Dr. Robert J. Leaf is the Founder and CEO of the Keep AI Safe Foundation (SAFE), an organization dedicated to ensuring that artificial intelligence develops safely, ethically, and in alignment with human values. SAFE’s mission is to unite researchers, policymakers, and philanthropists worldwide to prevent catastrophic risks and secure a meaningful future for humanity.

Dr. Leaf’s path to AI safety builds on a distinguished career of creating systems that protect lives at scale. Often called the father of dental insurance, he expanded coverage from fewer than 100,000 people to nearly 1 billion worldwide. He founded and led American Dental Examiners, Better Benefits, and US Dental Plan, and created the Dental Health Alliance, which became the world’s largest dental PPO with over 150,000 offices and two-thirds of U.S. dentists as members.

As a consultant, Dr. Leaf advised more than 85% of insurance companies on underwriting, actuarial systems, and claims technology, and worked with over 40 Fortune 100 companies, including American Airlines, Ford, Walmart, 3M, Bank of America, and Honeywell. He also designed the U.S. Government’s dental plan, regarded as the best in the world, with unlimited benefits and stable pricing.

For his lifetime achievements, Dr. Leaf was honored as a Distinguished Alumni by the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and served for over a decade as an advisor to its Dean. He earned a double major in Economics and Chemistry from Cornell, a foundation that continues to shape his interdisciplinary approach.

Today, Dr. Leaf brings this record of global-scale innovation and trusted leadership to the urgent challenge of AI. Just as he helped build the systems that made dental care accessible to billions, he is now focused on building the frameworks and global coalitions necessary to keep AI safe.