Kenneth O. Stanley

Kenneth O. Stanley

A black and white headshot of a middle-aged person with short hair, a slight smile, wearing a collared shirt and a dark blazer.

Dr. Kenneth Stanley is an AI and machine learning researcher (focused on open-ended discovery), author, and entrepreneur. He is co-author of the popular science book, Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective, and has spoken widely on its subject. He most recently led the open-endedness team at OpenAI. Prior to that, he was Charles Millican Professor of Computer Science at the University of Central Florida and was also a co-founder of Geometric Intelligence Inc., which was acquired by Uber to create Uber AI Labs, where he headed Core AI research.He invented several popular AI algorithms, including Neuroevolution of Augmenting Topologies (NEAT), HyperNEAT, and novelty search, among many others. He is currently building an open-ended, serendipity-focused social network called Maven.

Abstract collage featuring a human face, binary code, circuit patterns, stones, and wood texture shapes against a blue and black background, capturing the essence of innovation and the wisdom of hindsight.
AI researcher and author Ken Stanley wonders how our rear-view perspective on success fits into a serendipitous mode of innovation.