Damon Horowitz

Damon Horowitz is a philosophy professor and entrepreneur recognized for his work at the intersection of technology, artificial intelligence, and the humanities. Horowitz holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University, a Master of Science in artificial intelligence from the MIT Media Lab, and a doctorate in philosophy from Stanford University. His academic background, spanning computer science, AI, and moral philosophy, has shaped his career in the technology sector.

Horowitz has founded several startups focused on natural language processing and AI, including Aardvark, Perspecta, Novation Biosciences, and NewsDB. His role as co-founder of Aardvark, a social search engine, led to his position as In-House Philosopher and Director of Engineering at Google, where he led company-wide initiatives on personalization and data privacy. At Google, Horowitz advocated for integrating humanities perspectives to encourage ethical innovation in technology.

Horowitz is known for his TED talks on teaching philosophy in prison and the ethics of the technology industry. In his talk on a "moral operating system," he challenged technologists to engage with ethical philosophy, emphasizing the importance of addressing moral questions in AI and technology development. Another TED talk highlighted his experiences teaching philosophy at San Quentin State Prison, exploring issues of ethics and justice. Horowitz is a frequent public speaker at conferences such as TED, AAAI, and O'Reilly, and his work has appeared in media outlets including The New York Times, Discovery Channel, NPR, and TechCrunch.

Horowitz teaches in the Core Curriculum at Columbia University and has previously taught philosophy, cognitive science, and computer science at Stanford, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, and San Quentin State Prison. He consults for organizations with a focus on AI and ethics and has served on the board of several arts and humanities nonprofits. Horowitz also founded The Oracular Theatre, directing its production of "Julius Caesar." His work addresses ethical decision-making in technology and the role of the humanities in shaping responsible innovation.