PeopleofSuperintelligence

Public voice

Rebecca Finlay

As of October 2026, Rebecca Finlay is CEO of Partnership on AI and leads its multistakeholder work on responsible AI, a role she began in 2021. She studied at McGill and Cambridge and built leadership experience across research, civil society and industry before CIFAR. In 2014, she founded CIFAR’s global knowledge mobilization practice and launched its AI & Society program in 2017 to connect AI with policy and social questions. She became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2019 and joined Ontario’s privacy commissioner advisory council in 2022. At PAI, she welcomed Google to its synthetic media framework in 2023 and co-chaired a UN panel on AI governance in 2026.

Timeline

  1. By 2014

    CIFAR knowledge mobilization

    She earns degrees from McGill and the University of Cambridge and takes leadership roles across research, civil society and industry before CIFAR. In 2014, she founds CIFAR’s global knowledge mobilization practice, bringing experts across sectors together to accelerate research’s social impact.

  2. 2017

    AI & Society at CIFAR

    In 2017, she launches CIFAR’s AI & Society program to support international working groups on AI’s effects on policy and society.

  3. 2019

    An AAAS Fellowship

    In 2019, she becomes a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  4. October 2021

    Named PAI’s CEO

    Partnership on AI appoints her CEO in October 2021 after she serves as Acting Executive Director from February 2021.

  5. 2022

    Ontario privacy council

    She joins the Strategic Advisory Council of Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner in 2022.

  6. July 2023

    Synthetic media framework

    In July 2023, as PAI CEO, she welcomes Google to its Responsible Practices for Synthetic Media framework. The framework gives recommendations for people who create, share and distribute AI-generated media.

  7. July 2026

    UN AI governance panel

    In July 2026, she co-chairs one of the panels on building safe, secure and trustworthy AI at the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

  8. As of October 2026

    CEO of Partnership on AI

    She is CEO of PAI as of October 2026, leading its multistakeholder work to advance responsible AI for positive outcomes for people and society. In September 2026, she is the CEO speaker at a partner town hall on global AI governance and the organization’s strategic plan for 2027–2031.

Sources and credits

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  1. Rebecca Finlay – Responsible Ai UK – Empowering the AI Ecosystem rai.ac.uk. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Rebecca Finlay | Constellation Research constellationr.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Partnership on AI Names Rebecca Finlay as CEO partnershiponai.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. PAI Announces Google to Join Framework for Collective Action on Synthetic Media partnershiponai.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. We need to measure progress in good AI, says Partnership on AI CEO Rebecca Finlay genevasolutions.news. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. Partner Town Hall: Inside PAI’s New Strategic Plan partnershiponai.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. Our Team - Partnership on AI partnershiponai.org. Checked 15 October 2026.