David
Sánchez

David Sánchez Carmona leverages artificial intelligence to create a strategic business advantage. As director of AI & intelligence business solutions in APCO’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the AICommsLab, he brings two decades of expertise spanning APCO’s full-service portfolio—from public affairs and regulatory strategy to crisis management and strategic communications. David architects both internal AI capabilities and client solutions, including contributions to APCO’s AI platform Margy, with implementations in decision support, regulatory risk analysis, reputation intelligence and crisis management. His focus on data source procurement, generative AI and agentic AI planning powers APCO’s most advanced research capabilities across policy analysis, regulatory assessment, crisis scenarios and real-time news intelligence. Operating from the principle that “AI Strategy is the product, but data is king” he positions artificial intelligence as the core strategic differentiator—not merely a tool—for organizational transformation.

AI isn’t about teaching machines to think—it’s about architecting systems that amplify human judgment through learned constraints. The real revolution happens when we stop asking ‘what can AI do?’ and start asking ‘what should we become together?’

David’s journey at APCO spans nearly 20 years, evolving from IT systems engineering to web developer to digital art director and creative director roles, providing him with unique insight into digital transformation at every level. As an AI R&D experimentalist, he developed a mental modeling framework that enhances the cognitive, reliability, interpretability and steerability of AI systems, while improving inference quality—now a fundamental component of APCO’s AI deployment standards. His approach to responsible AI and compliance has shaped enterprise implementations across Fortune Global 500 clients in fintech, pharma, healthcare, technology and food industries. Before focusing on AI, David built data-driven marketing platforms and CRM systems that delivered competitive advantages for clients including government agencies and multinational corporations.

David’s extensive education reflects his commitment to mastering both the technical and strategic dimensions of AI. He holds nine executive certificates from MIT Sloan School of Management covering AI Business Strategy, Machine Learning in Business, Applied Business Analytics, Digital Business, Data Monetization Strategy, Extended Reality (XR), and AI in Pharma and Biotech. He completed MIT Professional Education’s Applied Data Science program with distinction (93.64%) and studied Mathematics for Machine Learning at Imperial College London. His technical expertise spans Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and advanced ML architectures, while his business acumen encompasses econometrics, geopolitical analysis and strategic planning. A Universidad Metropolitana graduate with a BA in Information Systems, David combines his Puerto Rican heritage with insights from Washington, D.C., to bring diverse perspectives to global challenges. Fluent in Spanish and English, he actively mentors AI advocates, contributes to thought leadership on the responsible deployment of AI and represents APCO’s AI expertise at industry events and with the media.