Eric Horvitz
Eric Horvitz is an American computer scientist and physician serving as Microsoft's Chief Scientific Officer, where he oversees company-wide scientific initiatives, particularly in artificial intelligence.[1] He holds Ph.D. and M.D. degrees from Stanford University and has advanced AI through foundational work on probabilistic reasoning, decision-making under uncertainty, and human-AI interaction.[1] Horvitz's research has influenced practical systems in domains including healthcare, transportation, and aerospace, emphasizing bounded rationality and multisensory integration.[1] He has received prestigious awards such as the Feigenbaum Prize and the ACM-AAAII Allen Newell Award for contributions bridging AI, human-computer interaction, and decision sciences.[2][1] A fellow of the National Academy of Engineering, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and Association for Computing Machinery, he previously directed Microsoft Research labs globally.[1] Horvitz chairs Microsoft's Aether Committee on AI effects and ethics, co-founded the Partnership on AI, and established the One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University to track long-term societal impacts.[1] He has served on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, advocating for balanced approaches to AI governance that prioritize empirical assessment over unsubstantiated alarmism.[1]