Tom Gruber

Tom Gruber is an AI pioneer best known as the co-founder of Siri Inc, the cutting-edge technology used in Apple iPhones by millions of people daily. A humanistic AI advocate, he is a proponent of intelligence that collaborates with humans as opposed to competing or replacing them. As a world-leading authority on AI, he offers industry heads guidance on how to use the powerful technology, ensuring that it benefits and is aligned ethically and transparently with human values. Renowned for his TED Talk How AI Can Enhance Our Memory, Work and Social Lives, Tom is a highly sought-after speaker on future applications and implications of AI.

Whilst studying Psychology and Computer Science at Loyola University, New Orleans, Tom created a computer-assisted instruction system for programmed-curriculum courses, showcasing advanced skills in computer science. He went on to earn an MS in Computer and Information Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he built an intelligent communication prosthesis assistant. Tom earned his PhD in 1988, specialising in AI knowledge acquisition. Starting his career as a Research Scientist at Stanford University, he became the founder and Chief Technology Officer of Intraspect Software in 1995.

Tom became Chief Architect, Collaboration and Portal Product at Vignette before joining idbias as a Strategic Consultant and OurStory and Powerset as Technical Advisor. In 2005, Tom co-founded and became the Chief Technology Officer of RealTravel.com. He joined the Internet Archive as a Technical Advisor in 2007 before founding Knowledge Collaboration Design, a consultancy with clients from Wall Street and Silicon Valley. In 2008, he established Siri Inc, the world’s first mainstream consumer application of a Virtual Personal Assistant. After the ground-breaking technology was acquired by Apple in 2010, Tom became Head of Siri Advanced Developments at Apple.

An extremely influential figure in the machine learning domain, Tom is highly sought after for advisory roles. Currently a Technical Advisor at Mindstrong, he uses machine learning to help people with intelligent, pre-emptive brain health care. He is also a Scientific Advisor at the Center for Humane Technology, founder of Humanistic AI, and Chief AI Strategy Officer at Sherpa.ai. Now available to hire for speaking engagements, Tom is a preeminent expert on humanistic AI, eloquently covering topics such as ethical AI, transparency, safety, and privacy.

In June 2023 we sat down virtually with Tom Gruber and discussed how AI will shape our lives in the future. Watch our exclusive interview with Tom Gruber here.