Leadership in the Age of Intelligent Systems

At the American Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AmerianAI), leadership is defined by vision, depth, and purpose. Guided by pioneers bridging AI research, systems engineering, and strategic innovation, our team is building the next era of human–machine collaboration — where intelligence drives progress and integrity defines impact.

About Us

AmericanAI: Pioneering Decentralized Cognition

 

AmericanAI is a research-born innovation company — a collaboration of scientists, engineers, and strategists working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, defense, and cognitive science.

We are not a traditional contractor or technology vendor. We are a strategic partner in cognitive transformation, combining research depth with mission-driven design to deliver systems that think, decide, and act with purpose and resilience.

AmericanAI began as a research institute at the frontier of artificial intelligence — a center of excellence dedicated to understanding how learning, reasoning, and adaptation converge to create true machine cognition.

Today, that foundation has evolved into a bold mission: to pioneer Decentralized Cognition — the architecture of cognitive superiority for the age of intelligent systems and contested domains.

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AmericanAI Is Awardable

The Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace is the premier offering of Tradewinds, the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) suite of tools and services designed to accelerate the procurement and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning(ML), data, and analytics capabilities.

Why Decentralized Cognition?

Architecting Resilience Through Distributed Intelligence.

 

A sophisticated adversary can disable U.S. defense capabilities in one or two moves. The reason is architectural, not tactical: centralized command-and-control systems create single points of failure, ontological rigidity, and deterministic decision-making.

AmericanAI was built to solve this problem. We are designing a decentralized cognitive network — a distributed intelligence fabric that equips autonomous systems and forward-deployed warfighters with adaptive, mission-driven cognition at the tactical edge.

Where traditional AI relies on brittle, centralized intelligence, our systems think locally, coordinate globally, and adapt in real time — ensuring operational resilience even under conditions of disruption, denial, or adversarial interference.

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Our Mission

Securing the Future Through Distributed Cognition

 

To ensure that intelligence — human or artificial — never becomes a single point of failure. AmericanAI’s mission is to secure U.S. advantage by architecting distributed cognitive systems that can think, decide, and adapt at every layer of the operational stack. We build technologies that mirror the structure of cognition itself — interconnected, self-aware, and capable of reasoning under uncertainty.

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Leadership

Advancing Artificial Intelligence for Strategic Advantage

 

The American Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AmericanAI) is committed to advancing artificial intelligence in support of national security, defense innovation, and strategic readiness. Through integrated education, research, and applied development, AmericanAI empowers defense professionals, technologists, and mission partners to harness AI for operational advantage and real-world impact.

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Dr. Al Naqvi

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

A globally recognized authority in Artificial Intelligence and national security innovation, Dr. Al Naqvi has architected transformative AI systems and national strategies for defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors. His career combines technological vision with policy foresight — pioneering Signals Cognition AGI and advancing the responsible integration of AI into mission-critical domains.

  • As Chief Technology Officer of the American Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Nur drives the institute’s technical vision, turning cutting‑edge research into deployable solutions for government and industry. Armed with an M.S. in Applied & Computational Mathematics education from Johns Hopkins University, he combines deep mathematical rigor with hands‑on engineering experience to architect large‑scale AI systems—ranging from transformer‑based radar‑signal characterization for the U.S. Air Force to secure, supply‑chain‑risk analytics and proposals for GovCloud‑ready audit platforms for the Defense Logistics Agency. Nur’s research explores Vector Symbolic Architectures and high‑dimensional computing as foundations for next‑generation cognitive AI, while his structured methodology for uncovering automation, prediction, and knowledge‑creation opportunities helps organizations translate pain points into measurable ROI. A frequent collaborator with academia and federal labs, he bridges theory and practice, negotiating complex legal and compliance landscapes and mentoring multidisciplinary teams to deliver AI that is as trustworthy as it is innovative.

  • Nanette (Nan) J. Bulger is Co-Executive Director of SAICI, a microsociety within AmericanAI. With over four decades of global experience, she has led major initiatives in competitive intelligence, analytics, and strategic transformation across industries including healthcare, finance, technology, and defense. Formerly CEO of SCIP (Strategic & Competitive Intelligence Professionals), she advanced its global reach and introduced AI-driven analytical methods in collaboration with AmericanAI. A published author and lecturer on six continents, she has been featured in El País, China Daily, and USA Today, and taught Strategic Competitive Intelligence for twelve years at the University of Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid. Nanette also serves as Executive Director of The Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden Museum and Vice President of the Portsmouth Submarine and Maritime Association, continuing her commitment to innovation, education, and heritage leadership.

  • Jay Nakagawa is a globally recognized thought leader in strategy and competitive intelligence – and one of the field’s most innovative voices. At Dell Technologies, he built a global intelligence organization that supports $100 billion in annual revenue and empowers more than 50,000 sales professionals worldwide. With experience spanning product management, strategy, sales, development, and marketing, Jay brings a rare cross-functional perspective to every challenge – most recently, exploring how generative AI can reshape the future of competitive advantage. As Co-Executive Director of SAICI, Jay’s mission is to elevate the practice of intelligence from function to force multiplier – turning insights into action and action into impact. He is an active contributor to PDMA, the Academy of Competitive Intelligence (ACI), the Council of CI Fellows, and previously served as Chairman of SCIP. Motto: “Helping companies outsmart—not just outspend—their competition.”

  • Marya is a Human-Computer Interaction Researcher at AmericanAI, specializing in the intersection of cognitive science, computational modeling, and large language models. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with studies in Cognitive Science and Social Psychology, her research explores large-scale social and network dynamics, focusing on how information, sentiment, and behavior propagate across online communities. She is skilled in Python and R programming, data analysis, and statistical modeling, with hands-on experience using APIs, LLMs, and social media data for behavioral research. Marya combines psychological theory with computational methods to understand human interaction within digital environments, and she brings extensive experience in scientific writing, data-driven research, and communication across both academic and applied contexts.

Institute Team

  • Rai is the Vice President of Software Engineering at AmericanAI, where he leads an engineering team ensuring 99.9% uptime for AI-driven SaaS platforms. Since 2023, he has optimized backend architectures to reduce API response times by 40%, implemented CI/CD pipelines for faster deployments, and mentored engineers to boost team productivity by 30%. Rai has spearheaded the development of a comprehensive AI-integrated learning management system, content management system, and CRM—combining advanced analytics, automation, and customer engagement tools. His prior experience includes building high-performance APIs handling over a million daily requests, integrating AWS Lambda and PostgreSQL to cut infrastructure costs by 20%, and improving database performance through optimized indexing. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.

  • Rana is the Vice President of Infrastructure at AmericanAI, where he leads the organization’s infrastructure division overseeing all mission-critical systems, servers, and networks that power AmericanAI’s global operations. With more than two decades of experience, he brings deep expertise in systems architecture, backend engineering, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and high-availability computing. Rana directs initiatives in infrastructure scalability, automation, and DevOps, ensuring seamless integration, security, and reliability across AI platforms, research environments, and enterprise applications. A seasoned technologist fluent in Python, Java, PHP, C, and C++, he has designed and maintained complex distributed systems that support advanced AI workloads and data-intensive analytics. His leadership combines technical precision with strategic foresight, enabling AmericanAI to operate with exceptional performance, resilience, and innovation across its digital ecosystem.

  • Khalid is the Vice President of Content Management at AmericanAI, where he oversees strategic communications, editorial operations, and knowledge management across the organization’s global ecosystem. With nearly two decades of experience in journalism and content strategy, he brings a unique perspective to how information, data, and intelligence converge in the age of artificial intelligence.

    His interests lie at the intersection of technology, governance, and artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on the AI strategies of federal agencies and the public sector. He holds a Master’s degree in English Literature and combines analytical insight with a structured approach to knowledge design—ensuring that AmericanAI’s content ecosystem reflects accuracy, clarity, and purpose.

Board of Advisors

  • His Excellency, High Commissioner Syed Zahid Raza is a career Foreign Service officer with diplomatic experience spanning over two decades that includes various assignments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Pakistan’s missions abroad in various capacities. Prior to his current appointment, he served as Consul General at Consulate General of Pakistan, Glasgow (October 2020 to December 2023). Earlier, he served as Deputy Head of Mission in the Embassy of Pakistan, Jakarta (August 2014 to July 2018). His earlier overseas assignments include Consulate General of Pakistan, Istanbul and Embassy of Pakistan, Riyadh. He also worked in the Pakistan Embassy in Kuwait undertaking his studies in Arabic language. Syed Zahid Raza joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 2002. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he also worked for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for four years. At the Headquarters Islamabad, he worked as Desk Officer for Europe and later Desk Officer for South East Asia region. He also worked as Deputy Chief of Protocol from 2009-2011 and the Director General (Middle East) from August 2018- October 2020. His latest assignment was the Director General of Consular Affairs and Overseas Pakistanis. Zahid Raza is a graduate from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore in Civil Engineering. He has attended multiple trainings, workshops and seminars related to his profession within Pakistan and abroad.

  • TK is managing Partner at Impyrian, a multifaceted engineering, technology and program management firm delivering high performance solutions to federal, state and commercial clients. AI-focused tech entrepreneur, product developer, and growth leader with a proven track record of securing 10+ major federal awards in under three years, over half as full and open competitions. Founder of an AI company awarded a $50M federal IDIQ to deliver AI products and services. Experienced in product strategy, government contracting, and scaling emerging technologies, with expertise spanning artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, health IT, and digital transformation. TK holds an MBA in International Trade from Johnson & Wales University.

  • John Luongo is a seasoned systems architect and technology leader with a distinguished career in designing, developing, and deploying complex systems across the Department of Defense, Federal Civilian, and Intelligence Community domains. With a background in electrical engineering from Duke University, he has consistently delivered mission-critical solutions at the intersection of advanced analytics, natural language processing (NLP), and AI-driven security automation. At SRA International, Mr. Luongo spearheaded the commercialization of NetOwl, one of the earliest enterprise-grade NLP platforms. He led the strategy and technical vision to extend link analysis, summarization, and intelligence tools into mobile and commercial markets – pioneering AI applications long before they were mainstream. He also played a pivotal role in establishing SRA’s internal senior architect development program, guiding multidisciplinary engineering rotations to elevate solution architecture rigor across the organization. As Product Owner at IndraSoft, Mr. Luongo led the development and operational deployment of Vauban, a next-generation AI-powered Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platform. Designed to operate within IL4 environments and integrated into CI/CD pipelines and live SOC operations, Vauban reduced cognitive load for analysts and accelerated cybersecurity decision-making with intelligent automation. Deployed through DoD-approved channels such as Iron Bank, the platform represents a leap forward in operational AI for national security. Mr. Luongo has also been a driving force in architecting educational and training frameworks to help government customers adopt emerging technologies with confidence and speed. His work bridges technical depth with strategic foresight, making him a critical asset in delivering transformative, scalable AI solutions for defense and intelligence missions

Careers

We’re building intelligent, data-driven solutions that transform industries—and we’re looking for bold thinkers, problem solvers, and tech enthusiasts to join us.

 

At the intersection of technology, innovation, and purpose, we are building a future shaped by intelligent digital solutions and transformative AI technologies. As a company driven by data and guided by creativity, we tackle complex challenges with smart, scalable strategies that empower businesses and communities alike. But behind every breakthrough is a team of passionate, curious, and committed individuals who believe in the power of collaboration, continuous learning, and meaningful impact. Joining our team means more than just a job—it’s an opportunity to grow, to lead, and to contribute to cutting-edge projects that redefine what’s possible in the digital age. If you're driven by innovation, inspired by data, and ready to create the future with AI, we invite you to explore a career where your ideas, skills, and passion truly matter.

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Impact
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At AmericanAI, every team member is empowered to be a driving force for change. From your very first day, you’ll be encouraged to make a meaningful contribution—and supported every step of the way as you grow and innovate.

Autonomy
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Self-motivation is at the heart of meaningful progress. At AmericanAI, we encourage you to explore bold ideas, take initiative, and let your work speak louder than words. We’re here to support you—whenever you’re ready to take that next step.

Speed
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We operate at a rapid pace and embrace individuals who are excited by fast, dynamic workflows. Here, ideas don’t sit idle—what starts as a concept on Monday can become a functioning prototype by Friday. Our culture is built on momentum, where progress happens in weeks, not years.

Culture
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Our team is made up of bright, curious individuals driven by a shared purpose: to create a safer, smarter tomorrow. While we’re passionate about solving complex challenges, we also believe in leading well-rounded lives—finding balance, fulfillment, and meaning in both our work and our everyday journey.

American Institute of AI

AmericanAI isn’t your typical defense contractor. We invest privately in our R&D and deliver ready-to-use products, allowing us to prioritize speed, efficiency, and real-world impact. If you thrive on rapid development and want to see your work applied in real operational environments, AmericanAI is the place for you.