“I realize that most inventions fail not because the R&D department can”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #quote
Figure timeline
Raymond Kurzweil
Raymond Kurzweil is an American computer scientist, author, entrepreneur, futurist, and inventor. He is involved in fields such as optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition technology and electronic keyboard instruments. He has written books on health technology, artificial intelligence (AI), transhumanism, the technological singularity, and futurism. Kurzwe…
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
business · American computer scientist, author and futurist (born 1948) · inventor · computer scientist · entrepreneur · writer · science fiction writer · scientist · futurist · artificial intelligence researcher · philosopher · also Raymond Kurzweil, Ray Kurzweil, the ultimate thinking machine, Edison's rightful heir, RK, restless genius
Born 12 February 1948 · Q298341
52 published statements · 0 followers
See & hear
Photos & media
2 photos · 1 audio
Listen
En-Ray Kurzweil
Media from Wikimedia Commons, hotlinked at the source under its own licence — see each file for author and terms.
Live now
In the news
Pulling headlines from trusted outlets — this usually takes a few seconds
Checking the wires…
Feed scan
These are live links, not archived citations — they only join the timeline once a collect run verifies and archives them.
Live pulse
Recent highlights
Most recent outstanding titles, awards, and quotes
- Quote
- Award
2026· 1 entry
2015· 1 entry
Specifically for his invention of the Kurzweil K250
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2014· 2 entries
Kurzweil was inducted as an Eminent Member of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
Kurzweil was honored with the American Visionary Art Museum's Grand Visionary Award on January 30
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2013· 3 entries
Was the keynote speaker at the Research, Innovation, Start-up and Employment (RISE) international conference in Seoul
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
Kurzweil was honored as a Silicon Valley Visionary Award winner on June 26 by SVForum
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
“s remaining life expectancy for each year that passes, and we could then”
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #quote
2011· 1 entry
Kurzweil was named a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2010· 2 entries
Kurzweil wrote and co-produced the film The Singularity Is Near: A True Story About the Future, directed by Anthony Waller and based in part on the book The Singularity Is Near
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
An independent documentary film, Plug & Pray, premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival, in which Kurzweil and one of his major critics, Joseph Weizenbaum, argue about the benefits of eternal life
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2009· 2 entries
For lifetime achievement as an inventor and futurist in computer-based technologies
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
Kurzweil, Google, and the NASA Ames Research Center announced the creation of the Singularity University training center for corporate executives and government officials
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2008· 1 entry
Kurzweil said in an expert panel in the National Academy of Engineering that solar power will scale up to produce all of humanity's energy needs in 20 years
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2007· 2 entries
Ptolemaic Productions acquired the rights to The Singularity Is Near, The Age of Spiritual Machines, and Fantastic Voyage, including the rights to film Kurzweil's life and ideas for the documentary film Transcendent Man,
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
Kurzweil was ingesting "250 supplements, eight to 10 glasses of alkaline water and 10 cups [~2,400 mL] of green tea" every day and drinking several glasses of red wine a week in an effort to "reprogram" his biochemistry
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2006· 3 entries
Kurzweil was the first speaker at the Singularity Summit at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
And in 2007 appointed Kurzweil as Chief Strategy Officer of Kurzweil Music Systems
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
To develop a rapid response system to deal with the possible abuse of biotechnology
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2005· 2 entries
Was made into a movie starring Pauley Perrette
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
Joined the scientific advisory board of the Lifeboat Foundation
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2004· 2 entries
Won Migel Medal (2004).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #trophy
- #achievement
Joined the advisory board of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2002· 3 entries
Awarded National Inventors Hall of Fame (2002).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #award
- #achievement
Was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, established by the U
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
For inventing the Kurzweil Reading Machine
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2001· 2 entries
Awarded Lemelson–MIT Prize (2001).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #award
- #achievement
For the application of technology to improve human-machine communication
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
2000· 2 entries
Columbia Records released the Canadian alternative rock band Our Lady Peace's album Spiritual Machines
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
Kurzweil received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1999· 4 entries
Won National Medal of Technology and Innovation (1999).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #trophy
- #achievement
Kurzweil published a second book, The Age of Spiritual Machines, which explains his futurist ideas in more depth
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
Kurzweil created a hedge fund called "FatKat" (Financial Accelerating Transactions from Kurzweil Adaptive Technologies), which began trading in 2006
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
Kurzweil published The Age of Spiritual Machines, which further elucidates his theories of the future of technology, which stem from his analysis of long-term trends in biological and technological evolution
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1998· 1 entry
And a "restless genius" by The Wall Street Journal in 1989
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1996· 1 entry
To develop new pattern-recognition-based computer technologies to help people with disabilities such as blindness, dyslexia, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1995· 1 entry
Awarded Dickson Prize in Science (1995).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #award
- #achievement
1994· 1 entry
Awarded ACM Fellow (1994).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #award
- #achievement
1993· 1 entry
Kurzweil published a book on nutrition, The 10% Solution for a Healthy Life
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1990· 1 entry
Kurzweil was voted Engineer of the Year by the over one million readers of Design News Magazine and received their third annual Technology Achievement Award
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1988· 2 entries
“W następstwie Osobliwości inteligencja pochodząca od swych biologicznych początków w ludzkim mózgu i od swoich technologicznych początków w pomysłowości człowieka zacznie nasycać materię i energię od środka. Osiągnie to przez reorganizację materii i energii w celu zapewnienia najlepszego poziomu przetwarzania po to, by rozprzestrzeniać się ze swojego miejsca pochodzenia na Ziemi.”
- #wikiquote
- #saying
- #undated
- #lang:pl
Kurzweil was named Inventor of the Year by MIT and the Boston Museum of Science
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1987· 1 entry
Kurzweil received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1986· 1 entry
Kurzweil was named Honorary chairman for Innovation of the White House Conference on Small Business by President Ronald Reagan
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1984· 1 entry
The Kurzweil K250 was unveiled
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1978· 2 entries
Awarded Grace Murray Hopper Award (1978).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #award
- #achievement
When Kurzweil Computer Products began selling a commercial version of the optical character recognition computer program
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1976· 1 entry
The finished product was unveiled during a news conference headed by Kurzweil and the leaders of the National Federation of the Blind
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1974· 1 entry
Founded Kurzweil Computer Products, Inc
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1968· 1 entry
During his second year at MIT, Kurzweil started a company that used a computer program to match high school students with colleges
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1965· 1 entry
Was invited to appear on the CBS television program I've Got a Secret, where he performed a piano piece composed by a computer he had built
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1963· 1 entry
At 15, he wrote his first computer program
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikipedia
- #event
1948· 1 entry
Born 1948-02-12.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- #wikidata
- #birth