Attaullah Abbasi

Attaullah Abbasi is a Senior AI Policy Associate at J-PAL Global, where he supports efforts to maximize the social benefits of artificial intelligence and assess its potential risks and unintended consequences. As a member of the Policy and Communications group, Attaullah works with partners including governments, NGOs, academics, technology firms, and others to advance evidence-informed policymaking. 

Prior to joining J-PAL in 2025, Attaullah served as an Assistant Director at the State Bank of Pakistan, where his research examined how digital transformation could accelerate economic development in low- and middle-income countries and highlighted gaps in human capital and digital infrastructure. He also worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Chicago on projects related to obesity drug pricing and COVID-19 vaccine innovation.

Attaullah holds an MPP with a specialization in Data Analytics from the University of Chicago, where he was selected as an Obama Foundation Scholar, and a BSc in Economics and Mathematics from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi.