Eric Horvitz serves as Microsoft’s Chief Scientific Officer. He spearheads company-wide initiatives, navigating opportunities and challenges at the confluence of scientific frontiers, technology, and society, including strategic efforts in AI. Dr. Horvitz is known for his contributions to AI theory and practice, with a focus on principles and applications of AI amidst the complexities of the open world. He received the Feigenbaum Prize and the Allen Newell Prize for his fundamental contributions to the science and practice of AI. He received the CHI Academy honor for his work at the intersection of AI and human-computer interaction. He has been elected fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI), National Academy of Engineering, Association of Computing Machinery, Association for the Advancement of AI (AAAI), American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.
He serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and advisory boards of the OECD, Allen Institute for AI, and Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI). He served as president of the AAAI, the Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine, and on advisory committees for the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, National Science Foundation, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
He has pursued programs, organizations, and studies on ethics, values, and safety with applications and influences of AI. He founded and chairs Microsoft’s Aether Committee which provides guidance to the company on technology and policy on AI safety, fairness, and accountability. He established the One Hundred Year Study on AI at Stanford University, co-founded the Partnership on AI, and served as a commissioner on the U.S. National Security Commission on AI. He earned the MD and PhD degrees at Stanford University. More information and publications can be found at https://erichorvitz.com.