Sanna Ali

About Sanna Ali

Before joining Microsoft, I developed expertise on responsible AI practices and AI policy/regulation through my experience as an AI policy analyst at Stanford Law School and through my PhD in Communication from Stanford.My dissertation, which I defended in 2023, explored the organizational barriers to the implementation of algorithmic fairness practices at major tech/AI companies, based on an ethnographic analysis of interviews with ethics workers. I presented this work to both academics and practitioners at ACM-FAccT, ASA, ICA, and Asana Work Innovation Lab and guest lectured on this topic at both Stanford and MIT.I also have experience as a mixed-methods user researcher at Amazon and Meta, and as a Google Policy Fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology.In my work, I hope to foster a more responsible and inclusive AI ecosystem.

Experience

1. Senior Technical Program Manager, Responsible Ai

   Microsoft

   Apr 2025 — Present

   Lead assessments of AI systems that meet criteria for “sensitive use” across Microsoft products and custom solutions for enterprise clients. Ensure alignment with Responsible AI standards and mitigate regulatory, reputational, and customer risks. Review an average of 2 new AI products/releases per week-AI Companions Policy guidance: Drafted early steer policy for cognitive and emotional harms of AI companions, 1st RAI intervention into key strategic product vision from MAI. Policy was developed by translating academic literature, consulting internal stakeholders, and integrating recent news and upcoming regulations. Led cross-functional team of research, policy, legal, product, and technical stakeholders to scope harms, define measurement strategies, and recommend mitigations to influence product roadmaps-Healthcare focus: Built expertise in healthcare-related cases such as new features and releases related to DAX Copilot (AI assistant for clinicians) and custom healthcare solutions-Process improvement: Streamlined Responsible AI review workflows by creating standardized processes and guidance artifacts, improving review efficiency and consistency. Managed programs to improve quality and consistency in team’s existing workflows, train new team members, and educate adjacent teams

Education

• Stanford University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Communication

  2017

• Stanford University

  Master of Arts - MA, Communication and Media Studies

  2021

• UC Irvine

  Master of Science (M.S.), Information & Computer Science

  2016

• Stanford University

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with Honors, Science, Technology, and Society

  2012