California places AI science advisors inside state agencies for frontier AI safety

CCST has appointed Michael Chen and Justin Norman to advise Cal OES and the California Department of Technology on AI risk, legislation and public-sector response.

CCST CEO Julianne McCall with Cal OES AI Science Advisor Michael Chen, left, and CDT AI Science Advisor Justin Norman, right. Image: CCST

The California Council on Science and Technology has launched an AI Science Residency Program and placed its first two AI Science Advisors inside California state government, with Michael Chen joining the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Justin Norman, PhD, joining the California Department of Technology to advise on frontier AI safety.

The program was announced on July 7, 2026. Chen and Norman began their residencies in June 2026, placing independent AI expertise inside agencies working across emergency response, cybersecurity, public data, technology policy and AI safety legislation.

CCST says the residency is designed to help California leaders evaluate emerging AI risks, analyze safety incidents, support the implementation of new AI safety laws and improve frontier AI risk management.

The advisors are formally employed by CCST and placed in their agencies through memoranda of understanding. CCST says this structure is intended to provide an independent scientific perspective while allowing the advisors to work within agency leadership teams.

Chen will advise Cal OES on critical safety incidents, AI and cyber defense, and risks linked to developers’ internal use of AI systems. Norman will advise the California Department of Technology on frontier AI development and governance, including definitions and thresholds in California AI safety legislation.

CCST launches AI residency model

The AI Science Residency Program is part of CCST’s AI Policy Initiative and sits within its wider Science Residency Program, which brings senior-level scientific and technical experts into California state government.

CCST says the Science Residency Program draws on 17 years of experience from its Science & Technology Policy Fellowship, which has placed more than 200 PhD-level scientists in California’s legislative and executive branches.

Julianne McCall, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of CCST, says: “We are proud to launch CCST’s AI Science Residency Program with these two world-class placements. California is leading the nation on AI governance, in large part thanks to exceptional talent committed to AI safety and public service – and we’re grateful to the many outstanding candidates who applied.

“As frontier AI development and governance rapidly evolve, good policy relies on a deep partnership between governance officials and cutting-edge technical expertise. This program connects California agencies with the top-tier AI talent they need to evaluate and advise on emerging risks, helping ensure technology serves the public good.”

CCST was established by the California Legislature in 1988 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization providing science and technology advice to policymakers.

Cal OES advisor will focus on AI and cyber risk

Michael Chen has joined the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services as AI Science Advisor, reporting to Matthew Sage, Commander of the California Cybersecurity Integration Center, and working with the Homeland Security Cyber Policy Team.

Chen previously worked on evaluations-based AI governance at METR, a California-based nonprofit evaluator of autonomous AI agent capabilities and risks. CCST says he advised AI developers on frameworks for assessing, mitigating and disclosing catastrophic AI risks, and worked on third-party evaluations, including a review of sabotage risk from AI agents.

Chen has also engaged with U.S. government bodies on frontier AI evaluation, including the Center for AI Standards and Innovation at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He is a part-time PhD student at the University of Oxford and an affiliate of the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative.

Matthew Sage says: “Having a dedicated AI Science Advisor embedded within Cal OES will meaningfully strengthen our capacity to respond to the rapidly evolving frontier AI risk landscape. AI presents both tremendous opportunities and serious risks for emergency management and public safety. Michael’s expertise in evaluating AI systems and managing risks will help us collect, analyze, and respond to evolving AI risks and safety incidents. CCST has been an invaluable partner in facilitating a rigorous recruitment process to meet our needs.”

Chen says: “AI agents are learning to autonomously execute exponentially more complex projects over time. That now includes cyberattacks and will pose risks for critical infrastructure. At Cal OES, I look forward to working with frontier developers in reviewing assessments of risk from their internal use of frontier models. I’m also excited to help California prepare thoughtful, proactive response plans and playbooks for frontier AI risks.”

Technology department appointment targets AI legislation

Justin Norman, PhD, has joined the California Department of Technology as AI Science Advisor. His role includes advising senior leadership on frontier AI development and governance, contributing to recommendations on frontier AI safety for the California Legislature, and coordinating with government agencies, academic researchers, federal labs, private-sector organizations and nonprofit groups.

Norman has more than 20 years of applied technical and executive leadership experience across government and industry. He previously served as acting Portfolio Director and Technical Director for Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning at the Defense Innovation Unit, and as CTO and Deputy Director of the United States Indo-Pacific Command Joint Mission Accelerator Directorate.

His industry roles include CTO and Head of AI at Vera AI, Vice President of Data Science, Analytics and Data Products at Yelp, Director of Research and ML/AI at Cloudera Fast Forward Labs, and Global Head of Cisco’s Enterprise Data Science Office.

Government Operations Secretary Nick Maduros says: “We’re thrilled to partner with CCST on this new program. We’re looking forward to working with these incredible advisors to help the state navigate emerging issues around artificial intelligence.”

Norman says: “I am honored to join CDT at this pivotal moment for AI governance. California has the opportunity — and the responsibility — to demonstrate that governments can produce effective technically and socially grounded AI policy that still supports rapid innovation. I look forward to supporting CDT’s leadership in translating the latest science and technical evidence into practical, effective policy that protects Californians and builds public trust in AI.”

The first AI Science Residency placements are now operating inside Cal OES and the California Department of Technology. CCST says Chen and Norman will support agency work on frontier AI safety, risk assessment, emergency response planning and recommendations linked to California AI safety legislation.