Join the University of Notre Dame’s Data, AI, and Computing Initiative for RISE AI in Action, a series that seeks to deepen conversations around the guiding principles of responsible, inclusive, safe and empowering (RISE) AI as these constructs translate to real-world applications.
For the first event, we will welcome Rajesh Parekh, Vice President of AI/ML at Intuit, for a fireside chat with Nitesh Chawla, Lucy Family Director for Data & AI Academic Strategy; Director, Data, AI & Computing Initiative; Founding Director, Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society; and Frank M. Freimann Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
The conversation will explore what it means to develop and deploy AI responsibly in practice, drawing on Parekh’s extensive experience leading AI, machine learning, data science, and engineering teams at Intuit, Google, Meta, and other technology organizations.
Together, they will discuss the opportunities and challenges of translating advances in AI research into real-world products and systems, balancing innovation with responsibility, and creating AI capabilities that deliver meaningful value for individuals, organizations, and society. The conversation will offer practical perspectives on the evolving role of AI and the leadership needed to navigate its impact across industries.
Guest Bio:
Rajesh Parekh is Vice President of AI/ML at Intuit, where he leverages the latest AI research advances to develop innovative new AI products and capabilities that power delightful customer experiences and drive measurable business impact.
Prior to Intuit, Parekh was Director of Engineering at Google, where he led teams building large-scale computer vision and machine learning systems to create a highly accurate digital model of the real world. This geospatial model powers key Google products including Maps, Local Search, Ads, and Automotive Services. His work helped unlock the value of Google’s geospatial data assets, contributing over $1B in incremental Local Ads revenue.
Before Google, Parekh led Data Science and Analytics at Facebook (now Meta) for Applied Machine Learning and Video initiatives, where he played a key role in launching and scaling Facebook Live. He has also held leadership roles managing global engineering and data science teams at Groupon and Yahoo!. Earlier in his career, he developed data mining products for e-commerce at Blue Martini and advanced data science solutions for insurance at Allstate.
Parekh earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence from Iowa State University. He remains active in the academic community, delivering keynote talks, serving on organizing committees for leading international conferences, authoring more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, and filing multiple patents.