Andrew Fano

Andrew Fano is a Clinical Professor of Computer Science at the McCormick School of Engineering and Clinical Professor of Operations at the Kellogg School of Management by courtesy.  He is the Director of the Northwestern MBAi program, an AI focused MBA program offered jointly by Kellogg and the McCormick School of Engineering.

Prior to joining Northwestern he spent 25 years at Accenture Labs, where he was the global Managing Director for Artificial Intelligence research.  In this capacity he led research teams in the US, Ireland, India, China and France on a range of applied AI research projects.  These projects demonstrated the potential applications of emerging approaches on a variety of problems including conversational systems, computational creativity, semi-automated data labeling, supply chain security, promotion optimization, bias detection, regulatory compliance, and knowledge management among others.  These projects involved leading companies in industries including heavy equipment, retail, public service, media, insurance, pharma, and hospitality.  Rather than focus on optimizing the performance of a specific technology, Andrew’s emphasis has been on on how emerging approaches combined with human capabilities and the practical realities of an industry can allow us to rethink the approach to industry problems.  As a result, Andrew is one of Accenture’s top patent holders.

Andrew also led Accenture Labs University program which involved research sponsorships to over 2 dozen top universities worldwide. His experience bridging the business and academic communities informs his efforts at the MBAi program.  His goal is to harness Northwestern and industry resources to produce graduates with a realistic understanding of what kind of industry problems can be addressed with AI and related technologies, what it takes to deploy such systems, and what it means to do so in a responsible manner.