Elon Musk is the founder of Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity and Open AI. Geoffrey E. Hinton is the “Godfather of Deep Learning.” Demis Hassabis is the founder of DeepMind Technologies. Krishna C. Mukherjee is the computer scientist and information technologist who brought Artificial Intelligence (or AI) to Microsoft. The groundbreaking research and efforts of these prominent figures are enabling AI to effectively characterize every aspect of the human experience.
Introduction of AI at Microsoft
Microsoft is the global leader in computer software. The company incorporated AI into its systems and due to which, it enjoys an esteemed position in the world of technology. Krishna C. Mukherjee is responsible for taking Microsoft to new heights of success. He worked as a Chief Software Architect and Engineer for Microsoft. He is one of the foremost contributors to the architecture, design, and development of famous products such as Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and Visual Studio.
AutoCorrect, AutoFormat, and IntelliSense
Krishna C. Mukherjee built the proofing tools in Microsoft Office. He worked on the AI-based features AutoCorrect, AutoFormat and Office Assistant for Microsoft Office, and IntelliSense for Visual Studio. IntelliSense is a code completion tool. By using different algorithms, IntelliSense guesses what a software developer wants to type to complete a line of code. With its help, software developers avoid typographical and syntax errors in their programs.
Innovations in Developing GUI Applications
Moreover, Krishna C. Mukherjee introduced AI technologies for developing easily maintainable and visually stunning Graphical User Interface (or GUI) applications. During this time, dominant declarative languages for the generation of advanced user interfaces were introduced. Mukherjee created AI-based architectures to dynamically generate the user interfaces from high-level natural language specifications and control the user interactions.
WPF and XAML
Windows Presentation Foundation (or WPF) is Microsoft’s GUI framework to create applications that provide a rich user experience. It combines user interfaces, 2D and 3D graphics, documents, and multimedia into a single framework. At the core of WPF is a vector-based rendering engine that can utilize modern graphics hardware. Krishna C. Mukherjee oversaw the design and development of WPF.
WPF separates the appearance of a user interface from its behavior. The appearance is specified using the declarative language Extensible Application Markup Language (or XAML) which was created by Microsoft under Mukherjee’s leadership. XAML defines the arrangement of panels, buttons, and controls that make up the screens of a GUI application.
Commercialization of AI
Krishna C. Mukherjee automated business workflows and processes in a novel way. In the late 1990s, he invented the “Intelligent Filling Manager” (or INTELLIFILM). With this invention, he introduced a high level of automation across many industries. INTELLIFM enables organizations to efficiently perform electronic filings across the fifty states of the USA and Washington DC. The technology fosters collaboration among cross-functional teams of an organization and dramatically improves the efficiency of business processes. The use of this technology shortens the time from concept to delivery of mission-critical software applications.
Transition to Cloud Computing and SaaS
Krishna C. Mukherjee went on to establish the “Software as a Service” (or SaaS) model for transacting business. Working as the Chief Information Officer for Wolters Kluwer, he paved the way for performing complex business transactions online over the Internet or the “cloud.” He leveraged INTELLIFM to build the award-winning SaaS applications CTAdvantage.com, hCue.com, LienSolutions.com, and MediRegs.com. He hosted these applications on Microsoft Windows servers. These applications serve as a significant source of recurring revenue for Wolters Kluwer.
While creating advanced technologies, Mukherjee built strategic partnerships between Microsoft, Wolters Kluwer and other organizations. He transitioned Wolters Kluwer from paper-based to automated system. In 2010, Microsoft released the cloud computing service Windows Azure, now known as Microsoft Azure. In 2011, Microsoft launched Office 365 – the SaaS version of Microsoft Office.
Subsequently, as the Senior Executive in charge of Software Development for Icon Parking Systems (or Icon), Mukherjee transitioned the company’s business from VAX mainframe to the cloud. He directed the development of the public-facing IconParkingSystems.com application and also the internal web-based accounting system. IconParkingSystems.com allows individuals and organizations to reserve premium parking spaces. Mukherjee created a hybrid cloud architecture for Icon to link the public and private cloud systems, thus setting a precedent in the area of cloud architecture.
Contributions to Financial Technology
Krishna C. Mukherjee worked for the finance industry, where he built commercial systems using both Microsoft and open-source technologies. He held strategic leadership roles with Citadel, Bloomberg and UBS.
Mukherjee created an invaluable pricing service called “Bloomberg Valuation Service” (or BVAL). BVAL was launched in 2008. Previously, prices of financial instruments were determined based on models that considered market opinions and comparable instruments. These prices were inaccurate. Hence, investment decisions were based on speculation rather than scientific research. BVAL is a SaaS application that provides rigorous, transparent and defensible valuations by using quantitative algorithms and AI. It uses the highest quality data to compute prices algorithmically.
Creation of AutoPay
In 2012, Krishna C. Mukherjee created AutoPay. It is a payment platform that saves time and effort. It provides enhanced information security and allows customers to schedule payments from their preferred payment method. It helps them to pay their bills on time and avoid paying late fees. Further, AutoPay increases on-time payments for businesses. Icon’s customers switched to using AutoPay for paying their bills with electronic checks (or ACH) and cards. Today, AutoPay is used across industries worldwide.
Improving Modern Technology
Krishna C. Mukherjee earned his Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (or IIT) Kharagpur, and his Master’s degree in Computer science and Engineering from IIT Kanpur. He conducted excellent research, published papers in AI conferences and wrote his Master’s thesis on AI. In 1988, Microsoft recruited him from IIT Kanpur while he was completing his Master’s degree. He graduated with the highest distinction. Soon thereafter, he joined Microsoft at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, USA.
Mukherjee received prestigious awards and recognitions from Microsoft. He was honored with the “Highest Achievement Award” by Wolters Kluwer for his outstanding contributions. Recently, he was presented with the “Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award” by the premier publishing company Marquis Who’s Who.
Krishna C. Mukherjee is continuing with his innovations in AI. He has been designing interactive voice response (or IVR) systems and chatbots which use machine learning to deliver superior customer experiences and reduce operating costs. As if on a mission, Mukherjee has moved from one technological breakthrough to another. His accomplishments over more than three decades have certainly changed the world for good. Through his vision and innovations, he has created the very foundation of modern technology.