About
Building ethical AI systems while keeping humanity at the center.
Who I Am
I'm Daniel Shanklin, Director of AI at AIC Holdings in Fort Worth, Texas. My work sits at the intersection of traditional investment and frontier artificial intelligence, with a focus on building systems that prioritize human wellbeing over pure commercial gain.
As Chairman and Chief Architect of Rhea AI, I'm developing the Eidos AGI platform—a multi-agent system built with ethical stewardship at its core. Through Eidos Inc's unique governance structure, we've created checks and balances that ensure this technology serves humanity's long-term interests.
As Executive Director of The Rhea Foundation, I work to democratize access to world-class AI tools for small businesses and nonprofits—organizations often left behind by technological advances. AI should be a bridge, not a barrier.
Background
My path has been unconventional. At seven, I became the youngest person to pilot an aircraft across the United States—an experience that taught me that the right mindset places anything within reach.
I spent nine years at Q Investments, a Dallas/Fort Worth hedge fund, rising from back-office analyst to front-office trader managing a $3B+ portfolio. During that time, I built systems, developed quantitative models, and learned to bridge the gap between financial theory and practical execution.
Since 2018, I've been fully focused on artificial intelligence and data science, working across industries from entertainment to healthcare, building everything from ETL pipelines to Monte Carlo simulations. I hold a patent in cloud-based algorithmic interface design and have over 30 years of software development experience across 12 languages.
Philosophy
I believe we're at a critical juncture in human history. The decisions we make today about artificial intelligence—how we build it, govern it, and deploy it—will echo for generations.
That's why I've structured my work around three principles: ethical governance (Eidos Inc), technical excellence (Rhea AI), and social equity (The Rhea Foundation). Each piece supports the others, creating a holistic approach to AI development that doesn't sacrifice one value for another.
The future I'm working toward is one where powerful AI systems are both technically sophisticated and deeply aligned with human flourishing. It's ambitious, but so was flying across the country at seven. The right mindset makes anything possible.