AI Researcher Eric Horvitz is Class Day Speaker

Eric Horvitz, MD, PhD, is chief scientific officer of Microsoft, where he leads research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, biosciences, and health care, focusing on applying AI to real-world problems while addressing ethical and societal implications.  His research spans applications in health care, transportation, commerce, and aerospace. Horvitz also leads initiatives on AI safety and ethics, including Microsoft’s Aether Committee and the One Hundred Year Study on AI at Stanford University. 

He serves on advisory boards including Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI and the Allen Institute for AI. He has advised U.S. policymakers through roles with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the National Security Commission on AI, and federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Defense Advanced Research Products Agency. He co-founded the Partnership on AI and has held leadership roles in major AI professional societies.  

A fellow of the National Academy of Engineering and several leading scientific societies, Horvitz has received major awards for contributions to AI and human-computer interaction, including the Feigenbaum Prize and the Allen Newell Prize. He received his MD and PhD degrees at Stanford.