Andrej Karpathy is a Slovak-Canadian computer scientist celebrated for his significant contributions to artificial intelligence and deep learning. He began his academic journey at the University of Toronto, where he earned a Ph.D. under the mentorship of Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneer in neural networks. His expertise in computer vision and deep learning caught the attention of the tech industry, leading him to co-found OpenAI in 2015. As a research scientist at OpenAI until 2017, Karpathy was instrumental in advancing AI methodologies and applications.
In June 2017, Karpathy transitioned to Tesla, where he took on the role of Director of Artificial Intelligence and Autopilot Vision. Reporting directly to Elon Musk, he led efforts to integrate cutting-edge AI technologies into Tesla’s self-driving systems. His work was pivotal in enhancing the company’s autonomous driving capabilities, earning him recognition as one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 in 2020.
After taking a sabbatical from Tesla, Karpathy announced his departure from the company in July 2022. He subsequently began sharing his knowledge through YouTube videos focused on creating artificial neural networks, further contributing to the AI community by educating others on complex concepts in an accessible way.
In February 2023, it was reported that Karpathy would return to OpenAI, rejoining a team dedicated to pioneering research in artificial intelligence. However, by February 2024, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed his departure, leaving open the possibility for his next innovative venture in the rapidly evolving field of AI.