Amanda Johnstone

Amanda Johnstone is an Australian technology entrepreneur recognized for her work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and human potential. She is the founder and CEO of Transhuman Inc., also known as Social Health Innovations, Inc., a company specializing in mental health and emotion AI technology. Johnstone has contributed to the fields of neuroscience, AI ethics, and human behavior, and is known for her collaborations with Fortune 500 companies, governments, and global leaders to design and implement people-centered AI solutions.

Johnstone began her entrepreneurial career early, co-founding the retail chain Sebachi in Tasmania at age 17. Sebachi became one of Australia's first e-commerce stores. She also served as Australia's first Youth Development Officer in local government at the West Tamar Council and held management, policy, and strategy roles in suicide prevention at a youth suicide prevention retreat in Tasmania for 15 years. These experiences influenced her focus on mental health technology and inspired the development of her proprietary mental health app, "Be A Looper," and EmotionAI technologies.

"Be A Looper" is a free mental health daily check-in app available in 87 countries. The app enables users to connect with support networks and has been recognized as a finalist in the Global Mobile Award Worlds by GSMA for "Best Use of Mobile for Accessibility & Inclusion," a silver winner in the DrivenXDesign design awards, and featured by Singularity University in the "Technologies of the Future" series. Through Transhuman Inc., Johnstone also developed .emotion, a file format for electronic protected health data, and is a co-patent holder of methods for tracking and responding to mental health statuses and for deriving and storing emotional conditions of humans.

Johnstone has received recognition in technology and leadership, including being named one of 10 "Next Generation Leaders" under 35 globally by TIME Magazine, the first Australian to receive the honor. She has been commended in the Australian Federal Parliament for her work in suicide prevention, named Startup Executive of the Year by The CEO Magazine, recognized as a Top Voice of AI by LinkedIn, and listed among the Top 16 AI Influencers by Salesforce. Additional honors include being named among the Top 50 Australian and New Zealand Women in Tech by Startup Daily and featured in the International Women in Leadership Showcase by MYOB and SmartCompany.

Johnstone is a keynote speaker and panelist on emerging technologies and leadership for organizations such as YPO, Allianz, Stanford, Kellogg's, Google Cloud, Optus, the Australian Government, Commonwealth Bank, the Education Department, MYOB, and Zoom. She hosts "Talk Nerdy To Me," a social audio show with 300,000 subscribers. Her keynote topics include the agent economy, the AI-transformed workforce, EmotionAI, the Internet of Bodies, data ethics, wearable and ambient technology, augmented and virtual reality, healthcare transformation, smart cities, and women in leadership. Johnstone's work continues to influence the integration of technology and human well-being in the AI and mental health sectors.