About Matt White
Matt White is a distinguished technologist, researcher, and educator with nearly 30 years of experience at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI), data science, and open-source innovation. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the PyTorch Foundation and General Manager of AI at the Linux Foundation, where he leads initiatives to advance open-source AI frameworks and promote ethical AI development.
In his role at the Linux Foundation, Matt White spearheads critical initiatives dedicated to advancing open-source technology and establishing robust open standards in artificial intelligence. As the Executive Director of the PyTorch Foundation, he provides strategic oversight and leadership for prominent open-source AI projects including PyTorch, vLLM, and DeepSpeed. Under his direction, the PyTorch Foundation fosters a collaborative ecosystem that accelerates innovation in AI through enhanced performance, ease of use, and accessibility, thereby benefiting a global community of researchers, developers, and industry professionals. Matt actively drives initiatives aimed at broadening the reach and capabilities of PyTorch, particularly in the rapidly evolving fields of generative AI and large-scale language models, ensuring these technologies remain open, transparent, and aligned with community-driven standards.
Additionally, Matt directs the Generative AI Commons, a dynamic and collaborative effort committed to promoting responsible AI practices through open science. His leadership has significantly expanded the Commons to include more than 100 active participants, encompassing diverse contributors from academia, industry, and independent organizations. Among the notable accomplishments under his stewardship is the Model Openness Framework, an innovative initiative designed to assess AI models based on critical attributes such as transparency, reproducibility, and ethical considerations, thereby setting new benchmarks for responsible AI development across the industry.
Matt is also the Co-founder and Chair of the Open Metaverse Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Metaverse Standards Forum, where he contributes to the development of open standards for immersive technologies.
Beyond his organizational leadership, Matt is a dedicated educator, teaching graduate courses in data science at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Information. He is also the founder and CEO of Berkeley Synthetic, a research firm specializing in generative and autonomous AI, neural graphics, and simulations.
Matt's career includes senior roles in AI and data science at companies such as Amdocs, IBM, and Shaw Communications, where he led the deployment of large-scale AI platforms across telecom, gaming, media, and entertainment industries.
An accomplished author, Matt has published numerous articles and papers on AI, including contributions to the 2023 Open Source Generative AI Survey Report and the development of the Model Openness Framework.
Matt holds a Master of Science in Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley, an MBA from the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from York University.
This blog serves as a platform for Matt to share his insights on the business, technology, and ethics of AI, with a particular focus on generative AI, embodied AI (robotics), autonomous agents, simulations, and the 3D Internet (Metaverse). He emphasizes the importance of open standards and open-source software in driving innovation and ensuring ethical practices in these domains.
The views expressed here are Matt's own and do not necessarily reflect those of his employers or affiliated organizations.
