Mark Lenny Gitau
About
I am an AI safety researcher who wants to help the world navigate extremely powerful AI. I have previously been a Summer Fellow at the Centre for the Governance of AI; 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 Boston.
News
I joined 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.
I also have a personal feedback form. Feel free to use it to send me anonymous, constructive feedback.