Nate Burnikell

Biography

Nate Burnikell is the Chief Strategy Officer at the AI Security Institute (AISI).

Nate was Head of Safety in the UK Foundation Model Taskforce before it became the AISI at the 2023 Bletchley Summit. He has since held several leadership positions at the Institute, most recently as Deputy Director of the Research Unit, where he set research strategy and led AISI’s technical research and evaluation teams.

Earlier in his career, Nate worked on some of the government’s highest-priority programmes, including the Ukraine Humanitarian Taskforce, which set up the Homes for Ukraine Scheme to support Ukrainians displaced by the war; the Cabinet Office Supply Chains Unit; and the joint No. 10 and Cabinet Office COVID-19 Taskforce.

He began his Civil Service career through the Summer Diversity Internship Programme, which supports undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to gain experience in government, before joining the Fast Stream.