PerkyPet AI, the veterinary-developed AI platform for proactive pet health, has brought on seasoned tech executive Jamal Jackson as its Global Head of Applied AI. In this capacity, Jackson will oversee the creation and expansion of the firm’s AI systems, furthering PerkyPet AI’s goal of enabling better-informed preventive care for animals and their owners via daily health tracking.
“As an animal lover and the pet parent of an 80-pound dog who has shaped everything from my daily routine to how I travel, this mission is deeply personal to me,” said Jackson. “I know how much can happen between routine vet visits and how difficult it can be to gauge whether a small change in behavior is meaningful. What drew me to PerkyPet AI is that we’re building a clinically grounded system that helps pet parents understand their pet’s health over time, rather than just another chatbot that returns answers without context. My focus is ensuring our AI continues to meet the highest standards for safety, accuracy, and reliability while helping families move from reactive to proactive pet care.”
Jackson has over 15 years of expertise in developing and scaling tech products for large enterprises, early-stage AI firms, and startups funded by well-known venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, and Techstars. Prior to PerkyPet AI, he served in engineering leadership positions at Jumpcut, Box, and Apple. In his new role, he will concentrate on enhancing AI systems that process daily health data, flag notable changes over time, and maintain recommendations and guidance within defined safety boundaries.
The American Pet Product Association (APPA) reports that 95 million U.S. households own pets, representing 71.6% of all homes across the country. By 2026, spending on veterinary services and associated product sales is expected to hit $42.4 billion.
PerkyPet AI was built on the idea that a pet’s wellbeing is influenced by everyday choices and actions taken between vet visits, not just during yearly checkups. The platform functions as a unified health record and smart monitoring tool, enabling pet owners to log nutrition, behavior, activity, symptoms, medications, and other health metrics in a single location, simplifying the detection of changes in an animal’s health over time.
“The AI industry has no shortage of people who can build impressive demos, but healthcare-related applications, like the PerkyPet AI model, require a different standard,” remarked Tim Maliyil, co-founder and CEO of PerkyPet AI. “Pet parents trust us with decisions that impact the wellbeing of a member of their family. Jamal understands that trust, safety and clinical rigor are requirements for useful innovation, not constraints. He brings the technical depth, operational discipline and judgment we need as we continue building PerkyPet AI.”
Hiring Jackson highlights PerkyPet AI’s dedication to developing AI responsibly within a healthcare-related field where openness, responsibility, and supervision are essential. Guided by the company’s veterinary experts and medical leaders, including co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Dara Huang, MD, MMSc, Jackson will assist in making sure that PerkyPet AI’s intelligence systems are built with the monitoring, assessment, and protections necessary for practical pet health applications.
PerkyPet AI is currently getting ready for its Summer 2026 debut, while also growing its workforce, tech infrastructure, and veterinary
