Alexander (Sami) Kardos-Nyheim

Alexander (Sami) Kardos-Nyheim first made headlines while still a pupil at City of London School, leading a successful campaign at the age of 15 to save historic Bermondsey homes from redevelopment. After reading Law at Trinity College, Cambridge, he trained as a solicitor at A&O Shearman while simultaneously founding the AI research company Safe Sign Technologies. The company was acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2024, where Sami now continues to lead the business alongside his legal practice and public law work.

“I’m an AI entrepreneur and public lawyer.”
My career has always had two strands. One is developing AI, and the other is using the law to help people. I trained as a solicitor because I believed law could be a force for fairness, but while I was still at Allen & Overy I founded an AI research company with the aim of making reliable legal AI available to ordinary people. That company eventually grew to around 30 people before being acquired by Thomson Reuters.

Today I still lead the business, now within Thomson Reuters, where our team has expanded to around 300 researchers and engineers working closely with Imperial College London on advanced AI research. Alongside that, I continue to practise law and lead two other organisations I’ve founded: the Urban Development Reform Organisation, which provides pro bono legal support and campaigns for planning reform in both the UK and the United States, as well as The Cambridge Journal of Law, Politics, and Art, an internationally recognised academic journal distributed in over 140 countries.

The campaign that changed everything
The reason I became a lawyer began when I was in the Fifth Form at City.

Developers were attempting to demolish the neighbourhood where my family lived in Bermondsey. Many residents couldn’t afford legal representation, so I found myself researching planning law, historical records and local archives while studying for my GCSEs. With guidance from teachers including Mr Ellis-Rees, Mr McBroom, Mr Jones, Miss Rose and Mr Swan, I built the legal and historical case against the redevelopment.

Just before my sixteenth birthday I presented that case before the local mayor and a panel of officials, opposite a major law firm representing the developers. The panel ultimately ruled in our favour, preserving the community.

That experience taught me that careful research, hard work and the law can genuinely change outcomes, regardless of your age or background. It shaped everything that followed.

Why AI and law belong together
That same experience also inspired Safe Sign Technologies. Our ambition was simple: to build AI reliable enough for people to trust with life’s most important decisions, particularly legal and medical problems.

The acquisition by NASDAQ-listed tech giant Thomson Reuters inevitably created some moral tension. We had started with the goal of democratising access to legal advice, and suddenly our technology belonged to one of the world’s largest information companies.

I’ve tried to address that by working within Thomson Reuters to expand access to the technology through organisations such as Citizens Advice, allowing advice centres to help far more people than would otherwise be possible. If AI is capable of assisting lawyers at leading firms, it should also benefit those who cannot afford legal representation.

Will AI replace lawyers?
AI will undoubtedly change the legal profession, particularly routine legal work. Many of the services currently provided by high street firms can increasingly be delivered more efficiently through technology.

I see that less as a threat than as an opportunity to make legal services more affordable. Large corporations spend only a tiny proportion of their income on legal advice, while individuals facing divorce, bereavement or housing disputes often spend a significant share of theirs. If AI can reduce that imbalance, I think that is ultimately healthy for society.

Looking back on City
City taught me two qualities that have stayed with me throughout my career: intellectual rigour and humility.

The standards were exceptionally high, but success was never treated as something to inflate your ego. The message was always: work hard, improve continuously and earn your achievements. At Cambridge and later in my career I met many talented people, but City stood out for producing people with substance rather than simply confidence.

The school also taught me how to juggle multiple demanding commitments. Alongside four A Levels, an EPQ, debating and academic competitions, I was already working on planning reform proposals that were later presented to the House of Lords and the Mayor of London. That ability to move quickly between different challenges and contexts proved invaluable when balancing legal training with building a company.

Teachers who made a difference
The support I received during the Bermondsey campaign remains one of my strongest memories of City.

Several teachers gave up their own time to help me navigate archives and strengthen my research. When the campaign succeeded and I returned to school after a week away, the staff organised a surprise round of applause. It was a small gesture, but one that showed how much they valued students pursuing meaningful work beyond the classroom. I owe them a great deal.

Beyond the classroom
Outside lessons, I was heavily involved in debating and academic competitions, though I deliberately avoided prefect roles and school politics. My greatest academic passion was Classics, and my childhood summers were spent in rural Tuscany exploring archaeological sites with family. It remains my favourite way to switch off from law and technology.

One piece of advice from City has stayed with me. When Lord Heseltine visited the school, he told me that before entering public life, I should first become a genuine expert in something—to master a field and gain real substance before trying to lead others. That emphasis on substance before profile has shaped my career ever since.

Looking back, City was demanding, but I always knew it was where I needed to be. The school challenged its pupils relentlessly while combining high expectations with humour, humility and genuine care. Those qualities continue to influence everything I do today.