who do not will operate within decisions made by others.

I am honored to carry some of that responsibility, from Riverside County to international forums, and to represent a community that has already proven its ability to build the future.

The next step is ensuring we help govern it, deliberately, responsibly, and before the window to shape it closes.

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Rohan Sharma is a Commissioner for the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, a Fulbright Specialist in the U.S. Department of State’s Specialist Roster in AI Policy and Governance (2026–2029), a U.S. Delegate to ISO/IEC AI standards efforts, an Aspen Institute Civic AI Leader and author of AI and the Boardroom (Springer Nature). He is the founder and CEO of Zenolabs AI and can be reached at www.rohansharma.net.