PeopleofSuperintelligence

Public voice

Mohamed Farahat

Also known as محمد فرحات, Mohamed Sayed Mohamed Farahat

Mohamed Farahat is an Egyptian lawyer whose work links digital rights with AI policy and data governance. He joined the Egyptian Foundation for Refugees Rights in 2014 and later coordinated internet-governance work and digital-rights research across Africa. In 2023, he joined the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on AI; his 2025 work includes Egypt’s AI-readiness report and a digital-rights chapter on AI regulation. As of October 2026, he serves in a UN data-governance group and international AI-ethics and internet-governance networks.

Now at
United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development, African Digital Rights Network and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Links
Website

Timeline

  1. 2014–2015

    Programs director at EFRR

    Before EFRR, he serves as an Access to Justice team leader at AMERA-Egypt. A Cairo University law graduate with postgraduate diplomas in human rights and civil society and in international negotiation, he joins EFRR in 2014 as Access to Justice team leader. He coordinates its legal aid project with UNHCR and becomes programs director in March 2015.

  2. 2017–2019

    National coordinator for ACSIS-Egypt

    In November 2017, he joins African Civil Society on Information Society (ACSIS) as a member and national coordinator for Egypt. At Global IGF meetings in 2017 and 2018, he speaks and organizes workshops; he also organizes a workshop at the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum in 2019.

  3. By 2022

    Digital rights research in Africa

    By 2022, he works as a research fellow and digital-rights consultant with CIPESA, leads data-protection research for the African Digital Rights Hub, and co-authors an African digital-rights report with Paradigm Initiative. At Bread&Net in 2022, he speaks about legal exemptions in data-protection and privacy across the Middle East and North Africa.

  4. October 2023

    The UN AI advisory body

    In October 2023, the UN Secretary-General launches the High-Level Advisory Body on AI and Farahat becomes one of its 39 members. Six members come from Africa. He is a legal consultant and vice-chair of the North Africa Internet Governance Forum’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group.

  5. 2025

    AI and justice at Africa IGF

    At Africa IGF 2025, his roundtable “Using AI system and guarantees of the right to Justice” is accepted in the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies sub-theme.

  6. 2025

    Egypt’s LONDA chapter

    In 2025, Farahat writes Egypt’s LONDA chapter on digital rights, which recommends laws to regulate AI systems.

  7. By 2025

    Egypt’s AI readiness assessment

    As lead expert with UNESCO’s Cairo office, he prepares Egypt’s report under the AI Readiness Assessment Methodology. Egypt completes the assessment and publishes the report in mid-2025.

  8. As of October 2026

    UN data and AI governance

    In 2025, the UN establishes its Working Group on Data Governance at All Levels. As a civil-society member for the African Digital Rights Network, he serves on the group and ADRN’s board. He also serves on the Africa IGF’s 2025–2026 Multistakeholder Advisory Group and belongs to UNESCO’s AI Ethics Experts Without Borders network.

Career

  1. Since 2025United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for DevelopmentCivil-Society Member
  2. NowAfrican Digital Rights NetworkBoard Member
  3. NowUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganizationLead Expert
  4. From 2014Egyptian Foundation for Refugees RightsAccess to Justice Team Leader, Programs Director
  5. African Digital Rights HubResearch Lead
  6. North Africa Internet Governance ForumVice Chair of the Advisory Group
  7. AMERA-EgyptAccess to Justice Team Leader
  8. Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern AfricaResearch Fellow

Education

  1. Cairo UniversityLaw degree

From the biography.

  1. Of 216 AI researchers who entered public life, 83 held advisory seats and 58 took public rolesIncludes Mohamed Farahat. Of 216 AI researchers who entered public life, 83 held advisory seats and 58 took public roles. Another 97 people moved from public careers into AI organizations or research, with 62% of dated records starting from 2020 on.
  2. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes United Nations Economic and Social Council. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  3. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes United Nations. We estimate that Google holds the highest combined h-index at 8,016, while universities account for 73% of the deduplicated total across AI organizations.
  4. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes Cairo University. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Mohamed Farahat yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Mohamed Farahat - Global Freedom of Expression globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. محمد فرحات :: Bread&Net 2022 :: pretalx pretalx.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Forbes Afrique I Technologie I Intelligence Artificielle (IA) : qui sont les experts africains ? forbesafrique.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. UN Secretary-General launches AI Advisory Body on risks, opportunities, and international governance of artificial intelligence | United Nations in India india.un.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. Members | United Nations un.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Accepted Session 2025 – Africa Internet Governance Forum igf.africa. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. Egypt — LONDA 2025 paradigmhq.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  8. Mohamed Farahat's Speaker Profile @ Sessionize sessionize.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  9. Working group on data governance at all levels | UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) unctad.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  10. MAG Members – Africa Internet Governance Forum igf.africa. Checked 21 October 2026.