Larry Heck

Eminent AI Researcher and Educator

Larry Heck is a prominent figure in the field of artificial intelligence, currently serving as the Chief Scientist of Tech AI at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He holds a joint appointment as a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the School of Interactive Computing. Additionally, he is the Executive Director of the Machine Learning Center and the AI Hub at Georgia Tech, where he focuses on advancing AI education and research.1 2 3

Education and Career

Larry Heck earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 1986, followed by a Master’s and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1989 and 1991, respectively. He has a rich history in industry research, spending nearly 30 years in various roles before returning to academia in 2021. His career highlights include:

Senior Research Engineer at SRI International (1992-1998): He contributed significantly to speech technology and was involved in developing deep learning applications for speech processing.
VP of R&D at Nuance Communications (1998-2005): He led efforts in speech recognition and natural language processing.
VP of Search and Advertising Sciences at Yahoo! (2005-2009): He oversaw the development of algorithms that generated substantial revenue for the company.
Chief Scientist of Microsoft Speech Products (2009-2014): He co-founded the Cortana virtual assistant and advanced Microsoft’s speech technologies.
Principal Scientist at Google Research (2014-2017): He founded the Deep Dialogue team, focusing on conversational AI.
CEO of Viv Labs and SVP at Samsung (2017-2021): He was instrumental in developing Samsung's Bixby virtual assistant and led AI research initiatives in North America.1 4 5

Research Interests

Dr. Heck's research spans various domains, including machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and conversational systems. He is particularly interested in developing next-generation AI assistants and exploring the integration of AI in real-world applications. His work aims to create autonomous digital humans capable of natural communication in mixed-reality environments.2 3 4

Achievements and Recognition

Larry Heck is a Fellow of the IEEE and has received numerous accolades, including the Distinguished Engineer Award from Texas Tech University and the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award from Georgia Tech. He holds over 60 patents and has published more than 150 scientific articles, solidifying his reputation as a leader in AI and speech processing technologies.1 5 6