We are proud to announce that Earkick Co-founder and international Computer Vision and AI pioneer Dr. Herbert Bay has been appointed as one of the Digital Shapers 2022 of the category “AI Masters”. Each year a committee selects 10 individuals as AI Masters who are masterminds revolutionizing AI or impacting the world with their innovations in AI.
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“As a digital shaper I am driving the change in how mental health is being measured, improved and mastered using cutting-edge Machine Learning algorithms. Also, I’m frequently motivating tech entrepreneurs to leave their comfort zone and shape the future.”
Herbert Bay has received a highly awarded PhD in Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence from ETH Zurich, one of the top 10 universities in the world. His passion for Computer Vision and Neural Networks started 23 years ago back in 1999 during his exchange year in Montréal. Since that time, Herbert is at the pulse of Computer Vision and AI both as a hands-on researcher and entrepreneur building world-leading AI companies. Herbert’s work has received international recognition and numerous awards as fundamental contributions in AI and Computer Vision.
“I love AI. It can perform human-like tasks such as reasoning, planning, and problem-solving in a scalable manner. This and the huge potential to disrupt many industries makes it beautiful in my eyes.” says Herbert Bay
As an adventurer and sailor Herbert Bay is attracted by particularly difficult problems. Tell him that something can’t be solved or built and he’ll immediately embark on a journey to make the previously impossible possible. Currently, he is after a global challenge: Tackling the mental health crisis. Measuring mental health in real time is an unsolved problem and Herbert believes it can only be solved using AI.
All through his career Herbert has enjoyed helping several Fortune 500 companies, SMEs and startups overcome barriers using his analytic, creative and visionary talent.
Last but not least Herbert is a team player and believes that the big global challenges can only be tackled collaboratively: “Working with brilliant people is the only way to create big changes” says Herbert Bay who’s always had the privilege of working with top notch teams. Currently, his team at Earkick consist of incredible AI engineers and visionaries from world-class universities such as MIT, CMU, ETH, etc.
About Herbert Bay
Herbert Bay is a visionary entrepreneur and leading expert in the field of Computer Vision and Machine Learning. He co-founded two successful companies, one of which – kooaba – serves as the cloud-recognition core for the AR platform, Vuforia. He has also given numerous invited talks at universities and AR conferences, and built a team at Magic Leap to tackle the digital healthcare arena.
Holding a PhD in Computer Vision from ETH Zurich, Herbert is the mastermind behind the widely-used SURF algorithm and has published over 15 peer-reviewed papers in top computer vision journals and conferences, including the #1 conference, CVPR. He has received numerous awards, including the prestigious ECCV Koenderink Award in 2016 for his outstanding contributions to the field.
Aside from his professional passions of Computer Vision, Machine Learning, innovation, programming, and web and mobile apps, Herbert is also a thrill-seeker who loves sailing and free-diving. He once sailed from France to New Zealand on a 41ft sailing yacht with his family, further demonstrating his fearless spirit and adventurous nature.

Join Herbert Bay
If you want to join our Earkick team, we’re always looking for exceptional talent. Feel free to send us your CV to hello@earkick.com. We have an amazing culture at Earkick including lots of perks and benefits and always focusing on optimal mental readiness.