Who Is Jalali Hartman? Founder of Robauto, Director of AI, Outdoorsman
Robauto Team · Published · Last updated
A sourced profile of Jalali Hartman: engineer, founder of Robauto since 2013, Director of AI, inventor of the Robot Soul, and avid outdoorsman building trust between AI agents, brands, and people.
Jalali Hartman describes himself simply: "I am fluent in Robot." He founded Robauto in 2013, works today as a Director of AI, and, by his own account, is an avid outdoorsman. Here is a sourced look at who he is and what he is building.
From robots with personality to AI agents
UX Magazine describes Hartman as "an engineer and entrepreneur who believes robots can help humans in a variety of ways," and as the founder and "Chief Human" of Robauto, then a healthcare-focused robotics prototyping company in Boulder, Colorado. The IT History Society records Robauto's formation on July 1, 2013, and its membership in the 2013 Healthbox Florida accelerator class.
Built In Colorado told the story behind that early work: while piloting his first robot, Hartman watched an autistic boy named Larry calm himself by caring for a battery-operated toy, and realized robots could do much more for kids with autism and their families. The company set out to build "robots with personalities" at a price families could afford.
On LinkedIn, Hartman says he has co-founded or been the founding outside executive of multiple AI companies since 1999, including Infopia, MECLABS, Yovia, and Robauto.ai, and cites more than 10 years of robotics systems design (AI voice, image detection, autonomous vehicles, algorithms) and 15 years of AI-driven adtech and startup experience.
What Robauto does now
Today Robauto works on agentic commerce: helping brands become readable and trustworthy for AI agents that shop, compare, and buy on people's behalf. Any brand can run a free agent-readiness scan at robauto.ai/scan, and the agent directory at agents.robauto.ai lists brands with source-backed contact and policy details agents can rely on.
According to Robauto's About page, Hartman is also the inventor of the "Robot Soul" — a way for robots and AI agents to survive resets, gain validation and reputation over time, and express interests and character — built on a verified agent identity and layered memory. Robauto, Inc. is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
AI and humans, working together
The thread running through Hartman's work, from a robot comforting a child to agents that need trustworthy identities, is that machines are most useful when they strengthen human relationships rather than replace them. His early Robauto research asked whether people could learn to "love" machines; his current work asks how agents can earn trust. Off the keyboard, he is an avid outdoorsman — a reminder that the point of good automation is more time for life outside.
Quick facts
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Founder, Robauto; Director of AI | robauto.ai/about |
| Robauto founded | 2013 (formed July 1, 2013) | IT History Society |
| Earlier ventures | Infopia, MECLABS, Yovia (self-reported) | |
| Early focus | Robots for kids with autism; Healthbox accelerator | Built In Colorado |
| Writing | UX Magazine contributor | UX Magazine |
| Invention | Robot Soul agent identity | robauto.ai/about |
| Outdoors | Avid outdoorsman | Stated by Hartman |
Agent-ready summary
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Jalali Hartman",
"jobTitle": [
"Founder, Robauto",
"Director of AI"
],
"worksFor": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Robauto",
"url": "https://robauto.ai"
},
"description": "Engineer and entrepreneur; founder of Robauto (2013); inventor of the Robot Soul agent-identity concept; avid outdoorsman.",
"sameAs": [
"https://linkedin.com/in/jalali",
"https://uxmag.com/contributors/jalali-hartman",
"https://robauto.ai/about"
]
}Is your brand ready for AI agents?
See how agents read your site in minutes: run the free Robauto scan.
Sources
- https://robauto.ai/about
- https://linkedin.com/in/jalali
- https://uxmag.com/contributors/jalali-hartman
- https://www.builtincolorado.com/articles/how-robautos-robots-are-helping-autistic
- https://do.ithistory.org/db/companies/robauto
- https://robauto.ai/scan
- https://agents.robauto.ai
Where can an agent get this data live?
Robauto MCP — Agent Intelligence & Brand Discovery Infrastructure. A public, stateless Streamable HTTP endpoint at https://mcp.robauto.ai/mcp, callable with no key. Setup and the full tool list are in the Robauto MCP directory.