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Paul Kruszewski | |
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| Born | 1967 (age 57–58) Alberta, Canada |
| Alma mater | McGill University |
| Occupation(s) | Founder and CEO of QARL |
Paul Kruszewski (born 1967) is a Canadian AI technologist and serial entrepreneur known for his work in artificial intelligence and computer graphics. He has previously founded and sold three AI startups, specializing in crowd simulation, NPC behaviours, and human pose estimation.
Kruszewski obtained an MA and PhD in computer science from McGill University. [1] For graduate school, Kruszewski received a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Science and Engineering scholarship in 1992. [2] His PhD thesis on random binary trees suggested a method to produce realistic images of trees digitally. [3] His work was inspired by The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants by Przemysław Prusinkiewicz. After completing his thesis, Kruszewski developed and commercialized the software, naming it the "Tree Druid."
After obtaining his PhD, Kruszewski held various positions across North America, Europe, and Asia. During this time he developed the first cloud-based human simulator at My Virtual Model. He also developed both the PS2 and Xbox game engines at Behaviour Interactive. [4] [ better source needed ]
Kruszewski founded BioGraphic Technologies (BGT) in 2000. [4] BGT is best known for developing "AI.implant", a crowd simulation program. Working from his previous experience in video game development, Kruszewski focused BGT's vision on the film and gaming industries, collaborating with such companies as Lucasfilm, Disney and Sony Computer Entertainment. [4] [5] Engenuity Technologies, now Presagis, a modeling and simulation software provider, saw the benefits of simulating large civilian crowds for training purposes, purchasing the company in 2005. Kruszewski became the CTO of Engenuity. [5]
In July 2007, Kruszewski founded GripHeavyIndustries, better known as Grip Entertainment, which created complex AI characters for a range of game developers, such as EA, Disney, and BioWare. [6] The company is credited on such titles as Army of Two: The 40th Day and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. [7]
In 2011, the company experienced some controversy when gamers rallied against Grip's boss fights at the end of the game Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Eidos Montreal had outsourced the development of the game's boss fights to Grip due to time constraints and the complex nature of the open-ended gameplay. [8] Players felt that the fights were inflexible when compared with the rest of the game, causing a stir in the industry. [9] [8] That same year, Autodesk, a multinational software company, acquired Grip Entertainment. [6]
Kruszewski's third venture built on previous experience gained from working with computer vision technology. He founded wrnch in April 2014 in Montreal's TandemLaunch incubator. [10] Through wrnch, he developed BodySLAM, a deep learning AI body-tracking software. [11] As a man-machine interface, BodySLAM had many possible applications in various industries, such as health care, security, retail and entertainment. On Sept. 17, 2021, it was announced that Hinge Health, the world’s #1 Digital Musculoskeletal Clinic™, had acquired wrnch. [12] After the acquisition, Kruszewski served as Hinge Health's VP of Deep Technology for 2 years, where he oversaw the integration of the wrnch virtual motion capture into Hinge Health's suite of offerings. [13]
In 2024, Kruszewski founded QARL, his latest venture building at the intersection of deep tech, AI and human-machine interaction. [14]
