Sarah Spencer

SAFE AI project lead

Sarah Spencer is an AI Governance & Policy Consultant and Researcher working at the intersection of AI, global security, and public policy.

She brings more than two decades’ combined experience in humanitarian aid, responsible AI, and foreign policy. For the last five years, she has helped a range of clients—including humanitarian agencies, government, and private sector firms—capitalise on the opportunities offered by AI and driven and led the responsible uptake of AI by dozens of agencies across the humanitarian sector.

Sarah is currently on sabbatical from the British Government where she has served in a range of roles related to national security and conflict in the former Department of International Development (DFID), the Foreign Office, and the Cabinet Office. Sarah began her career as an operational humanitarian aid worker, designing and delivering humanitarian services in over a dozen countries, including DR Congo, Haiti, Sudan, Syria, and Iraq.

She is a regular commentator on ‘AI for Good’ and the geopolitics of AI and in 2025, she was included in the global list of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics.