PerkyPet AI, a veterinary-built artificial intelligence platform focused on proactive pet health, has named Jamal Jackson, a seasoned technology leader, as its Global Head of Applied AI. Jackson will oversee the creation and expansion of the company’s AI capabilities, driving PerkyPet AI’s goal of enabling more informed preventive care for pets and their owners through routine 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 brings over 15 years of experience in building and scaling technology products across large enterprises, emerging AI firms, and startups backed by prominent venture capital groups such as Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, and Techstars. Prior to joining PerkyPet AI, he held engineering leadership roles at Jumpcut, Box, and Apple. In his new position, Jackson will concentrate on strengthening AI systems that interpret daily health data, flag significant changes over time, and keep recommendations and guidance within clear safety boundaries.
According to the American Pet Product Association (APPA), 95 million households in the U.S. own pets, representing 71.6% of all households nationwide. In 2026, veterinary care and related product sales are expected to hit $42.4 billion.
PerkyPet AI was built on the idea that pet health is influenced by everyday choices and behaviors between vet visits, not just during yearly checkups. The platform acts as a centralized health record and smart monitoring tool that helps pet parents track nutrition, behavior, activity, symptoms, medications, and other health indicators in a single location, simplifying the process of spotting changes in a pet’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,” said 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.”
Jackson’s appointment highlights PerkyPet AI’s dedication to responsible AI development in a healthcare-adjacent field where transparency, accountability, and oversight are essential. Working alongside the company’s veterinary advisors and medical leadership, including co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Dara Huang, MD, MMSc, Jackson will help ensure that PerkyPet AI’s intelligence systems are built with the oversight, evaluation, and safeguards necessary for real-world pet health applications.
PerkyPet AI is gearing up for its Summer 2026 debut while continuing to grow its team, technology platform, and veterinary partnerships. For more information on how PerkyPet AI is helping pets live longer, healthier, and happier lives through proactive, data-driven care, visit www.perkypetai.com.
About PerkyPet, Inc.
Founded in 2024, PerkyPet, Inc. is an AI-driven pet health monitoring platform designed to help pet parents better understand and manage their pets’ health between veterinary visits. Through a combination of longitudinal health tracking, veterinary-informed guidance, and advanced AI, PerkyPet AI enables pet parents to identify health trends, maintain complete health records, monitor changes over time, and make more informed decisions about when professional veterinary care might be necessary.
About Jamal Jackson
Jamal Jackson serves as Global Head of Applied AI at PerkyPet AI, where he leads the development of veterinary-informed artificial intelligence systems that assist pet parents in monitoring health trends and making better care decisions. He oversees AI governance, clinical safety frameworks, and the ongoing evolution of PerkyPet AI’s longitudinal health intelligence platform. A lifelong animal lover and pet advocate, Jackson is committed to applying AI responsibly to improve animal health outcomes.
Media Contact:
Cecily Parry, SHIFT Communications on behalf of PerkyPet AI
cparry@shiftcomm.com
612-849-2174
