Mark Lenny Gitau
About
I am an AI safety researcher who wants to help the world navigate extremely powerful AI. I’m currently a Summer Fellow at the Centre for the Governance of AI. I have previously been a Research Scholar at ILINA, working on how law and policy can strengthen the evaluation of AI systems; a Researcher at the University of Cape Town’s African Hub on AI Safety, Peace and Security, where I was part of a team running Africa-centric model safety evaluations; a Fall Research Fellow at the Vista Institute for AI Policy, examining how evaluation evidence can establish developer fault when AI agents cause harm; and a Research Assistant at the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative. I was also a Legal Research Fellow at the Center for AI Risk Management & Alignment where I contributed to work on whistleblower protections for employees of frontier AI companies and AI evaluation organisations. I hold a law degree from Strathmore University (first-class honours), where I was Editor-in-Chief of the Strathmore Law Review (Vol. 10).
For now, I’m based in London.
News
I’ll be joining Harvard Law School this fall for my Master of Laws (LL.M.).
Research Interests
- Safety Evaluations
- Frontier AI Regulation
- AI Monitoring
- Corporate Governance
- AI Character
- Legal Alignment
Research
- Gitau M et al., “The AI Whistleblower Protection Act: Suggestions & Policy Analysis,” AI Whistleblower Initiative, July 2026, pp. 1–21.
- Wei K et al., “FRAUDBENCH: A Legal Evaluation of AI Deception,” Preprint, June 2026, pp. 1–292.
- Ireri G et al., “Assessing the Case for Africa-Centric AI Safety Evaluations,” arXiv, February 2026, pp. 1–29.
- Gitau M, “Emerging Horizons: Transformative Prudentialism and the Renaissance of Judicial Philosophy in the Supreme Court of Kenya,” Vol. 8 Issue 1, Strathmore Law Review, October 2023, pp. 43–72.
Policy
- Through CARMA, alongside colleagues at the AI Whistleblower Initiative (AIWI), our work helped catalyse the EU AI Office’s development and launch of a dedicated whistleblower tool/channel in November 2025. Our involvement was limited to providing subject-matter expertise during the communication and policy drafting phases.
- Through CARMA, co-drafted clause-by-clause comments and proposed amendments to the AI Whistleblower Protection Act (H.R. 3460; Obernolte–Lieu), submitted to the offices of U.S. Representative Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and U.S. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA).
- Through CARMA, co-drafted proposed amendments to the whistleblower provisions of the Great American AI Act discussion draft (Obernolte–Trahan, June 2026), submitted to the offices of U.S. Representative Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and U.S. Representative Lori Trahan (D-MA).
Talks
Honours & Awards
Get in touch
The best way to reach me is email.
mark.gytau@gmail.com · LinkedIn · X · Blog
I also have a personal feedback form. Feel free to use it to send me anonymous, constructive feedback.