Mark Nitzberg

Mark Jay Nitzberg is an American computer scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and academic who works on the societal and economic impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) and its governance. Nitzberg is the executive director of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence at the University of California, Berkeley,^[1] interim executive director of the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI,^[2][3] and director of technology research at the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE).^[4][5]

Mark J. Nitzberg
Born	Mark Jay Nitzberg
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Computer scientist, AI researcher, inventor, author, academic
Title	Executive Director of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence, Interim Executive Director of the International Association for Safe and Ethical Artificial Intelligence
Academic background
Alma mater	Harvard University (Ph.D.), University of Oregon (B.A.)
Thesis	Depth from overlap (1991)
Doctoral advisor	David Mumford
Other advisors	Ken Nakayama, Takahiro Shiota, Alan Yuille
Influences	David Mumford, Ken Nakayama, Heisuke Hironaka, Richard Koch
Academic work
Discipline	Computer science
Sub-discipline	Artificial intelligence, AI governance
Institutions	University of California, Berkeley

Background and education

Nitzberg holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and music composition from the University of Oregon. He completed his doctoral studies in computer science on the topic of digital imaging at Harvard University, where he worked under the supervision of David Mumford, Ken Nakayama, Takahiro Shiota, and Alan Yuille.^[6]

Career

Nitzberg completed his PhD entitled "Depth from overlap" in 1991.^[7] He has since held roles in academia, industry, and technology development. As of 2025, he serves as the executive director of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence at UC Berkeley,^[8][9] and as an advisor to the Berkeley AI Research Lab (BAIR). He is the director of technology research at the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE).^[4]

In a 2020 interview as part of the Future of Work Series at UC Davis, Nitzberg credited early mentorship from Marvin Minsky and Joseph Weizenbaum for shaping his perspectives on AI.^[10] Nitzberg has advocated for global collaboration in AI governance, and described his center's work on long-term strategies for ensuring AI safety.^[11]

Selected articles

• Nitzberg, M.; Shiota, T. (Aug 1992). "Nonlinear image filtering with edge and corner enhancement". IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. 14 (8): 826–833. doi:10.1109/34.149593.
• Nitzberg, Mark; Zysman, John (2022-11-02). "Algorithms, data, and platforms: the diverse challenges of governing AI". Journal of European Public Policy. 29 (11): 1753–1778. doi:10.1080/13501763.2022.2096668. ISSN 1350-1763.
• Judge, Brian; Nitzberg, Mark; Russell, Stuart (2024-05-29). "When code isn't law: rethinking regulation for artificial intelligence". Policy and Society. doi:10.1093/polsoc/puae020. ISSN 1449-4035.
• Zysman, John; Nitzberg, Mark (2024). "Generative AI and the Future of Work: Augmentation or Automation?". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4811728. ISSN 1556-5068.

Patents

• Powell, R.D. and Nitzberg, M.J., Corbis Corp, 1998. Method and system for digital image signatures.U.S. patent 5,721,788
• Powell, R.D. and Nitzberg, M.J. (1998) Method for encoding auxiliary data within a source signal.U.S. patent 5,809,160
• Powell, R.D. and Nitzberg, M.J., Digimarc Corp, 1999. Method for image encoding.U.S. patent 5,930,377
• Sheehan, D.M., Nitzberg, M.J. and Fitzgerald, P.J., 2001. Prescription-controlled data collection system and method.U.S. patent 6,311,163