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Perry Nelson

Basic Info​

  • Location: Accra, Ghana
  • Role/Occupation: Research Lead and Site Lead at Google Research Africa
  • Met: Google NYC office in 2014 - Perry was Gary's first intern host
  • Relationship Status: Married to Yasmin, has a young daughter

Professional Background​

  • Current Role: Research Lead and Site Lead for Google's Accra research office, focusing on AI for Social Good projects
  • Previous Positions:
    • Senior Software Engineer at Google (US, multiple teams including payments)
    • Technology Analyst at Goldman Sachs (before Google)
    • Part of Google's internal incubator Area 120 (2019-2020)
  • Education: Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science from Duke University
  • Key Expertise:
    • AI for social impact (flood forecasting, wildfire prediction, hunger forecasting)
    • Building AI solutions for African challenges
    • Weather forecasting models
    • Digital presence for African languages

Personal Background​

  • Ghanaian immigrant who spent many years in the US before returning home
  • Never felt fully American despite long tenure in the US
  • Motivated by desire to bring technology knowledge back to Ghana
  • Father to a young daughter who has profoundly changed his priorities
  • Values long-term thinking and impact over short-term gains

Key Projects & Interests​

  • Google Research Africa Leadership: Building team of ~10 people with capacity for 70
  • AI for Social Good Projects:
    • World's leading flood forecasting model
    • Hunger forecasting with the UN
    • Best weather forecast in Africa (team member achievement)
    • Building detection from satellite imagery (now in Google Maps, open source)
    • LearnLM initiatives for education in rural Ghana
  • Area 120 Success: Led project bringing Google ecosystem to Ghana merchants (acquired by GPay)
  • Investment in Education: Has budget for investing in Ghanaian universities (University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast)

Interaction History​

2025-12-04: Reconnection After Years​

  • First conversation in approximately 6 years since Gary interned with Perry in 2014
  • Perry shared his journey from burning out at Google US to returning to Ghana in 2021
  • Discussed his leadership of Google's AI for Social Good team in Africa
  • Perry expressed being "intoxicated" by the possibility of solving major problems with technology
  • Shared about becoming a father and how it transformed his priorities
  • Both discussed their "fearless" approaches to tackling big problems
  • Gary shared his journey through civic tech, Web3, Vatican work, and Applied AI focus
  • Perry showed strong interest in meeting Travis Oliphant (NumPy creator)
  • Discussed potential collaboration around Applied AI community building

2014: Google NYC Internship​

  • Perry served as Gary's first intern host at Google NYC
  • Worked together on the payments team with Will and others
  • Foundation of professional relationship and mutual respect

Strategic Value & Collaboration Areas​

  • AI for Social Good Alignment: Perry's work directly aligns with Gary's interest in applied AI for humanity
  • African Tech Ecosystem: Gateway to understanding and potentially supporting African AI/tech development
  • Google.org Funding: Potential funding source for Applied AI initiatives
  • Cross-Continental Collaboration: Bridge between US Applied AI community and African implementation
  • Education Focus: Shared interest in democratizing AI education

Connections & Network​

  • Connected to NASA weather forecasting leadership
  • Gates Foundation (through Microsoft collaboration)
  • UN partnerships for hunger forecasting
  • Network of African AI researchers and engineers
  • Ghanaian university partnerships
  • Former Google Area 120 and GPay connections

Notes & Observations​

  • Decision-Making Style: "Going with the flow, doing what felt right" - intuitive but retrospectively appears planned
  • Values: Family first, long-term impact, bringing value back to Ghana
  • Communication Style: Humble, reflective, admits to "panic in the moment" but trusting the process
  • Work Philosophy: Non-cynical approach, genuinely believes in solving problems with technology
  • Personal Growth: Journey from partying in NYC to finding purpose in Ghana shows deep personal evolution

Potential Collaboration Areas​

  • Introduction to Travis Oliphant for potential NumPy/Python AI collaboration
  • Applied AI Society chapter in Ghana or broader Africa
  • Knowledge exchange on AI for social good applications
  • Potential visit to Ghana for Gary's planned 2026 Africa mission trip
  • Cross-pollination of US Applied AI community with African implementation needs
  • Educational initiatives bridging US and African AI communities

Key Quotes & Insights​

  • "I never felt super American... amidst all the chaos, I wanted to be home"
  • "It's intoxicating, right, to think about, what if... what if we could solve this?"
  • "All the barriers fall away. There's no competition. Like, it's all collaboration" (on AI for social good)
  • "She's shot right up to the top of my priorities" (about his daughter)
  • "Watching this little large language model train itself" (describing watching his daughter learn)
  • "The Gary approach - you have this kind of fearlessness to look at the big problems and just go for it"

Recent Developments​

  • Recently appointed as Research Lead and Site Lead (2024)
  • Managing hiring challenges due to Google's TPU spending priorities
  • Team has built best weather forecast in Africa
  • Working on expansion despite limited headcount (10 people, seeking 2 more)
  • Currency challenges in Ghana (2022 free fall) led to real estate investments
  • Daughter recently had school performance he prioritized over meetings

Transcripts​

transcript-iddateone-line-summary
2025-12-04-gary-perry-nelson-google-africa-ai2025-12-04Reconnection call covering Google Africa AI for social good and Applied AI community building