PeopleofSuperintelligence

Public voice

Anna Makanju

Anna Makanju is a public policy professional whose AI work spans global policy, AI safety, and civil society. Raised mostly between Lagos and Leningrad, she studied linguistics and French, earned a Stanford law degree, worked in international law, and joined the Obama administration in 2009 before taking policy roles at Facebook. OpenAI launched the Frontier Model Forum in 2023, where she called for oversight and governance of advanced AI; in 2025, she described how collaboration among academics, practitioners, and AI labs can help generative AI benefit society. As of October 2026, she leads AI for Civil Society and Philanthropy at the OpenAI Foundation, helping nonprofits, NGOs, and philanthropic institutions use AI.

Now at
OpenAI Foundation

Timeline

  1. By 2009

    Law and public service

    Raised mostly between Lagos and Leningrad, she studies linguistics and French at Western Washington University and earns a Stanford law degree. She works at international criminal tribunals and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2009, she joins the Obama administration as a senior policy adviser to Vice President Joe Biden and serves in national-security and foreign-policy roles at the White House, Department of State, and Pentagon.

  2. September 2021

    Facebook policy at OpenAI

    Before joining OpenAI in September 2021, she manages global policy at Facebook and advises Vice President Joe Biden on Europe and Eurasia.

  3. July 2023

    The Frontier Model Forum

    In July 2023, OpenAI launches the Frontier Model Forum with Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft. As OpenAI's vice president of global affairs, she says advanced AI needs oversight and governance.

  4. 2025

    A generative AI consortium

    In 2025, OpenAI joins MIT's Generative AI Impact Consortium as a founding member. As OpenAI's vice president of global impact, she says collaboration among academics, practitioners, and labs can help generative AI benefit society.

  5. As of October 2026

    AI for civil society

    She leads AI for Civil Society and Philanthropy at the OpenAI Foundation, guiding efforts to equip nonprofits, NGOs, and philanthropic organizations with AI capabilities. In August 2026, she outlines the Foundation's program to put advanced AI to work on current challenges facing people and communities, beginning with a $100 million commitment to improve health outcomes.

Sources and credits

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  1. Anna Makanju – Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans pdsoros.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Anna Makanju | The Obama Foundation obama.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Meet Nigerian woman leading OpenAI’s foreign policy strategy businessday.ng. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Microsoft, Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI launch Frontier Model Forum blogs.microsoft.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Introducing the MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium betterworld.mit.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. Building the Future of AI - Event | OpenAI Forum forum.openai.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. AI for Civil Society and Philanthropy openaifoundation.org. Checked 14 October 2026.