Rana El Kaliouby

Rana El Kaliouby is the deputy CEO at Smart Eye, a global leader in the field of Emotional AI. As a computer scientist, technologist, entrepreneur and business leader, Rana combines her expertise to support her mission of developing AI that can understand advanced facial expressions, body language and emotional states. As such, she is a proficient speaker on the Human Perception of AI, in addition to being a passionate advocate for innovation, ethics in AI and diversity.

Educated at the American University of Cairo, Rana holds both a BSc and an MSc in computer science. Rana also holds a PhD from the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge. Initially working as a Research Scientist at MIT Media Lab, Rana went on to co-found Affectiva, working as the CEO, she led the company to invent award-winning emotional recognition technology. The company also conducted pioneering research, using 8.8 million faces from 87 countries, they analysed facial expressions and tone of voice to detect complex and nuanced emotions and cognitive states. As an astute businesswoman, Rana raised over $50 million for Affectiva and later sold the company to Smart Eye in 2021. Rana’s work with Affectiva is widely used by leading companies in the automotive industry to improve road safety and deliver more personalised transportation experiences. Furthermore, 25% of Fortune 500 companies use Affectiva’s technology to test consumer engagement with ads, videos, and TV programming. Recently, Rana was appointed as an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School where she co-teaches AI-related classes.

Rana is the bestselling author of Girl Decoded, which was co-authored with Carol Colman, she has also published research in Harvard Business Review. Standing out in the field of AI, Rana co-hosted Nova Wonders, a PBS Nova Series tackling challenging questions about life and the cosmos. As an exceptionally talented inventor, academic and businesswoman, Rana has received multiple awards including Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech, WIRED’s 25 Geniuses, and World Economic Forum Young Leader. She was inducted into the Women in Engineering Hall of Fame and was named on the 2018 Thinkers 5O Radar list.

Her outstanding contribution to AI has seen Rana feature in leading publications such as Wired, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, CBS, CNN, and Fortune to mention a few. Furthermore, as a highly articulate speaker, Rana is known for her ability to simplify the most complex scientific concepts to match any audience, and previously gave a TED Talk where she profoundly impressed her audience with her knowledge and delivery. A visionary and a leading pioneer, Rana is at the forefront of Emotional AI technology and an exceptional speaker to book.