Yuval Noah Harari
Historian, Philosopher & World's Most-Read Nonfiction Author | Professor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem | Co-Founder, Sapienship | Author of Sapiens & Nexus
Tom Gruber
Co-Founder, CTO & Head of Design of Siri | Pioneer of Humanistic AI | AI Designer, Inventor & Entrepreneur | Founding Board Member, Partnership on AI
Tom Gruber helped invent the way we talk to our machines. A co-founder, CTO, and head of design of Siri, acquired by Apple and now used billions of times a day, he is a pioneer of "Humanistic AI": technology built to augment people, not replace them. Decades before ChatGPT, he was designing AI to make us smarter. On stage, he turns deep expertise into a clear, optimistic view of AI's future.
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Tom Gruber biography
Tom Gruber helped invent the way we talk to our machines. As a co-founder, CTO, and head of design of Siri, he built the first intelligent personal assistant used by everyone, technology now woven into billions of devices, and he did it guided by a conviction that has only grown more urgent: that the purpose of artificial intelligence is to augment human capability, not replace it. Decades before ChatGPT, Gruber was designing AI to make people smarter, and he remains one of the field’s most thoughtful and credible voices.
AI speaker Tom Gruber co-founded Siri, which Apple acquired in 2010, and then led its advanced development at Apple for eight years, shaping a product now used billions of times a day. A computer scientist and designer by training, he did foundational work in ontology engineering and the Semantic Web, invented early collective-knowledge systems, and has spent his career building technology that connects human and machine intelligence. He is a founding board member of the Partnership on AI and a leading advocate for the ethical, humane design of AI systems.
Humanistic AI: Technology That Makes Us Smarter
Gruber is best known today for the concept of “Humanistic AI,” which he introduced in a widely viewed TED talk: the idea that we face a genuine choice between using AI to automate and compete with people, or to augment and collaborate with them. He shows how the same technology can either diminish human agency or dramatically expand it, enhancing memory, creativity, health, and connection, and argues that the design choices we make now will determine which future we get. Drawing on forty years at the frontier, he traces the arc from the early web to Siri to today’s large language models with rare authority.
As a speaker, Tom Gruber is visionary yet grounded, translating deep technical expertise into clear, optimistic, and actionable insight for business audiences. He speaks on the real trajectory of artificial intelligence, humanistic AI and human-machine collaboration, the ethics and design of responsible AI, and how organizations can harness AI to augment their people rather than sideline them. Audiences leave with a clear-eyed, hopeful framework for the most important technology of our time, from someone who helped create it.
Tom Gruber Speaking Videos
How AI can enhance our memory, work and social lives | Tom Gruber
AI, Big Data, and Humanity in 2024: Our new relationship with AI
Tom Gruber Keynote Topics
Gruber introduced the concept that has come to define his work: AI designed to collaborate with people rather than compete with them. In this signature keynote he shows how the same technology can either erode or expand human agency, and how businesses and society can deliberately choose the path where AI enhances memory, creativity, judgment, and connection. A hopeful, clarifying vision from the person who helped bring conversational AI to the world.
Few people can trace the arc of artificial intelligence with Gruber's authority. Drawing on forty years at the frontier and his front-row role in creating Siri, he cuts through the hype and fear to explain what today's AI can and cannot do, where it is genuinely heading, and what it means for business. Audiences gain a credible, grounded map of the AI landscape from an insider who has been building it for decades.
As AI systems grow more powerful, the choices behind how they are designed matter more than ever. A founding board member of the Partnership on AI, Gruber examines how the same technologies that can manipulate and addict can instead be built to serve human wellbeing. He offers leaders a practical framework for thinking about the ethics, incentives, and design decisions that determine whether AI helps or harms.
The organizations that win with AI, Gruber argues, will be those that use it to make their people more capable, not merely to cut them out. He shows business leaders how to apply the principles of humanistic AI inside their own companies, deploying AI to enhance the creativity, memory, and decision-making of their teams, and building a culture where humans and intelligent machines genuinely collaborate.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Tom Gruber
Why Tom Gruber?
Booking Tom Gruber gives audiences a genuine architect of the AI era, the co-creator of Siri, speaking with rare authority and optimism about where artificial intelligence is really heading. Unlike commentators who arrived with the current wave, Gruber has spent forty years building this technology, which lends unusual credibility to his grounded, hype-free perspective. His concept of "Humanistic AI" gives leaders a genuinely useful lens: a way to think about deploying AI to augment their people rather than replace them. Visionary, articulate, and refreshingly hopeful, he helps audiences understand the most important technology of our time and make better decisions about it. He is ideal for events on AI, technology, innovation, and the future of work. To bring Tom Gruber to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Tom Gruber?
Tom Gruber is an American computer scientist, designer, inventor, and entrepreneur best known as a co-founder, CTO, and head of design of Siri, the intelligent personal assistant acquired by Apple in 2010. He led Siri's advanced development at Apple for about eight years and has spent his career building artificial intelligence that augments human capability. A pioneer in ontology engineering and collective-knowledge systems, he is a founding board member of the Partnership on AI and a leading advocate for humanistic and ethical AI. He introduced the widely cited concept of "Humanistic AI" in his TED talk and is a sought-after keynote speaker on the future of artificial intelligence.
What is "Humanistic AI"?
"Humanistic AI" is the concept Tom Gruber is best known for, which he introduced in his TED talk. It describes artificial intelligence designed to augment and collaborate with people rather than to automate, compete with, or replace them. Gruber argues that society faces a genuine choice in how AI is built and deployed: the same underlying technology can either diminish human agency, as with attention-exploiting social media, or dramatically enhance human memory, creativity, health, and connection. Humanistic AI is a design philosophy and a call to build AI systems whose objective is human benefit, a framework that has become increasingly influential as AI grows more powerful.
What topics does AI speaker Tom Gruber cover?
Tom Gruber speaks on the real future of artificial intelligence, humanistic AI and human-machine collaboration, the ethics and design of responsible AI, and how organizations can use AI to augment their people. His keynotes suit events on AI, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and the future of work. To book Tom Gruber as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Tom Gruber as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Tom Gruber as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Tom Gruber's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Tom Gruber or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Tom Gruber speaking fee?
Tom Gruber speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Tom Gruber to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Tom Gruber.
How can I contact Tom Gruber?
We only work with Tom Gruber on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Tom Gruber and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Tom Gruber speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Tom Gruber for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Tom Gruber for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Tom Gruber is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Tom Gruber for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
