Siri co-founder and AI pioneer
North America
Adam Cheyer might very well be the go-to person when it comes to the advancement of consumer experiences and business models in the AI and technology environment. The co-founder and VP Engineering of Viv labs, his focus was on simplifying the world by means of intelligence interfaces. The startup was taken over by Samsung in 2016.
Before his Viv experience, Adam Cheyer co-founded Siri, where he was VP Engineering. The company’s purpose was to redesign the consumer mobile experience. After the company was acquired by Apple, Adam stayed on and became a Director of Engineering in the iPhone/iOS group. Adam is also a co-founder of Sentient Technologies and a founding member and advisor of Change.org – a social network that works for a positive social change.
Before Siri, however, Adam worked in SRI’s Artificial Intelligence Center as Program Director. He was the Chief Architect of the CALO/PAL project, creating a next-generation cognitive assistant that learns and improves itself without code changes. He and his team were tasked, at the time, to integrate new AI technologies from 25 different research institutions, universities, and companies, into a system that would provide user value and pass a series of SAT-similar tests on an annual basis.
The AI specialist was also Dejima’s VP of Engineering. This company was later acquired by Sybase. His responsibilities included managing the engineering staff, technology, and strategy as well as guiding the company’s product development in the mobile field. His sting as VP of Engineering at Verticalnet, which was later bought over by BravoSolution, saw Adam responsible for the development of products for consortium marketplaces, private markets, and different enterprises.
Because of his more than fifteen years’ experience in different executive, engineering, and research roles, Adam Cheyer is considered a pioneer in the field of distributed computing, intelligent agents, and advanced user interfaces. He is also the author of 59 peer-reviewed publications and has over twenty issued patents under his belt. Adam has also been a participant in numerous Program Committees and Advisory Boards.
Adam Cheyer is considered by many to be one of the world’s top technology speakers. As a pioneer in the field and his wealth of experience in distributed, intelligent agents, and advanced user interfaces, this claim is not unfounded.
Speaking Topics
“To put it simply Adam is the most versatile and talented human being I ever worked with. His exceptional programming skills combined with realistic visions of the future, hands-on leadership and tireless enthusiasm is just unmatched. Everything becomes clear and simple when you run it through his brain: He has this ability to explode herculean projects in atomic tasks, making everyone involved in his teams proud of the accomplishments --- It was pure joy and excitement to go to work with him every day.”
“I think Adam can make just about anything work!”
“Adam is one of the brightest persons I know. He has the ability to analyze complex situations, reduce them to their very essence and come up with insightful recommendations and decisions. Adam is of course a recognized expert in software, the management of software development projects and of engineering teams, but it is that capacity to analyze, see the big picture, articulate and chart the right course that puts him above the rest.”
“When you combine an ability to simplify complex problems, raw enthusiasm, technical creativity, innate talent, and hard work you'll find a person like Adam. We haven't worked together since 2000, but we have collaborated in the intervening years. Adam's had a meteoric career because of the aforementioned qualities, but what's set him apart is his insatiable curiosity. He’s a great team leader and player. Wherever he goes, or whatever he does, you can be sure it’ll be fun, exhilarating and great results.”
“Adam is an outstanding researcher, manager, and software architect. It has been a great privilege to work with him on the PAL/CALO project. He combines extraordinary system design and engineering skills with the ability to see beyond the current deadlines to conceive completely novel approaches to system design. When other groups develop new technologies, he can see how to integrate and apply them in ways that significantly improve the end-user experience. His excellent people skills have been critical to the success of several of our joint efforts.”
“Adam is a truly visionary computer scientist, and he has a rare gift for creating incredibly compelling demonstrations of what is possible through new paradigms for computing and interaction. I've watched Adam do demos so mind-opening that they literally made me cry (in a good way!).”
“Adam is a giver. He spoke at my event to a group of early-stage founders about entrepreneurship and AI. He was candid, and you could literally feel the community around him being energized by his view of the future and human connection.”
“Adam is that rare leader who knows his technology at the cutting edge and can lead the technology team with heart and vision. The team at Siri adore Adam and would do anything for him. He has exceptional ability to make a practical, scalable, commercially viable product architecture out of components that otherwise keep PhD students off the streets. And he can bring that architecture to life with an all star team that seems to do more than anyone thought possible.”