# Eric Horvitz

> American computer scientist

**Wikidata**: [Q5386755](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5386755)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Horvitz)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/eric-horvitz

## Summary
Eric Horvitz is an American computer scientist and researcher at Microsoft Research. He is known for contributions to artificial intelligence, human–computer interaction, and decision-making under uncertainty, and is a recipient of major honors including the ACM‑AAAI Allen Newell Award.

## Biography
- Born: 1958
- Nationality: United States
- Education: Doctor of Philosophy (Stanford University)
- Known for: Contributions to probability and utility in computation, reasoning and decision making under limited resources, human–computer interaction, and machine learning
- Employer(s): Microsoft Research; Microsoft (employment at Microsoft begins documented 1993-09-07)
- Field(s): Computer science; artificial intelligence; human–computer interaction; machine learning

## Contributions
Eric Horvitz has produced a body of research in artificial intelligence and human–computer interaction focused on probabilistic methods, utility-sensitive computation, and reasoning under limited computational resources. His scholarly identity is documented across major bibliographic systems (DBLP author h/EricHorvitz, Google Scholar ID V4OPEAgAAAAJ, Mathematical Reviews / MR author ID 339461, Microsoft Academic ID 1970391018). He earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Stanford University under advisors Ronald A. Howard and George B. Dantzig. Horvitz’s work has been explicitly recognized by professional societies: he was elected an AAAI Fellow (2002) “for significant contributions to principles and applications of probability and utility in computation, including reasoning and decision making under limited resources, human-computer interaction, and machine learning,” and later named an ACM Fellow (2014) for contributions to artificial intelligence and human–computer interaction. He received the ACM‑AAAI Allen Newell Award (2015). From 2019 he has served as a commissioner on the U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. His research and leadership have been disseminated through standard scholarly channels and institutional service at Microsoft Research.

## FAQs
### Q: Who is Eric Horvitz?
A: Eric Horvitz is an American computer scientist and researcher affiliated with Microsoft Research, known for work in artificial intelligence, human–computer interaction, and decision-making under uncertainty.

### Q: Where did Eric Horvitz study?
A: He earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Stanford University. His doctoral advisors included Ronald A. Howard and George Bernard Dantzig.

### Q: What major honors has Eric Horvitz received?
A: He is a Fellow of AAAI (2002), a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011), an ACM Fellow (2014), a Fellow of AAAS (2009), a member of the CHI Academy (2013), and a recipient of the ACM‑AAAI Allen Newell Award (2015).

## Why They Matter
Eric Horvitz’s work has shaped research directions where probabilistic reasoning, utility considerations, and human–computer interaction intersect. His contributions to applying probability and utility to computation and to reasoning and decision making under limited resources provided formal frameworks and applied methods that underlie parts of modern AI research. Recognition by multiple leading organizations (AAAI, ACM, AAAS, American Academy of Arts and Sciences) signals both the technical depth and cross-disciplinary reach of his work. At Microsoft Research, his scholarship and institutional roles connected academic advances with industrial research practice. Serving on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence further extended his influence into policy and national-level deliberations about AI. Without his contributions and leadership, the formal integration of decision-theoretic principles into practical AI systems and the bridging of AI with human-centered design would have had a different trajectory, and several professional communities would lack one of their prominent advocates for probabilistic and utility-based approaches.

## Notable For
- Receiving the ACM‑AAAI Allen Newell Award (2015).
- Election as an AAAI Fellow (2002) for work on probability, utility, reasoning, and decision making under limited resources.
- Being named an ACM Fellow (2014) for contributions to artificial intelligence and human–computer interaction.
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2009).
- Serving as a member of the U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (from 2019).

## Body

### Personal and Identifiers
- Full name: Eric Joel Horvitz.
- Birth year: 1958.
- Gender: Male.
- ISNI: 0000000054576567.
- VIAF ID: 311347899.
- Library of Congress authority ID: nr96040537.
- Mathematics Genealogy Project ID: 83501.
- Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Eric-horvitz-microsoft-portrait.jpg (point in time: 2014-12-10).
- Social media: Twitter @erichorvitz; Facebook Eric.Horvitz.

### Education and Academic Lineage
- Doctor of Philosophy, Stanford University.
- Doctoral advisors: Ronald A. Howard; George Bernard Dantzig.

### Career and Employment
- Employer: Microsoft Research; documented employment with Microsoft beginning 1993-09-07.
- Affiliation: Member of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (start time 2019).
- Professional memberships: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) — ACM Fellow status recorded (2014/2015), American Academy of Arts and Sciences, AAAI.

### Honors and Awards
- AAAI Fellow (2002) — citation for contributions to probability and utility in computation, reasoning and decision making under limited resources, human–computer interaction, and machine learning.
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011).
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2009).
- CHI Academy inductee (2013).
- ACM Fellow (2014/2015) — recognized for contributions to artificial intelligence and human–computer interaction.
- ACM‑AAAI Allen Newell Award (2015).

### Research Focus and Scholarly Output
- Primary research areas: probabilistic reasoning, utility-sensitive computation, decision making under limited computational resources, human–computer interaction, and machine learning.
- Bibliographic and author identifiers: DBLP author h/EricHorvitz; Google Scholar ID V4OPEAgAAAAJ; MR author ID 339461; Microsoft Academic ID 1970391018.
- Scholarly dissemination: Published research indexed in standard bibliographic databases (as indicated by author IDs and institutional records).

### Public Service and Policy Roles
- Commissioner, National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (2019 — documented start time).
- Engagements and recognitions reflect contributions to both academic research communities and policy/industry conversations about AI.

### Online and Library Records
- Personal/academic webpage referenced in employment records: https://erichorvitz.com/
- Wikipedia title: Eric Horvitz.
- Commons category: Eric Horvitz.

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Eric Joel Horvitz",
  "jobTitle": "Computer scientist",
  "worksFor": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Microsoft" },
  "nationality": { "@type": "Country", "name": "United States" },
  "birthDate": "1958",
  "alumniOf": [{ "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Stanford University" }],
  "knowsAbout": ["Artificial intelligence", "Human–computer interaction", "Machine learning"],
  "sameAs": ["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Horvitz"],
  "description": "American computer scientist known for work on probability and utility in computation, decision making under limited resources, human–computer interaction, and machine learning."
}

## References

1. Mathematics Genealogy Project
2. [ORCID Public Data File 2021](https://pub.orcid.org/v3.0/0000-0002-8823-0614/employment/15762645)
3. [Source](https://erichorvitz.com/)
4. [Source](https://awards.acm.org/newell/award-recipients)
5. [Source](https://aaai.org/about-aaai/aaai-awards/the-aaai-fellows-program/elected-aaai-fellows/)
6. [Source](https://www.amacad.org/person/eric-joel-horvitz)
7. [Source](https://www.acm.org/media-center/2015/january/fellows-2014)
8. [Source](https://www.aaas.org/fellows/historic?field_last_name_value=All&field_year_elected=2009&page=8)
9. Virtual International Authority File
10. [Source](https://www.nscai.gov/about/commissioners/horvitz)
11. Google Knowledge Graph