I’m Chris Deaton

a product manager, innovation professor, and conscientious builder

I am work at the intersection of AI education, accountability, ethics, and narrative design.

I design and build responsible, bias-declared AI assistants, operational innovation frameworks, and fictional story worlds that help people navigate complexity without losing their values.

The Responsible Innovation Lab (RIL) is where a lot of this work is tested in public with students, partners, and pilots — then turned into real tools, courses, and systems.

I model and develop the responsible AI chatbots in use by the lab and a number of others I am using for personal productive and creator ventures.

Currently I am helping develop the next phase of the RIL, fleshing out what’s next for SDG Campus, developing two more courses for MidLife College, and working on the next installments in both NoirNexus and Tales of Grump book series.

A complete list is here on my About Chris Deaton page.

Innovation Professor noir northstar hero

Not sure where to start? Start with intent.

Innovation Professor is an operating system for responsible innovation — not a blog, not a pitch deck. Choose the path that matches why you’re here.

🧭 I want to partner or build something

You’re exploring collaboration, pilots, or applied work — & you care about impact, not hype.

Work With Me →

🎓 I want to learn or teach

You’re here for AI literacy, systems thinking, or applied education — for yourself, students, or an institution.

Explore the Lab →
Check out our free courses →

📚 I want to explore the story worlds

You’re curious about how fiction, narrative, and simulation are used to pressure-test real systems & ethics.

Enter the Story Worlds →

If someone sent you this site, they likely thought one of these paths fit you.

Trust that instinct.

Responsible Innovation Lab

Frameworks, pilots, partnerships, and real-world deployment. This is where ideas are tested, refined, and shipped with students and collaborators.

Visit the Lab →

MidLife College

Courses and certificates built for adults who want real leverage: AI literacy, stronger thinking habits, and career-ready skills without hype.

Explore MidLife College →

SDG Campus

The applied layer — where sustainability, civic engagement, and education tools are deployed, tested, and measured.

See SDG Campus →

Give Me Back My Bias

My commercial startup: persona-driven, bias-declared AI assistants built for people who want honesty, boundaries, and usefulness over fake neutrality.

Visit the startup →

Story worlds: Noir Nexus, Tales of Grump, SolHaven

Fictional Story Worlds

Noir Nexus, Tales of Grump, SolHaven — and the narrative infrastructure I use to explore power, belief, ethics, and systems through story instead of abstraction.

Enter the worlds →

Chris Deaton

The builder behind these ventures — product manager, innovation professor, and designer of responsible, bias-declared AI assistants.

About Chris →

Why I built Innovation Professor

Most people don’t need more tech hype. They need help seeing what’s real, what’s risky, and what’s worth building. This site is where I do that work — openly, in plain language, and with declared values instead of fake neutrality. Transparency is important. The future is for everyone, and everyone should be at the table.

Responsible AI Assistant Design

At the Responsible Innovation Lab and Give Me Back My Bias, assistant design begins with one principle: honesty beats neutrality. Every assistant declares its values, boundaries, and purpose up front — no hidden agendas, no over-friendly tone, no pretending to be “objective.” These assistants are built with clear roles, declared assumptions, and explicit limits, so they strengthen human judgment instead of replacing it.

What I’m shipping right now

Thinkific Courses – 🚀 applied education pilots in active testing, two courses are now live Everyday Sustainability and Learning in the Age of AI
Free SDG Campus Educators Guide – 💡 applied education pilots in active testing, free resources for teachers using EcoConcern and EcoCafe educational SDG Campus blog sites.
INNOVATE Framework – 🔥 Our matriarchal INNOVATE steward, Mave, is being updated with the latest governance and AI policy guidance
Bias Advantage Builds – 🗣️ commercial builds based on my responsible assistant frameworks

Catch up on some of my work

🎅 Tales of Grump: Santa’s Shutdown: Grumpmas – Book 1 – start here where my AI Assistant, Grumpy Old Man, shines
🪖 Grumpendence Day: Introducing Law and Order – Book 2 – the sequel
🕵️‍♂️ NoirNexus: The Shard and the Shadow: A NeuNexus Files Mystery – meet the AI assistants Kade and Riley in their natural habitat
♾️ PolyINNOVATE – the INNOVATE Framework applied to relationships and personal growth

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “Innovation Professor” actually mean?

It means I sit at the intersection of product management, AI education, and narrative design. My work focuses on translating complex systems into practical frameworks, tools, and stories people can actually use.

What makes your responsible assistant design different?

Most assistants hide their assumptions. Mine declare them. Every assistant I build comes with stated values, boundaries, and learning goals, which makes them more trustworthy and more useful in real-world contexts.

How do students and graduates work with you?

Through the Responsible Innovation Lab, I help students and early-career innovators take ideas from concept to deployable products. We run pilots, build prototypes, test in public, and ship tools that create real impact.

Do you work with organizations outside the lab?

Yes. I partner with nonprofits, educators, founders, and public agencies on AI literacy, workforce development, ethical technology, and innovation strategy — without chasing the hype cycle.