Developing innovative technology wasn’t always on Adam Fry’s radar. He knew of the AP Computer Science class at Riverdale, but as the son of lawyers, Fry didn’t think engineering was for him. After falling in love with his first computer science course at Princeton — he was a double major in economics and computer science — and with Riverdale’s liberal arts tradition as his foundation, Fry has engineered an impressive career at some of the world’s leading tech companies.
“You don’t have to be an AI researcher or engineer to have a big impact in the generative AI world and landscape,” he says. “There’s a lot of room for design and creativity, and the liberal arts education plays a massive role in creating skills for the technology field.”
A short detour in management consulting helped him understand the questions to ask in tech. “Management consulting teaches early professionals how to look at 10 different problems and answer the questions that matter most,” says Fry, who helped develop operating systems for smart TVs.
As the product lead for ChatGPT Search, Adam’s team launched OpenAI’s SearchGPT, a real-time web search feature offering fast answers and links to sources while maintaining a conversational interface.
“AI has incredible positives that should be harnessed, but we need to be extremely responsible with it,” Fry reflects. “How can our educators shape the curriculum so that students are developing their thinking capabilities and using these tools to assist their learning?”
His advice for people interested in pursuing a similar career path? Stay true to yourself.
“Leadership is leading by example,” he says. “It’s not telling people what to do. If you demonstrate authenticity and hard work, that no task is beyond you, people around you will reflect that too.”