Richard MALLAH

Richard Mallah founded and leads CARMA, where he directs its portfolio of projects in risk assessment, policy strategy, and technical safety. With over twenty years of experience in machine learning and AI, Richard brings deep expertise across AI algorithms research, research management, systems architecture, product management, and strategy.

Since 2010, Richard has focused on advanced AI safety, maintaining a sense of urgency about societal risks from AGI. He has developed frameworks for understanding pathways to AGI, mapping risk types and intervention paths, formulating theories of change, and creating governance recommendations, while advancing research in scalable safety and computational ethics. In addition to his work at CARMA, Richard serves part-time as the Principal AI Safety Strategist at the Future of Life Institute, which he joined in 2014, where he conducts research, analysis, advocacy, strategy, and field-building regarding technical, strategy and policy aspects of transformative AI safety.

Prior to CARMA, Richard co-led the Fairness, Auditing, Transparency, and Externalities of AI Center of Excellence at management consultancy Keystone Strategy, which provided perspective on AI auditing and multibillion-dollar litigations. His experience heading enterprise risk management systems development at BlackRock during the Financial Crisis gave him unique insight into the interplay among systemic tail risk, technology, multiscale foresight, risk reduction, and catalysts for systemic improvement.

Richard holds a degree in Intelligent Systems from Columbia University.