Noah M. Kenney
§ Biographical file — Principal Noah M. Kenney · AIGP, CIPM Index/Bio Rev. 2026.1
Portrait of Noah M. Kenney
Portrait Atlanta, GA
Bio — the short story

Noah M. KenneyAIGP, CIPM

I. Founder & Principal Consultant, Digital 520 Consulting
Est. 2017
II. Chief Scientist, Disruptive AI Lab Applied Research
Since 2022
III. President, Ethical Tech Forum Policy & Standards
Volunteer
Based
Atlanta, GA
Training
B.S. · M.Eng.
Credentials
45+ active
Languages
English
01 / Narrative

Noah M. Kenney is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Digital 520, a global consultancy specializing in the operationalization of AI governance, security, and privacy in enterprise and regulated environments. He has advised over 60 organizations on designing AI systems that are compliant, enforceable, and audit-ready.

i.Author & educator.

He is the author of Governing Intelligence: Law, Privacy, Security, and Compliance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2026), a comprehensive AI governance textbook reaching an estimated 300,000 readers across industry, academia, and government.

ii.Applied research.

Kenney also serves as Chief Scientist of the Disruptive AI Lab, where he focuses on applying AI in high-risk domains including healthcare and critical infrastructure. His work includes developing an AI system capable of detecting pneumonia from chest X-rays in under one second with over 95% accuracy.

iii.Policy & public voice.

He is President of the Ethical Tech Forum, a global think tank advancing responsible AI and emerging technology governance. Additionally, he hosts a top AI podcast, speaks globally on AI governance, and presented at the United Nations Global AI Dialogue stakeholder meeting.

He is regularly cited in or interviewed by outlets including Computerworld, CIO.com, NBC Channel 7 News, Observer, Business Insider, The Register, Reader's Digest, NTD News, TechTarget, CGTN News, Moneywise, and many others. He holds a B.S. in Economics from Georgia Tech, an M.Eng. in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado Boulder, and the IAPP AIGP and CIPM designations.

02 / Education & Credentials

Academic

Formal training.

M
M.Eng. in Engineering Management
University of Colorado BoulderCompleted
B
B.S. in Economics
Georgia Institute of TechnologyCompleted

Professional

Credentials.

Certification — IAPP
Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP)

Active credential from the International Association of Privacy Professionals, recognizing demonstrated competence in the responsible development, deployment, and governance of AI systems.

Certification — IAPP
Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)

Active credential from the International Association of Privacy Professionals, one of 45+ active certifications spanning privacy, cybersecurity, AI, management, and technical strategy.

03 / Affiliations

Three organizations.
One connected practice.

The work moves across a small set of linked institutions, a consulting practice, an applied-research lab, and a governance-oriented think tank, each reinforcing the others.

I. Consulting
Digital 520
Founder & Principal Consultant
A strategic technology advisory serving regulated and mission-driven organizations across 24+ industries since 2017 — delivering advisory, enterprise implementation, and fractional C-suite leadership across seven executive disciplines.
Since2017
II. Research
Disruptive AI Lab
Chief Scientist
Applied R&D platform of 125 collaborators focused on AI deployment in regulated and high-risk environments — spanning medical imaging, computer vision, transcription latency, and EU AI Act readiness.
Since2022
III. Policy
Ethical Tech Forum
President
A global think tank of technologists, scientists, researchers, and policymakers advancing standards, frameworks, and public conversation around responsible AI, privacy engineering, and emerging technology policy.
RoleVolunteer
04 / Selected Engagements

Recent fractional appointments.

A selection of principal-led engagements across healthcare, financial services, AI infrastructure, and real-estate technology.

01
AI Governance Lead
SAFE AI Foundation. Advises foundation leadership on current AI governance standards; authors and releases governance frameworks and resources for public use.
Volunteer
02
Fractional Chief Technology Officer
Hedgestone Group. Directed technology and AI strategy for a platform supporting 50k concurrent users and ~1,300 paying members; modernized a 250,000-line codebase and reduced recurring technology costs by ~70%.
Industry
03
AI Researcher & Head TA
Georgia Institute of Technology. Developed curriculum for Professor Annie Antón's AI privacy engineering course; led teaching assistantships in privacy, technology, policy, and law.
Academic
05 / Publications, Talks & Media

Selected talks

Keynotes, lectures, panels.

A selection of recent speaking engagements, universities, industry podcasts, and convenings on AI strategy and privacy engineering.

Operationalizing AI Governance — from principles to provable systemsAtlanta AI Week
Apr 2026Talk
AI Innovation and Impact — a conversationPlay the King Podcast
May 2025Guest
How Bad Data Breaks Great AI SystemsMultifamily Tech Talks
May 2025Talk
The Future of Work Is Here — Humans and AI UniteMultifamily X Podcast
Feb 2025Guest
Computational Mathematics for Data PrivacyGeorgia Institute of Technology
Mar 2024Lecture
Differential Privacy for AI Privacy EngineeringGeorgia Institute of Technology
Feb 2024Lecture

Selected media & publications

Writing & quoted expertise.

Regularly cited on AI governance, privacy, and emerging technology, and author of peer-reviewed and long-form publications on the same.

Governing Intelligence — a 500-page textbookN. Kenney · Apr 2026
2026Book
Educating the Next Generation of Ethical AI PractitionersN. Kenney & A. Antón · CISSE
2024 / 2025Peer-reviewed
The ethical implications of Anthropic's feud with the PentagonTechTarget · Enterprise AI
2025Quoted
Cloudflare's new CMS — a WordPress alternativeComputerworld
2025Quoted
The ICO weighs in on AI agents & data protectionTechRound · UK
2025Featured
The AI Governance Stack & South Africa's Draft National AI PolicyWerksmans Attorneys
2025Cited
06 / Press Kit

For writers, editors & producers.

Approved headshot, biographical copy in two lengths, and current CV, for use with interviews, articles, conference programs, and broadcast segments.

For interview inquiries, please email info@noahkenney.com.

Kit revision 2026.1
07 / Contact

Start a conversation.

For advisory engagements, speaking inquiries, press, or research collaboration, the first step is a short conversation. Discovery calls are always complimentary.

info@noahkenney.com
Engagements
Advisory · Fractional · Retained