Jeffery Hawkins

Chief Data, AI & Operations Officer, Hartford The

Search every verified Jeffery Hawkins interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Jeffrey Hawkins, currently serving as Chief Data, AI & Operations Officer at The Hartford, has a background that includes roles as a U.S. Consul General in Lagos, Nigeria, and as a technology entrepreneur and neuroscientist. In his capacity as Consul General, Hawkins discussed U.S.-Nigeria relations, stating that the bilateral relationship is "wide and deep" and that Nigeria is the "second largest investment destination" for the U.S. on the African continent. He noted that the U.S. and Nigeria have "very similar and closely tied" economic interests and that the U.S. invested approximately $30 million in supporting Nigeria's 2011 general elections. Hawkins also addressed security cooperation, saying there has been "intense cooperation" in equipment, training, and intelligence sharing, particularly regarding the threat from Boko Haram, and that the U.S. remains committed to supporting good elections in Nigeria. In a separate context, Hawkins has advocated for a new approach to understanding intelligence based on brain science. In a 2007 talk, he argued that "intelligence is defined by prediction" rather than behavior, and that the neocortex functions by memorizing sequences of patterns and using them to predict future events. He stated that "we don't need more data, we need a good theory" about how the brain works, and predicted that understanding the brain will lead to building intelligent machines, which he described as "a very fundamental technology" that will bring "unbelievable changes in the next 100 years."