PeopleofSuperintelligence

Public voice

Oliver Ilott

Also known as Ollie Ilott

Oliver Ilott is a UK government official whose work connects public policy and AI safety. His background includes an English degree from Cambridge, House of Lords and public-sector PR work, and an Institute for Government Senior Researcher role by 2017. At IfG, he coauthored a 2015 report on public engagement and led a 2017 report on trade policy. He directed the Frontier AI Taskforce and later the UK AI Safety Institute, where first-year work included evaluations of potentially dangerous AI capabilities. TIME included him in its 2025 list of 100 AI leaders; since July 2026, he has been Cabinet Office Director General for Artificial Intelligence and head of the Prime Minister’s AI Taskforce.

Now at
Cabinet Office and Prime Minister’s AI Taskforce
Photo of Oliver Ilott

Timeline

  1. 2015

    Bringing public voice into policy

    With Emma Norris, he coauthored *Smarter engagement*, a report about public engagement in policy decisions.

  2. By 2017

    A policy research role

    He was an Institute for Government Senior Researcher by 2017. His background included an English degree from Cambridge and work in the House of Lords and public-sector PR.

  3. 2017

    Shaping trade policy

    He was the lead author of the Institute for Government’s report *Taking back control of trade policy*.

  4. September 2023

    Joining the Frontier AI Taskforce

    He joined the UK Frontier AI Taskforce as its director, arriving from Downing Street.

  5. November 2024

    Testing dangerous AI capabilities

    As Director of the AI Safety Institute, he described evaluations of potentially dangerous AI capabilities and work to build an international approach.

  6. 2025

    Listed among AI leaders

    TIME included him in its 2025 list of 100 AI leaders and described his work on safe, transparent AI deployment in the UK.

  7. Since July 2026

    Leading Cabinet Office AI

    He is Director General for Artificial Intelligence in the Cabinet Office and head of the Prime Minister’s AI Taskforce; he was appointed in July 2026.

Sources and credits

Photo: gov.uk; Ollie Ilott - GOV.UK; creator not stated. License: Not stated by source. Source: gov.uk. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.

  1. Smarter engagement | Institute for Government instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Oliver Ilott | Institute for Government instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Taking back control of trade policy | Institute for Government instituteforgovernment.org.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Frontier AI Taskforce: first progress report - GOV.UK gov.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Our First Year | AISI Work aisi.gov.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. La revista TIME publicó la lista de los 100 líderes en inteligencia artificial de 2025 - Infobae infobae.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. Ollie Ilott - GOV.UK gov.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.