DataRobot Names New Global AI Ethicist

Expert Data Scientist Haniyeh Mahmoudian, Ph.D., Appointed to Lead Company’s Development of Ethical AI Systems

April 21, 2021 – BOSTON – DataRobot, the leader in enterprise AI, today announced it has named Haniyeh Mahmoudian, Ph.D., as its new Global AI Ethicist, a role created to further the company’s mission to build and deliver trustworthy and ethical AI systems. Mahmoudian, an astrophysicist by training, previously served as a data science researcher for DataRobot, focusing on privacy, bias, trust, and ethics in AI. In her new role, she will lead the new DataRobot Applied AI Ethics Team, which will support thought leadership in AI ethics and create trusted technical resources and governance frameworks for DataRobot’s stakeholders.

“There remains some skepticism around the use of artificial intelligence, mostly due to concerns of bias and lack of transparency and explainability,” said Ted Kwartler, VP of Trusted AI at DataRobot. “DataRobot has built its reputation around the use of trustworthy AI systems and educating our customers about the responsible use of technology. Haniyeh has been central to those efforts, and we are excited to elevate her role within the company.”

The DataRobot Applied AI Ethics Team that Mahmoudian will lead was created to support not only thought leadership around ethical AI, but to also provide actionable guidance for the company’s customers, which cover one third of the Fortune 50, including some of the largest banks in the world, top U.S. health insurers, and defense, intelligence, and civilian agencies within the federal government.

“When used properly, AI can be a force for good and help contribute solutions to some of society’s most pressing issues, such as access to equitable healthcare,” said Mahmoudian. “The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired unprecedented interest in AI. However, to accomplish those goals we must ensure machine learning systems have trustworthy and ethical parameters built in from the start. I’m proud to lead DataRobot’s efforts to make AI tools accessible, trusted, and equitable for all stakeholders, including the medical community.”

Mahmoudian holds a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. She will be speaking on the important topic of Trust in AI at DataRobot’s AI Experience Worldwide virtual conference, taking place May 11-12.

About DataRobot  

DataRobot is the leader in enterprise AI, delivering trusted AI technology and enablement services to global enterprises competing in today’s Intelligence Revolution. DataRobot’s enterprise AI platform democratizes data science with end-to-end automation for building, deploying, and managing machine learning models. This platform maximizes business value by delivering AI at scale and continuously optimizing performance over time. The company’s proven combination of cutting-edge software and world-class AI implementation, training, and support services, empowers any organization – regardless of size, industry, or resources – to drive better business outcomes with AI.  

DataRobot has offices across the globe and funding from some of the world’s best investing firms including Alliance Bernstein, Altimeter, B Capital Group, Cisco, Citi Ventures, ClearBridge,  DFJ Growth, Geodesic Capital, Glynn Capital, Intel Capital, Meritech, NEA, Salesforce Ventures, Sands Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Silver Lake Waterman, Snowflake Ventures, Tiger Global, T. Rowe Price, and World Innovation Lab. DataRobot was named to the Forbes 2020 Cloud 100 list and the Forbes 2019 and 2020 Most Promising AI Companies lists, and was named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Advanced Machine Learning Software Platforms Vendor Assessment. For more information visit https://www.datarobot.com/, and join the conversation on the DataRobot Community, More Intelligent Tomorrow podcast, Twitter, and LinkedIn.