Karl-Gustav Kallasmaa

Karl-Gustav Kallasmaa is a builder at the intersection of search, AI, and diplomacy. Today, he is actively working with Model Diplomat, where he has rebuilt the platform’s technical core into a fast, reliable research tool used by tens of thousands of students worldwide. What began as a niche project for Model United Nations participants is quickly proving itself as a proving ground for something bigger: a scalable engine for policy research that could one day support NGOs, diplomats, and public sector organizations.

Karl’s path here threads together economics, computer science, and a long-standing fascination with politics. As a student in Estonia, he threw himself into both coding and international relations, organizing simulations of UN debates before going on to engineer search systems from scratch. Professionally, he has held engineering and leadership roles across Europe and the US, from building ML infrastructure at startups like Papercup to co-founding ventures in AI-powered law and compliance. He is now also founder of Attensira, a company developing Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) tools to help brands surface in AI-driven answers, an effort that ties back to his lifelong obsession with how people and organizations get found.

What sets Karl apart is his hybrid lens: he’s as comfortable diving into latency and ranking algorithms as he is thinking about the real-world contexts in which those systems are used. His approach favours speed, adaptability, and pragmatism, shipping products that people actually use rather than chasing theoretical perfection.

As a podcast guest, Karl brings sharp insights on search, AI-driven research, and the human side of technology adoption, offering a candid and practical perspective that resonates with both technical and policy-minded audiences.