The City of Seattle has named Lisa Qian as its first City AI Officer, a newly created role to lead responsible and innovative use of AI across city operations and public services. The announcement was made on LinkedIn.

Qian brings more than a decade of experience in data science and AI across both tech and public sectors. Most recently, she served as Senior Manager of Data Science at LinkedIn, leading product data science initiatives for LinkedIn Ads and Sales Solutions. Prior to that, she was an independent consultant advising organizations on data analytics, predictive modeling, and machine learning, and scaling data science teams. Qian has also held leadership roles at Convoy Inc and Airbnb, where she built and managed high-performing data science teams, developed AI-driven solutions for customer support and operational efficiency, and implemented fraud detection and NLP technologies.

“I’m deeply honored to take on this role,” Qian said. “As a proud Seattle resident, I’m excited to apply my experience building responsible data science and AI systems toward work that directly benefits our community. I’m committed to ensuring that AI serves our residents, businesses, and city operations in ways that are both effective and trustworthy.”

Qian holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford University and dual bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Rice University. Her research and technical background provide a strong foundation for leading the city’s AI initiatives with a focus on ethical, human-centered applications.

The City AI Officer position represents an investment in Seattle’s technological future, supporting its 816,000 residents, over 50,000 businesses, and 13,500 employees as the city continues to strengthen civic technology and digital services.