Steve Omohundro has been a scientist, professor, author, software architect, and entrepreneur. He is Founder and CEO of Beneficial AI Research which is working to ensure that artificial intelligence is safe and beneficial for humanity. Previously, he was a Research Scientist at Meta working on generative models and AI-based simulation, worked with many startups including AIBrain where he was Chief Scientist, and was a Research Scientist at the NEC Research Institute and at the International Computer Science Institute. He has degrees in Physics and Mathematics from Stanford and a Ph.D. in Physics from U.C. Berkeley. He was an award-winning computer science professor at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and cofounded the Center for Complex Systems Research.

Steve published the book “Geometric Perturbation Theory in Physics”, designed the first data parallel language StarLisp at Thinking Machines, wrote the 3D graphics for Mathematica, developed fast neural data structures like balltrees, designed the fastest and safest object-oriented language Sather, invented manifold learning, co-created the first neural focus of attention systems, co-designed the best lip reading system, invented model merging for fast one-shot learning, co-designed the best stochastic grammar learning system, co-created the first Bayesian image search engine PicHunter, invented self-improving AI, discovered the Basic AI Drives, and proposed many of the basic AI safety mechanisms including AI smart contracts. Steve is an award-winning teacher and has given hundreds of talks around the world. Some of his talks and scientific papers are available here. He holds the vision that new technologies can help humanity create a more compassionate, peaceful, and life-serving world.

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