PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Kristinn R. Thórisson

Also known as Kristinn Rúnar Þórisson, Kristinn Rúnar Thórisson

An AI researcher in general machine intelligence, he co-founded Radar Networks and served as its Chief Technology Officer from 2002 to 2003. Twine became an early semantic-Web application, and the startup received investment from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2008. At Reykjavík University, he became Professor of Computer Science in 2004; his S1 interview-learning work won Outstanding Paper in 2014, and by 2015 he held a Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab. His 2024 paper on causal generalization won the Kurzweil Prize for Best AGI Paper, and he coauthored a 2025 paper on conceptual engineering design. As of October 2026, he is Managing Director of IIIM and Professor at Reykjavík University, and he leads research on AERA.

Now at
Reykjavik University and IIIM
Born
1964
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 2002–2008

    Radar Networks and Twine

    From 2002 to 2003, he serves as Chief Technology Officer of Radar Networks, which he co-founds with Nova Spivack. Its Twine website is one of the first working applications of semantic Web technologies. The startup is named among the US’s Top 10 Most Interesting Startups in 2003 and receives investment from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2008.

  2. Since 2004

    Professor at Reykjavík University

    In 2004, he becomes Professor at the Department of Computer Science at Reykjavík University.

  3. 2014

    S1 learns by observation

    In 2014, he and his coauthors describe S1, an AI virtual character that learns to conduct an interview by observing two people. The work wins the Outstanding Paper award at the Intelligent Systems & Agents conference in Portugal.

  4. By 2015

    A Ph.D. from MIT

    By 2015, he holds a Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab.

  5. 2024

    Kurzweil Prize for AGI research

    In 2024, he and Arash Sheikhlar win the Kurzweil Prize for Best AGI Paper for Causal Generalization via Goal-Driven Analogy.

  6. 2025

    Conceptual engineering paper

    In 2025, he and Chloe Schaff coauthor Towards Synthetic Engineers: Requirements and Implications of the Conceptual Engineering Design Process for the AGI 2025 proceedings.

  7. May 2026

    Nordic AI leadership report

    In May 2026, he authors the IIIM report Better Machine Intelligence: A Vision for Nordic AI Leadership, which outlines limits of contemporary AI and a path for Nordic AI leadership.

  8. As of October 2026

    Managing director and professor

    As of October 2026, he is Managing Director of IIIM and Professor of Computer Science at Reykjavík University. His basic research centers on general machine intelligence. He leads research on the AERA cognitive architecture, which learns complex skills by observation in largely unspecified conditions.

Career

  1. Since 2004Reykjavik UniversityProfessor of Computer Science
  2. NowIIIMManaging Director
  3. 2002–2003Radar NetworksCo-founder and Chief Technology Officer

Education

  1. 2015Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyPhD

From the biography.

  1. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Kristinn R. Thórisson. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  2. 11% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Kristinn R. Thórisson. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduation, how waiting times compare between founders and top jobs, and which universities trained the most.
  3. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  4. Google had the most people shaping AI every year from 2014 to 2025Includes Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Our estimates of which organizations employed the most people shaping AI each year from 1955 to 2025, tracing the shift from university labs to companies.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Kristinn R. Thórisson yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Kristinn R. Thórisson en.wikipedia.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. People | Icelandic Institute for Intelligent Machines | Page 3 iiim.is. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Dr. Kristinn R. Thorisson and colleagues receive ‘Outstanding Paper’ award | Icelandic Institute for Intelligent Machines iiim.is. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Towards True AI: Artificial General Intelligence (Video from AI Festival 2014) | Icelandic Institute for Intelligent Machines iiim.is. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. SingularityNET Ecosystem Updates: August 2024 singularitynet.io. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Kristinn Rúnar Þórisson - Rannsóknargáttin IRIS / The Iceland Research Information System iris.landsbokasafn.is. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. New IIIM Report: A Vision for Nordic AI Leadership iiim.is. Checked 20 October 2026.