About Dr. Alexi Drew
I'm a technology policy specialist with over a decade of experience at the intersection of AI governance, international security, and humanitarian action. My work spans academia, private consulting, and the humanitarian sector — a combination that's relatively rare in this field and that I think makes for sharper, more grounded policy thinking. Most recently, I served as Technology Policy Adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where I led the organisation's engagement on AI, autonomous systems, and digital harms in conflict contexts, including presenting at the UN and contributing to Track 2 UK-China dialogues on emerging technology.
I now work independently, advising on technology governance with a particular focus on AI and emerging technologies in high-risk and humanitarian contexts. I hold a PhD in Cyber-Security and International Governance from Royal Holloway, University of London, and have previously held roles at RAND Europe and King's College London. I sit on the DSIT Cyber Technology External Advisory Group and the UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub Advisory Board, and my research and commentary has appeared in the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and on BBC Radio 4, among others. Whatever the context, I'm driven by the same core question: how do we build governance frameworks that centre the lived experience of those most underrepresented in technology's design — and most exposed to the consequences of getting it wrong?
Publications
Research Papers
Exploring Research Engagement with China: Opportunities and Challenges - RAND Europe
Dueling Information Campaigns: The War Over the Narrative in Tigray - The Technology and Social Change Project: Harvard
Escalation by Tweet: Managing the new nuclear diplomacy - The Centre for Science and Security Studies: King's College London
Rising to the China Challenge - The Policy Institute: King’s College London
Collect it all: GCHQ and mass surveillance - Open Rights Group
Book Chapters
Sending a Message: The Primacy of Action as Communication in Cybersecurity - Dutton, W. (Ed.), A Research Agenda for Digital Politics
Opinion Pieces
Chinese Technology in the ‘Internet of Things’ poses a new threat to the West - The Financial Times
The Critical Geopolitics of Standards Settings - RUSI
In Ethiopia’s digital battle over the Tigray region, facts are casualties - The Washington Post
Popular Protest: New Media and the Spread of Inspiration - The Conversation
Cyber Spies for Hire: Efforts to Control Cyber Weapons Ignore the Agents Who Use Them - The Conversation
Why Emmanuel Macron’s Plan for a European Agency to Fend Off Fake News Makes Sense - The Conversation
Committing to Huawei for 5G risks establishing a dependency - The Financial Times
Huawei and 5G: a preview of the UK’s future relations with China and the US - The UK in a Changing Europe
The Rise of Twitter Diplomacy Is Making the World More Dangerous - World Politics Review
Disinformation Kills. Now what are we going to do about it? - British Computer Society
In the Media
‘The GRU that cried wolf’: Russia’s cyber threats against Ukraine’s infrastructure likely to prove empty - Techmonitor
Made in China: How the UK is decoupling from Chinese Technology - Techmonitor
Fears for patient data after ransomware attack on NHS software supplier - The Guardian
Open source intelligence on Ukraine key to fighting Russian disinformation - Techmonitor
Could Putin be exploring cryptocurrencies to bypass Western sanctions - The Guardian
Russia unleashed data-wiper malware on Ukraine, says cyber experts - The Guardian
UK spies warn local authorities over ‘smart city’ tech risks - Financial Times
Exporting Chinese surveillance: the security risks of ‘smart cities’ - Financial Times
How Twitter Could Start a Nuclear War - Vice
Twitter hack: Exchange 'blocked 1,000 Bitcoin transactions' - BBC
Twitter Security Flaws Pose a Unique Threat to Nuclear Diplomacy, Experts Say - Medium
US Election: How Donald Trump has changed global foreign policy - Deutsche Welle
The age of blunt diplomacy? Twitter can be used to escalate global conflict, study says - The Guardian
The massive Twitter hack could be a global security crisis - The Verge
Last week’s Twitter hack could have been much, much worse - The Washington Post
Cambridge caught in crossfire of US-China tech war - Financial Times
Appearances:
Facebook and Twitter Block Trump - BBC Radio 4 Tech Tent
Free Speech vs The Big Lie - Angry Planet (Reuters)
The great Twitter hack - BBC Radio 4 Tech Tent
Rip-Off Britain - BBC
Twitter Hack - Channel 5 News
Grote Twitter-hack - Nieuwsuur
Associations & Membership
WIIS UK Advisory Board
Minorities in Peace & Security Advisory Board
Girl Security Mentor
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Contact
