Dr Matthew Kuan Johnson
Responsible AI @ Microsoft AI
AI Test & Evaluation · AI Safety · Red Teaming · AI Ethics · Psychosocial Risks of AI · Joy & Human Flourishing
About
Dr Matthew Kuan Johnson works on AI safety, security, and alignment at Microsoft AI, where he focuses on model evaluations, safety post-training, adversarial use detection, and policy. Previously, he was the Chief of Responsible AI at the US Department of Defense and the Chair of the White House's Chief AI Officer Council Working Group on AI Risk Management.
He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge (as a Gates Scholar), and degrees in Cognitive Science from the University of Cambridge and Yale University. He works on topics related to AI safety and alignment, philosophy of mind, and human flourishing. In 2020, the Journal of Positive Psychology dedicated a special issue to his research on joy and human flourishing.
Recent Talks & Publications (Selected)
AI and the Future of War (Keynote)
Cornell University · April 2026
Chat, can you be my_____? (Veritas Forum, Keynote Panel)
Dartmouth University · April 2026
Cognitive Liberty, Agency, and Identity (Lecture & Panel)
Duke University · March 2026
The Frontiers of AI (Keynote Panel)
Harvard University · October 2025
DoD/USIC Perspective Panel on Mission Assurance in Agentic AI Operations (Panel)
National Cryptologic Foundation · December 2025
AI Assurance: Recent Developments (Keynote)
AI for Systems Engineering (AI4SE & SE4AI) Workshop 2025 · September 2025
Work
Current
Responsible AI — Microsoft AI
AI Test & Evaluation, AI Safety, Red Teaming, AI Ethics, Psychosocial Risks of AI, Joy & Human Flourishing.
Previous
Chief of Responsible AI — US Department of Defense
Led the Department's Responsible AI Division within the Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO). Built technical tools, best practices, and policies to assess and assure AI-enabled capabilities. Developed the DoD's Responsible AI Toolkit (focal point of the ‘Secure-by-Design’ portion of America's AI Action Plan) and issued the DoD's policy on Generative AI.
Previous
Chair — White House CAIO Council Working Group on AI Risk Management
Built the process and resources to enable compliance with the Federal Government's AI Risk Requirements.
Education
University of Cambridge
PhD, Philosophy
Passed without corrections
Gates Cambridge Scholar
Moral philosophy, moral psychology, philosophy of mind
Doctoral Dissertation →University of Cambridge
MPhil, Social & Developmental Psychology
With High Distinction
Yale University
BA, Cognitive Science
Magna cum laude
Distinction in the Major
Phi Beta Kappa
Contact
My academic email address is listed on some of my publications. For example, if you click the link to my paper on joy in the “About” section (above), you can find an email address under the author information section of that paper.