Jack Pilkington is Research and Policy Director at Duke University’s Cognitive Futures Lab, where he explores the implications of new developments in neurotechnology and artificial intelligence, and how to ensure they benefit humanity. Current interests include the intersection of AI and neurotechnology, and how to incentivize responsible innovation in the neurotechnology industry.

At The Royal Society, the UK’s independent scientific academy, he led an interdisciplinary group of world-leading scientists to produce the landmark iHuman report on neurotechnology and pioneered innovative public dialogue approaches to inform policy development. The work catalyzed major UK research funding programs and helped shape international frameworks for governing the emerging field through the OECD, UNESCO, and Council of Europe. It won the Colin Blakemore Award for supporting researchers from lower-income countries to advance this global dialogue.

At Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, he developed a working model for anticipatory regulation that led to the formation of the Regulatory Horizons Council, revolutionizing the UK’s regulatory approach to innovation.

He holds an MSc in Social Cognition from University College London and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Manchester, and has served on key advisory bodies, including the British Standards Institute’s Advisory Committee on Brain-Computer Interfaces and the Society for Computers and Law. He is a keen practitioner of strategic foresight and futures methods, having worked with the UK Government’s horizon scanning networks to help policymakers anticipate and shape emerging technologies.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​