Head of AI Think Tank

Location: Miami, FL

Company: Brightstar.AI

Type: Full-time

Company Overview

Brightstar.AI is an Applied AI consulting and value creation firm headquartered in Miami, FL. We partner with portfolio companies to drive measurable enterprise transformation by blending advanced technology with pragmatic change management. We are now seeking a visionary and research-driven Head of AI Think Tank to shape our strategic AI intelligence capability.

Position Overview

Brightstar.AI is seeking a highly capable, research-driven, and commercially astute Head of AI Think Tank to lead the firm’s AI Think Tank, building a forward-looking intelligence function to inform investment screening, sector thesis development, due diligence, and AI-enabled value creation.

This role is demands both deep research rigor and strong program management skills to monitor the rapidly evolving AI landscape, synthesize technical and market trends into actionable business insights, and manage a high-caliber advisor network. The successful candidate will orchestrate quarterly Think Tank sessions, drive ongoing intelligence gathering, and generate impactful outputs that help Brightstar.AI anticipate AI opportunities, risks, and value creation pathways.

The ideal candidate combines deep intgellectual curiosity and research rigor with strong business acumen, program management, executive communication skills, and interpersonal effectiveness. This individual must be equally comfortable engaging frontier AI thinkers, applied AI practitioners, investors, operators, and senior internal stakeholders, while translating evolving AI capabilities into practical recommendations relevant to investment and operating decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Drive Actionable Strategic Outputs:

• Lead the development of the Think Tank's key outputs, including:

• Capability Radar: tracking AI capability evolution and likely industry impact over different time horizons

• Sector AI Theses: identifying where AI may create value, where disruption risk may increase, and what asset profiles may become attractive

• Refinement of sourcing, screening, and diligence criteria: helping inform investment decision-making

• Enhancement of the Brightstar.AI Value Creation Playbook: incorporating Think Tank findings into practical value creation frameworks

• Ensure outputs are analytically sound, commercially relevant, and directly usable by Brightstar leadership and investment teams.

Maintain an Ongoing AI Intelligence Function:

• Establish a repeatable process for monitoring research papers, earnings calls, leading AI publications, top conferences, and outputs from major institutions and frontier labs.

• Oversee weekly deep research inputs, including those supported by AI agents, and convert this intelligence into an organized knowledge base to inform quarterly discussions.

• Track AI developments in prioritized industries and surface shifts that may influence investment attractiveness, execution feasibility, or competitive dynamics.

Lead the AI Think Tank Research Agenda:

• Oversee research agenda, monitor technical and market shifts, and translate developments into actionable business recommendations.

• Monitor AI market, model, and technology developments across relevant time horizons with particular focus on what AI may enable in the next six months, eighteen months, and up to three years.

• Track developments in foundational model capabilities, reasoning systems, applied AI use cases, emerging startup activity, and broader ecosystem trends.

• Convert technical and market developments into practical points of view that can inform investment and strategic decision-making.

Orchestrate Quarterly Think Tank Sessions:

• Prepare, coordinate, and lead quarterly Think Tank sessions with a structured approach designed to produce high-value strategic outputs.

• Develop pre-read materials, issue framing, capability updates, and discussion points for Think Tank participants.

• Facilitate discussion among a diverse advisory group expected to include frontier AI researchers, applied AI practitioners, ecosystem and trends experts, and investors/operators.

• Document conclusions, recommendations, and implications from each quarterly session in a clear, executive-ready format.

Support Ad Hoc Strategic Response:

• Operate with agility in response to material AI developments, including competitive disruptions, major model or technology shifts, and time-sensitive strategic questions.

• Convene focused ad hoc sessions with relevant Think Tank participants when rapid input is needed on important developments.

• Distill urgent developments into fast-moving, action--oriented recommendations for senior leaders.

Produce External Thought Leadership:

• Translate Think Tank insights into white papers, articles, conference content, videos, and other thought leadership materials.

• Help position Brightstar.AI as a credible and differentiated voice in Applied AI, enterprise transformation, and AI-enabled investing.

• Contribute to market visibility and credibility that may support differentiated deal flow and ecosystem engagement.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will be a commercially minded leader, senior, high-caliber researcher and communicator who understands both the promise of AI and the practical realities of business, investing, and organizational execution.

This is primarily a business role, not a purely academic one. It requires someone who can connect AI capability evolution to industry disruption, value creation, investability, and strategic decision-making. The ideal candidate will bring a rare blend of program leadership, business judgment, research excellence, and personal influence.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree required in AI, computer science, economics, business, public policy, engineering, or a related field.

• Strong capability to monitor and synthesize technical, market, and business developments across the AI ecosystem.

• Demonstrated ability to translate complex AI developments into clear, actionable business insight for senior stakeholders.

• Strong business acumen—understands industry dynamics, competitive shifts, value creation levers, and investment-related issues.

• Significant experience in AI research experience, including guiding PhD/Masters researchers, applied AI strategy, market intelligence, and thought leadership.

• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Experience facilitating discussions with senior-level, highly specialized stakeholders across technical and non-technical domains.

• Proven program management and organizational skills with the ability to orchestrate recurring executive forums and produce high-quality outputs.

• Ability to thrive and adapt in a fast-evolving AI landscape.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to frontier AI research, large language models, reasoning systems, or adjacent technological domains.

• Experience with real-world applied AI, preferably in enterprise or investment settings.

• Familiarity with private equity, investment stewardship, sector thesis development, or value creation in portfolio environments.

• History of producing executive-level white papers, strategic briefs, or external thought leadership.

• Established credibility with technical, operational, and investment stakeholders.

Critical Capabilities

• Business Acumen: Connects AI innovation to business models, competitive dynamics, and value creation.

• Interpersonal Impact: Builds trust across researchers, operators, investors, and advisors; strong executive presence and communication skills.

• Structured Execution: Able to program, facilitate, and document recurring, high-value sessions and intelligence gathering.

• Research Orientation: Disciplined, curious, and able to translate signal into actionable outputs.

What Success Looks Like

• Build an AI Think Tank that becomes a critical strategic input to Brightstar’s investment and value creation processes.

• Anticipate AI opportunities, disruption risks, and sector attractiveness aligned with firm priorities.

• Enhance sourcing, screening, diligence, and value creation playbooks based on Think Tank findings.

• Establish Brightstar.AI as a thought leader in applied AI through credible, differentiated content and insights.