The Humanity of AI

Executive Chairman, CognitiveScale

Manoj is the Executive Chairman of CognitiveScale and a founding Chairman of AI Global, a non-profit dedicated to the ethical and responsible adoption of AI. Until recently, he was Chairman of the board of the US Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, San Antonio and served for six years in that role.  

Previously, he served as the first General Manager of IBM Watson, where his team built the first cognitive systems. Prior to IBM, Saxena was the founder and CEO of two venture-backed software companies which were acquired within a five-year span.

Saxena is currently on the Board of AI Global a non-profit dedicated to promoting practical and responsible applications of AI and the Saxena Family Foundation. Saxena is also a member of the London Stock Exchange Technology Advisory Board. He is also a Lecturer at the University of Texas Austin where he teaches a course on the design of ethical artificial intelligence systems.  

Saxena holds a postgraduate degree in business administration from Michigan State University, and a graduate degree in management sciences from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science in Pilani, India.  Holder of nine software patents.

National Transformation & AI Officer, Microsoft

Nuzio has more than 24 years of experience in the technology industry spanning product development, services, sales, and customer success.  With a proven track record of delivering significant business value for organizations across Canada, Nuzio is passionate about driving technical innovation and taking a customer-obsessed approach to his work. As part of the Canadian Leadership Team at Microsoft Canada and in his role as National Transformation & AI Officer, Nuzio is responsible for providing leadership to drive and accelerate Microsoft AI engines across all the segments of the business.  Of critical importance in this time of rapid technological evolution is to have discussions about the value and principles of delivering an ethical approach with AI so that we innovate responsibly. Nuzio engages externally as a spokesperson to build AI mindshare in Canada. In addition to his focus on AI, Nuzio is the executive sponsor for Innovation Superclusters in Canada and is responsible for ensuring overall success in driving the innovation agenda.