Amir Husain

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Amir Husain
Amir-Husain-TEDx.jpg
Husain at a TEDxUTAustin talk in 2019.
Born (1977-11-07) November 7, 1977 (age 44)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityAmerican
EducationBA, Computer Science
OccupationEntrepreneur, Author, Inventor
Known forFounder of ,
Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneur
Websiteamirhusain.com

Amir Husain[1] is an American artificial intelligence (AI) entrepreneur, founder of the Austin-based company, , and author of the book, The Sentient Machine.

Childhood & Education[]

Husain was born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. His father was a businessman while his mother was an educator. At the age of four, Husain interacted with his first computer: A Commodore 64. Amazed by what the machine could do, he went back to his room and started building a contraption of a computer out of toys and cardboard, starting his lifelong obsession with computer science. He dropped out of middle school in the eighth grade, and began writing software and selling it for a profit. At the age of 15, Husain began attending the Punjab Institute of Computer Science from which he graduated two years later with a bachelor's degree in computer science.[2]

After graduating, Husain spent time searching for an ideal research organization, and eventually found the Distributed Multimedia Computing Laboratory (DMCL) at the University of Texas at Austin. He joined UT Austin in 1996, but upon arrival was denied entrance to the Masters program, because of his young age. He then spent a year in the Bachelors program in computer science and obtained a second BS degree from the University of Texas at Austin. While still an undergraduate, he obtained his desired position at DMCL. In 1999, while working towards his Ph.D., Husain dropped out and launched his first start-up, Kurion.[2]

Career[]

Husain launched Kurion in 1999, a web services company offering website personalization engines.[2][3] The company was purchased in 2001 by iSyndicate, then the largest internet content syndication company.[2]

In 2002, the second startup he had founded, Inframanage, merged with ClearCube Technology. Husain became Chief Technology Officer at ClearCube, and later, CEO of ClearCube's software spin-off.[2]

In 2013, Husain founded , an artificial intelligence company.[2][4] His first investor at the new company was Michael Dell. Boeing, CME Group, Verizon, State Street and others followed.[2] Since its inception, the company has gained clients such as Apergy,[4][5] Boeing and Aker BP,[6] Honeywell Aerospace,[7] Flowserve,[8] and Defense Innovation Unit.[9] As of June 2019, SparkCognition had raised more than $175M through VC investors.[10]

In 2018, Husain became CEO of SkyGrid, a joint venture between Boeing and SparkCognition aimed at developing an aerial operating system that uses AI and blockchain technology to integrate autonomous cargo and passenger aircraft into the aerospace industry.[11]

In 2020, Husain joined the inaugural Board of SparkCognition Government Systems (SGS), the world’s first full-spectrum AI company devoted entirely to government and national defense, chaired by former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Robert O. Work.[12]

Organizational Affiliations[]

Husain served on the Board of Advisors for IBM Watson and the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Computer Science. The Department honored him at their 50th anniversary by selecting him as one of five speakers representing an “alumni showcase”.[13] Amir is a current member of the Council on Foreign Relations and served on its Task Force on U.S. Innovation Strategy and National Security, which was chaired by Admiral William H. McRaven. In 2019, the task force published the report Keeping Our Edge[14] which offers new ways for the U.S. to address innovation in national security.[15]

Husain served on the Center for a New American Security's Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and National Security,[16] which was launched in 2013 and chaired by former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work and Dr. Andrew Moore, Dean of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Husain is a current member of the NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Innovation and Coordination Cell’s (MUSIC^2) MUS Innovation Advisory Board (IAB).[17] Inspired by Amir’s talks on Exponential Technologies, the IAB was formed in 2020 and aims to amplify the MUS mission of accelerating the pace of development and integration of unmanned systems in Allied and Partner navies.

Awards, Patents, & Achievements[]

Husain has been named Top Technology Entrepreneur of the Year by the Austin Business Journal.[18] Other awards he has received include being listed as an Onalytica Top 100 Artificial Intelligence Influencer,[18] receiving the Austin Under 40 Technology and Science Award in 2016,[19] and being a finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018.[20]

Husain has 33 awarded patents to his name, and several dozen additional patents pending.[1][21] He has been published in journals such as Network World [13] Computerworld,[13] and the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings,[22] along with major news outlets such as Foreign Policy.[23] A computer designed by Husain is in the collection of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.[13][24] He has also received various awards from CRN, Nokia, PC World, and VMworld, among others.[13]

Philanthropy[]

In 2020, Husain, along with his wife Zaib, made a donation of $5M to the University of Texas at Austin, funding the launch of UT's Machine Learning Laboratory. The lab aims to provide a hub for collaboration among faculty, researchers, and students from across UT, as well as permanent support for students and faculty in the field of Artificial Intelligence.[25]

Personal life[]

Husain married Zaib (née Iqtidar) in 2002.[2] He lives in Austin, Texas.[26]

Bibliography[]

  • Husain, Amir (1995). The distributed learning environment (DLE). IEEE Conference.[27]
  • Husain, Amir (1997). The Interaktiv tutor. IEEE Conference.[28]
  • Husain, Amir (2014). The Sentient Machine: The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence. New York, NY: Scribner. ISBN 978-1501144677.
  • Husain, Amir; Allen, John R.; Work, Robert O.; Cole, August; Scharre, Paul; Porter, Bruce; Anderson, Wendy R.; Townsend, Jim (2018). Hyperwar: Conflict and Competition in the AI Century. SparkCognition Press. ISBN 978-1732597006.

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Patents by Inventor Amir Husain". Justia. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Dinah Eng (2019-02-19). "Amir Husain Is Building the Future of A.I." Fortune.
  3. ^ Walker, Rob (2000-10-01). "Momentumville". CNN Money.
  4. ^ a b "SparkCognition-Developed To Solve Major Problems Organizations Face Daily". Innovate. 2019.
  5. ^ Foster, Tom (2020). "These 5 Power Players Show Why Austin Is the Most Exciting Startup Hub in the U.S." Inc.
  6. ^ Hawkins, Lori (2019-10-08). "Austin's SparkCognition raises $100 million to boost AI platform". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  7. ^ Kartchner, Chad (2017-04-04). "Honeywell: Three ingredients for augmented intelligence". IBM.
  8. ^ "SparkCognition partners with IBM to provide revolutionary security solutions to customers". IBM. 2017.
  9. ^ Censer, Marjorie (2017-08-03). "SparkCognition wins DIUx award". Inside Defense. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  10. ^ Spalding, Rebecca (2019-10-08). "Boeing-backed start-up SparkCognition raises $100 million". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  11. ^ Neville, Jen (2018-11-20). "Boeing and SparkCognition to Launch Joint Venture SkyGrid". Infocast. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  12. ^ "About Amir Husain". 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Amir Husain". The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  14. ^ "Keeping Our Edge" (PDF). Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  15. ^ "Membership Roster". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  16. ^ "CNAS Launches Artificial Intelligence Task Force". Center for a New American Security. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  17. ^ "The Maritime Unmanned Systems Innovation and Coordination Cell (MUSIC^2) Announces the Formation of the MUS Innovation Advisory Board". US Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  18. ^ a b Shakil, Wasif (2018-11-22). "By giving minds to machines, a Pakistani-American whizkid is retooling the future". The News International. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  19. ^ "2016 Austin Under 40 Award Winners". Austin Under 40. 2016. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  20. ^ "26 Central Texans pushing the envelope: EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists unveiled for 2018". Austin Business Journal. 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  21. ^ "USPTO Search Results for Amir Husain". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  22. ^ Allen, General John R.; Husain, Amir (July 2017). "On Hyperwar". Proceedings. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  23. ^ Allen, John R.; Husain, Amir (2017-11-03). "The Next Space Race Is Artificial Intelligence". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  24. ^ "Artifact Details". Computer History Museum. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  25. ^ "About Amir". University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  26. ^ "About Amir". AmirHusain.com. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  27. ^ "IEEE The distributed learning environment (DLE)". IEEE. doi:10.1109/ICSMC.1995.538470. S2CID 62699272. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  28. ^ "IEEE The Interaktiv tutor". IEEE. doi:10.1109/ICSMC.1997.635332. S2CID 61764781. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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