PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Naren Chitty

Also known as Narendranath Jayantha Chitty, Naren J. Chitty

Naren Chitty is a former Sri Lankan diplomat and international-communication scholar at Macquarie University who writes about soft power in the age of artificial intelligence. Between 1982 and 1987 he served as a counsellor at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, D.C., joined Macquarie in 1989, and earned a PhD in international relations at American University in 1992. At Macquarie, he was appointed Foundation Chair in International Communication in 2006, received the Order of Australia in 2009, and edited The Routledge Handbook of Soft Power in 2017 and 2023. His 2018 article with Sabina Dias, Artificial intelligence, soft power and social transformation, and the 2026 Anthem Handbook of Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in the Age of AI, which he co-edited, address how AI changes global influence. He is Professor Emeritus at Macquarie University.

Works
99
Citations
692
h-index
9
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1982–1987

    Counsellor in Washington

    From 1982 to 1987, he serves as counsellor at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, D.C., where he is responsible for public diplomacy. Around 1983, he convenes the first meetings at the Sri Lanka Chancery of the group that sets up the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, a proposal of his.

  2. 1988–2006

    From American University to Macquarie

    He earns a master's degree in international communication at American University in 1988 and joins the faculty of Macquarie University in 1989, where he introduces masters (1991), doctoral (1992) and undergraduate (2003) degrees in International Communication. He completes a PhD in international relations at American University in 1992 and is appointed Foundation Chair in International Communication at Macquarie in 2006.

  3. 1996–2000

    Secretary-General of IAMCR

    From 1996 to 2000, he serves as Secretary-General of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).

  4. 2009

    Member of the Order of Australia

    In 2009, he is made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to education, particularly in international communication.

  5. 2017–2023

    The Routledge Handbook of Soft Power

    As Inaugural Director of Macquarie's Soft Power Analysis and Resource Centre (SPARC), he edits The Routledge Handbook of Soft Power with Li Ji, Gary D. Rawnsley and Craig Hayden; the first edition is released in 2017. He is lead editor of the second edition in 2023.

  6. 2018

    AI, soft power and social transformation

    In 2018, he and Sabina Dias publish Artificial intelligence, soft power and social transformation in the Journal of Content, Community and Communication. The article uses Onuf's constructivism to analyze the social order projected in Robin Hanson's The Age of Em, and projects a range of futures, with Whole Brain Emulations between the human collective mind and a technological singularity at the apex of the power hierarchy.

  7. May 2026

    Handbook on soft power and AI

    In May 2026, Anthem Press publishes The Anthem Handbook of Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in the Age of AI, which he edits with Craig Hayden, Hendrik W. Ohnesorge and Chenjun Wang. The volume examines how artificial intelligence is transforming global influence in diplomacy, culture, conflict and governance.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor Emeritus at Macquarie

    He is Professor Emeritus at Macquarie University, where his responsibilities end in May 2025, closing a career that began there in 1989. He is Series Editor of Anthem Studies in Soft Power and Public Diplomacy, launched in 2018, and continues research and publication.

Career

  1. Since 1989Macquarie UniversityFaculty, Foundation Chair in International Communication
  2. 1996–2000International Association for Media and Communication ResearchSecretary-General
  3. 1982–1987Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, D.C.Counsellor

Education

  1. 1992American UniversityPhD
  2. 1988American UniversityMaster's degree

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. The Journal of International Communication2011 · Review of Communication · 278 citations
  2. The Routledge Handbook of Soft Power2016 · Routledge eBooks · 130 citations
  3. Reframing National Image: A Methodological Framework2009 · 36 citations
  4. Meaning Making by Managers: Corporate Discourse on Environment and Sustainability in India2013 · Journal of Business Ethics · 31 citations
  5. International Communication2005 · Gazette (Leiden Netherlands) · 14 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 21 October 2026.

  1. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Macquarie University. 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.
  2. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes Macquarie University. 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.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes American University. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  4. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI each year from 1955 to 2025, tracing the shift from university labs to companies.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Naren Chitty - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. What's "In the Works" for Naren Chitty? | USC Center on Public Diplomacy uscpublicdiplomacy.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Professor Emeritus Naren Chitty, AM - eLanka elanka.com.au. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Naren Chitty - Macquarie University researchers.mq.edu.au. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Artificial intelligence, soft power and social transformation - Macquarie University researchers.mq.edu.au. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. The Anthem Handbook of Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in the Age of AI | Anthem Press anthempress.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Naren Chitty: A Wide Spectrum of Achievements Worldwide – By Michael Roberts - eLanka elanka.com.au. Checked 20 October 2026.