Michael Kearns

Michael Kearns is a computer scientist and professor specializing in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic fairness. Kearns serves as a professor and National Center Chair at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is the founding director of the Singh Program in Networked & Social Systems Engineering and the Warren Center for Network and Data Sciences. He also holds secondary appointments in the Wharton School and the Department of Economics. Kearns earned a Ph.D. in computer science from Harvard University, with a dissertation titled "The Computational Complexity of Machine Learning." Before joining the University of Pennsylvania, he spent a decade at AT&T Labs and Bell Labs, including as head of the AI department.

Kearns is recognized for his contributions to the ethical dimensions of algorithmic systems. He co-authored "The Ethical Algorithm" with Aaron Roth, a general-audience book on designing algorithms that incorporate social values such as privacy and fairness. He is also the co-author of "An Introduction to Computational Learning Theory," published by MIT Press with Umesh Vazirani.

A question posed by Kearns and Leslie Valiant is credited as the origin of boosting machine learning algorithms, leading to the development of AdaBoost, which received the Gödel Prize. Kearns has published extensively in machine learning, artificial intelligence, algorithmic game theory, and quantitative finance. He has worked in quantitative and algorithmic trading at Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, SAC Capital, and Morgan Stanley.

At Amazon Web Services as an Amazon Scholar, Kearns has focused on fairness, privacy, and responsible AI topics. His work includes advancing algorithmic fairness and privacy in Amazon products and services, as well as engaging with regulators and policymakers on these issues. Kearns has addressed challenges in generative AI, including hallucinations, intellectual property, and demographic bias in large language models.

Kearns is an elected member or fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Association for Computing Machinery, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory. He serves as an advisor to technology companies and venture capital firms, and as an expert witness or consultant on technology-related legal and regulatory matters. Kearns is known for bridging academic research with industry application in artificial intelligence, quantitative finance, and technology policy.