Saif is a Distinguished Technology Fellow at the Institute for Progress.

Saif previously served as Counselor for Critical and Emerging Technologies to the Secretary of Commerce, and as the Secretary’s principal advisor and coordinator on AI policy.

Saif served in the White House as Director for Technology and National Security at the National Security Council, focusing on semiconductor, AI, and quantum information technology policy, and as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. House Select Committee on the CCP.

Saif was also a Visiting Professor of the Practice at the University of Maryland Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) and a Research Fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). Saif has testified multiple times before Congress on AI, semiconductors, and China policy.

Saif also has experience as an IP lawyer in the technology industry and holds a J.D. from The Ohio State University and a B.S. and an M.A. in physics from Wayne State University.