Sumaya Adan

Sumaya Adan

Sumaya Nur Adan specializes in AI governance with a background in Law,  AI, and Ethics. As a research affiliate at the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, she delves into issues surrounding international organizations, AI risk assessment, and the design of institutions for equitable benefit-sharing. Her research also emphasizes improving access and participation for the Global Majority in AI, promoting a more inclusive approach to global AI development and policy-making. She also serves as an AI risk advisor at the Central AI risk Function team within the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, UK government 

Sumaya’s previous roles include working as a visiting researcher at the Centre for the Studies of Existential Risk, where she explored biases in military AI applications. At the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, she advocated strongly at the UN for regulating autonomous weapons and stressed the need for African nations to be involved in global AI regulatory conversations. As a summer fellow at the Centre for AI Governance, Sumaya researched international models for AI benefit-sharing, aiming to create institutional frameworks that promote equitable sharing of AI benefits and ensure broad, inclusive global participation. 

With her interdisciplinary background in Law, AI, and Ethics, she has contributed to global initiatives such as the United Nations High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism and the African Commission’s efforts on AI and human rights. These roles complement her work on the Sendai Framework with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, advancing her dedication to integrating AI governance with global policy frameworks. 

Looking forward, Sumaya is passionate about developing equitable and inclusive frameworks for diverse global engagement in AI policy and decision-making processes, with a particular interest in the roles and contributions of Global Majority countries in shaping AI governance and ensuring that the benefits of AI are shared globally. 

Sumaya holds an LLB from Strathmore University, with her senior thesis focusing on liability for decisions made by self-learning algorithms in common law jurisdictions. She is completing an MPhil in the Ethics of AI, Data, and Algorithms at the University of Cambridge as a Mastercard Scholar. 

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  • Organization
    University of Cambridge
  • Profession
    AI Governance Researcher

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