The human intelligence behind the AI.

R. David Edelman, Ph.D.

For two decades, R. David Edelman has helped leaders understand, adopt, and govern frontier technologies at moments of major change. Three U.S. Presidents entrusted him to help navigate emerging technology, national competitiveness, and security; over six years in the White House, he became the youngest-ever Director in the National Security Council’s sixty-year history and co-authored the first-of-its-kind Presidential AI policy review.

David later spent six years teaching in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, with joint appointments at the Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Center for International Studies (CIS), where he remains a research fellow. He is a judge for the Forbes AI 50, a frequent speaker on AI’s business and geopolitical impact, and his analysis has appeared in more than 100 U.S. and global publications.

Before founding the firm, David held executive and board roles at high-growth public and private technology companies working at the edge of AI, cybersecurity, clean energy, and deep tech. He founded Catalyst·Wayfare AI to help ambitious founder-led and growth-stage companies move beyond AI strategy decks toward integrated, high-value AI systems that empower people, strengthen operations, and create durable competitive advantage in the real economy.