The Official Top 10 Speakers in AI Governance

AI governance covers the policies, controls and culture that keep artificial intelligence safe, ethical and compliant. With global trust in AI companies dropping from 61% to 53% in the last five years, boards cannot ignore governance any longer.

What Industries Benefit Most From Hiring An AI Governance Speaker?

AI governance speakers are especially valuable in highly regulated and data-intensive sectors such as financial services, healthcare, government, defence, energy and technology. In industries with rich data, AI adoption rates already sit around 60-70%, while low-data sectors lag below 25%, so leaders need clear guardrails to manage uneven risk. The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report names AI and big data as the fastest-growing skills worldwide, signalling deep transformation in white-collar work. Recent analysis shows AI could create 170 million jobs and eliminate 92 million by 2030, a net gain of 78 million roles, provided organisations invest in skills and governance. In this context, AI governance keynotes help boards and senior teams translate abstract regulation into concrete policies, frameworks and culture that protect reputation while unlocking growth.

What Can Your Team Learn From an AI Governance Keynote?

An AI governance keynote gives teams a practical roadmap for using AI safely in their daily habits and workflows. In a 2025 UK government Copilot trial, civil servants saved an average of 26 minutes a day, the equivalent of nearly two extra working weeks a year, with more than 80% saying they would not want to work without AI again. Clear governance also changes how people feel; when organisations communicate a solid AI plan, employees are 2.9 times more likely to feel prepared for AI and 4.7 times more likely to feel comfortable using it. Speakers turn this kind of evidence into inspiring, actionable guidance so teams leave with healthier digital habits, greater confidence and a shared language for responsible innovation.

Who Are the Best AI Governance Speakers Trending in the UK?

This official selection of the best AI governance speakers is informed by The AI Speakers Agency’s booking data, speaker evaluations and audience feedback from 136 AI-themed events worldwide. Each expert combines deep technical understanding with real-world policy, risk or leadership experience, making them ideal for executive offsites, board sessions and flagship conferences focused on responsible AI.

• Cassie Kozyrkov – Former Google Chief Decision Scientist and pioneer of decision intelligence
• Dame Wendy Hall – Regius Professor of Computer Science and co-chair of the UK Government’s AI review
• Jo Salter MBE – First female fast-jet pilot and Global Advisory Director of Generative AI at PwC
• Professor Mary Aiken – World-leading cyberpsychologist specialising in AI, trust and safety
• Azeem Azhar – Founder of Exponential View and global authority on the exponential age
• Dr Laura Gilbert – Senior Director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute and former Director of Data Science at 10 Downing Street
• Marietje Schaake – International Policy Director at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center and member of the UN’s AI Advisory Body
• The Rt Hon. Grant Shapps – Former UK Secretary of State for Defence and AI-focused government leader
• Zoltan Istvan – Transhumanism pioneer exploring AI, robotics and the future of humanity
• Cynthia Rudin – Squirrel AI Award-winning pioneer of interpretable, ethical machine learning

Cassie Kozyrkov

Cassie Kozyrkov is one of the most recognisable voices in AI governance and decision-making. As Google’s first Chief Decision Scientist, she helped lead the company’s shift to an “AI-first” approach, building frameworks that connected data, models and human judgement at scale. Now CEO of Kozyr, she advises global organisations on how to use AI to make better decisions without losing accountability or transparency. A prolific writer, she has authored over 200 articles and contributed to titles such as ‘Strategic Analytics’ and ’97 Things About Ethics Everyone in Data Science Should Know’, giving her a rare ability to make complex AI concepts feel accessible and human.

Cassie’s governance expertise is strengthened by her role on the Innovation Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and by speaking to audiences at the World Economic Forum, the United Nations and global finance, retail and healthcare brands. In an AI governance context, she shows executives how to put guardrails around generative AI, close the AI trust gap and embed responsible decision habits across their organisations.

Cassie’s Official Speaking Topics

• Closing the Digital Trust Gap in the AI Era
• Decision Intelligence and Better Choices at Scale
• Ethics, Bias and The Human Role in AI-Driven Organisations
• Leading in an AI-First Organisation
• Why Businesses Fail at AI Adoption and How to Fix It

Dame Wendy Hall

Dame Wendy Hall is a Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton and one of the most influential figures in the history of the web. A pioneer of hypermedia, she co-developed the Microcosm hypermedia system, a forerunner to the World Wide Web, and later co-founded the Web Science Research Initiative to understand how digital systems and society interact. Wendy has served as Co-Chair of the UK Government’s Artificial Intelligence Review, a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology and a member of the UK Government’s AI Council, placing her at the centre of national AI policy.

Recognised with a DBE and numerous international honours, Wendy is a leading authority on how AI, data and the web shape democracy and public life. She speaks candidly about the risks of AI concentration, misinformation and threats to democratic processes, and she champions governance models that balance innovation with human rights.

Wendy’s Official Speaking Topics

• Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Society
• Data Science, Ethics and Responsible Innovation
• Web Science and the Evolution of the Internet

Jo Salter MBE

Dr Jo Salter MBE made history as Britain’s first female fast-jet pilot in the Royal Air Force, before building a senior career in technology and risk at PwC. Today, she serves as Global Advisory Director of Generative AI at PwC, following roles as Director of Risk Technology Strategy and Director of Global Transformative Leadership. Jo helps major organisations combine AI innovation with strong governance, using lessons from aviation safety and mission-critical decision-making.

Her experience spans cockpit, boardroom and classroom; she is an Associate Lecturer at the Open University Business School and a bestselling author on energy and performance. As a speaker, Jo links AI governance to real human stakes, using stories from high-pressure flights and global consulting projects to show how checklists, training and culture prevent failure.

Jo’s Official Speaking Topics

• Generative AI in Business: Risk, Opportunity and Culture
• Leadership Lessons From The Cockpit for AI-Enabled Teams
• Mindset, Resilience and Inclusion in a Tech-Driven Workplace

Professor Mary Aiken

Professor Mary Aiken is one of the world’s leading cyberpsychologists and a key voice in AI safety, trust and online harm. Chief Scientist for Safety Tech at Paladin Capital and Professor of Cyberpsychology, she studies how intelligent systems and digital environments shape human behaviour, risk and resilience. Mary has advised INTERPOL, served as an academic advisor to Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and co-leads a €5 million EU Horizon project on the human and technical drivers of cybercrime, giving her a unique view of AI-amplified risk.

Her book The Cyber Effect was named a Times “Book of the Year”, and she is frequently quoted in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times on AI’s psychological and societal impact. In talks, Mary explains how AI systems influence attention, emotion and behaviour, and how governance must account for human factors, from deepfakes and online radicalisation to safety-by-design principles.

Mary’s Official Speaking Topics

• Active Cyber Defence and AI-Driven Threat Response
• Cyberpsychology and Human Factors in Cybersecurity
• Psychology of AI and Behaviour Change
• Trust and Safety Tech for Platforms and Products

Azeem Azhar

Azeem Azhar is the founder of Exponential View, a leading platform analysing how AI and exponential technologies transform business, politics and society.  He serves as Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Complex Risks, an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Martin School, roles that place him at the intersection of technology, geopolitics and regulation.

A former entrepreneur and investor, Azeem brings commercial realism to AI governance, helping leaders understand both disruption and responsibility. His books The Exponential Age and Exponential explore how accelerating technology outpaces traditional institutions, and what new governance models are needed to protect citizens while keeping innovation alive.

Azeem’s Official Speaking Topics

• Generative AI: Promise, Risks And Real-World Use
• The AI Opportunity And Board-Level Responsibilities
• The Market’s Guide To AI For Leaders
• The Past And Future Of The Exponential Age

Dr Laura Gilbert

Dr Laura Gilbert is Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and one of the UK’s foremost experts on the practical and ethical use of AI in government. She previously served as Director of the Incubator for AI at 10 Downing Street and as the founding Director of 10DS, the in-house data science team supporting the Prime Minister and senior officials.

Laura has led projects that applied AI and advanced analytics to national security, public health and complex policy problems, bringing a rigorous, evidence-driven approach to public decision-making. With a DPhil in particle physics from Oxford and fellowships from leading professional bodies, she translates cutting-edge science into responsible governance structures, from model assurance and transparency to public communication.

Laura’s Official Speaking Topics

• Communicating Complex Science and AI to Citizens and Stakeholders
• Data Science and AI in Public Policy
• Designing Evidence-Based AI Programmes in Government

Marietje Schaake

Marietje Schaake is International Policy Director at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and an International Policy Fellow at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI, making her a central figure in global AI governance debates. From 2009 to 2019 she served as a Member of the European Parliament, where she focused on technology, trade and foreign affairs, often pushing for stronger digital rights and platform accountability.

Marietje serves on the UN’s AI Advisory Body, helping shape global guidance so AI governance is anchored in international law and universal human rights rather than narrow national interests. Her speaking topics include safeguarding democracy in the digital era, ethical governance of emerging technologies, the impact of unregulated tech on global politics and strategies for countering digital authoritarianism.

Marietje’s Official Speaking Topics

• AI, Power and The Geopolitics of Technology
• Ethical Governance of Emerging Technologies
• Policy Pathways For a Human-Centred Digital Future
• Safeguarding Democracy in the Age of AI

The Rt Hon. Grant Shapps

The Rt Hon. Grant Shapps is a senior British politician whose ministerial roles have spanned transport, business, energy and defence. As Secretary of State for Defence from 2023, he oversaw the integration of AI into national defence, from logistics and predictive analytics to emerging autonomous systems, giving him first-hand insight into AI’s strategic, ethical and security implications.

Grant’s previous roles as Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Secretary of State for Energy Security & Net Zero placed him at the forefront of innovation policy, infrastructure and energy transition, all increasingly influenced by AI-driven optimisation. His keynote “AI Will Either Transform Your Business or Close It” explores how government-level AI adoption can inspire corporate innovation while stressing regulatory and ethical safeguards around privacy, fairness and transparency.

Grant’s Official Speaking Topics

• AI Will Transform Your Business: How to Secure the Upside
• Ethical And Regulatory Challenges From Privacy to Fair Decision-Making
• Government-Level AI Adoption as a Model for Innovation
• Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing and Public-Sector Use Cases

Zoltan Istvan

Zoltan Istvan is a world-leading expert on transhumanism and one of the most provocative voices on the future of AI and humanity. A former journalist for National Geographic and communications director for WildAid, he later founded and chaired the Transhumanist Party and ran for US President as a science-first candidate, using the campaign to educate the public on emerging technologies.

His bestselling novel The Transhumanist Wager and his non-fiction works explore radical futures in which AI, genetic engineering and robotics reshape life, work and politics. Zoltan has been featured in the documentary Immortality or Bust and interviewed by broadcasters including the BBC and Fox News about robot warfare, AI in politics and the ethics of human enhancement.

Zoltan’s Official Speaking Topics

• AI in Politics, Democracy and Leadership
• How AI and Genetic Engineering Are Reshaping Society
• The Future of Warfare, Robots and Drones
• Transhumanism, Longevity and Human Enhancement

Cynthia Rudin

Professor Cynthia Rudin is one of the world’s foremost experts in interpretable machine learning and ethical AI. A distinguished professor at Duke University, she holds appointments across computer science, electrical and computer engineering, statistics, mathematics and biostatistics, and leads the Interpretable Machine Learning Lab. Her work focuses on designing transparent AI models for high-stakes decisions in healthcare, criminal justice and energy systems, offering an alternative to opaque “black-box” approaches.

Cynthia’s research has driven real-world impact: her optimal scoring systems have improved ICU seizure prediction and reduced costs; her Series Finder algorithm, adopted as Patternizr by the NYPD, helps detect crime patterns while preserving accountability. In 2022 she received the Squirrel AI Award for AI for the Benefit of Humanity, often compared to a “Nobel Prize for AI”, recognising the societal value of her work.

Cynthia’s Official Speaking Topics

• AI For Energy Grid Reliability and Societal Impact
• Ethical AI In Healthcare and Criminal Justice
• Interpretable Machine Learning and Explainable AI
• Responsible AI Development and Optimisation Techniques
• Transparent AI Versus Black-Box Models

Book an AI Governance Speaker Today

Strong AI governance is fast becoming a board-level priority, not a technical detail. With trust in AI falling, AI incidents rising and only around a quarter of boards having formally built AI governance into committee charters, the organisations that invest in expert guidance now will be better placed to manage risk and unlock long-term value.

Booking an AI governance speaker from The AI Speakers Agency brings your event cutting-edge insight, clear language and practical frameworks tailored to your sector. Explore more options via our Government & Public Policy Speakers page, where you will find a wider roster of leaders on regulation, ethics and digital transformation.

Visit our Contact Us page or call us on 0203 410 9897 to get started today. We’re ready to match you with a speaker who aligns with your AI strategy. Let us help you plan an event that inspires change and builds future-ready teams.