Entrepreneurship · Artificial intelligence · Human agency

More possibility.
More human.

I’m Jean-François Gagné, a founder and AI entrepreneur. I build companies that turn research into useful products, and work on the decisions that keep people in control.

Explore my work Read my writing

Currently building Nera ↗

Jean-François Gagné, photographed for his original website — Founder. Builder. Always learning.

A career across

The full story ↗

01 / The work

From an idea to something useful.

Explore my career

Current focus · Nera

What did we
mean to build?

As AI agents take on more of the work, the intent behind that work matters even more. At Nera, we’re helping software teams make their requirements, decisions and standards explicit—and keep them present as the work gets done.

What I’m building

Translucent architectural forms, an editorial illustration of structure and intent — Intent gives capability direction.

Element AI's shared workspace, with brick walls, yellow lounge chairs and a central staircase

2016–January 2021

Element AI

Co-founder & CEO

Turning AI research into enterprise products.

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ServiceNow's headquarters, photographed in 2019

January 2021–March 2022

ServiceNow

VP, AI Strategy & Product Management

Taking AI from a company into a platform.

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Cargo ship, cranes and a freight truck in JDA's corporate supply-chain imagery

2013–2015

JDA Software & JDA Labs

Chief Product Officer; Chief Innovation Officer

Connecting a global product portfolio to its next generation.

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Open-source developer tool

crapkit

Know where the code needs attention.

crapkit brings complexity, test coverage and change history together to help developers and coding agents decide what to improve next.

Explore the project GitHub

$ crapkit worklist

classifycalc/grade.py:7

Complexity: 14
Test coverage: 50%
CRAP score: 38.5

One function. Complexity and test coverage, in view.

Documentation example, presented visually. See the original output

02 / Latest from the blog

Ideas worth working through.

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On AI, human agency and the choices behind what we build.

Human agency · 2021

Designing for the Humans in the Loop - Part III

How AI design can preserve the judgment and agency of people in the decision or process loop. The final essay in a three-part series.

December 1, 202113 min read

Human agency · 2021

"F*** the Algorithm", It’s Time to Get Our Agency Back - Part II

Reclaiming agency in a world shaped by algorithms starts with understanding the choices built into our technology.

July 14, 202117 min read

AI & governance · 2021

AI Regulation is a Chance to Fix Deeper Problems - Part I

Why AI regulation is an opportunity to examine the relationship between technology, work and power.

June 23, 202113 min read

03 / Research

Evidence worth building on.

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Original research on AI talent and Canada’s AI ecosystem, preserved with its charts, maps and methodology.

Talent & ecosystems · 2020

Global AI Talent Report 2020

Research into AI talent across the value chain: roles, supply and demand, mobility, diversity and methodology.

October 29, 202047 min read

Talent & ecosystems · 2019

2019 Canadian AI Ecosystem

The 2019 ecosystem map and analysis of Canadian AI company formation, investment and commercialization.

October 25, 201911 min read

Talent & ecosystems · 2019

Global AI Talent Report 2019

A detailed study of the geography, movement and diversity of AI research talent around the world.

March 28, 201938 min read

04 / Policy & public service

Trust has to be
part of the design.

Building AI and governing it are connected problems. My public work focuses on human agency, practical accountability and the conditions that make adoption worthwhile.

Explore the policy work

2018–2020