Fast Forward with Tech 2025

Charlie starts off the show with an embarrassing confession but ends the episode on a high note as she basks in the glow of interviewing the incomparable Max Sklar (who we have deemed "Machine Learning Superstar"!).

Max, who attended his first Tech 2025 event a little over a year ago on Blockchain legislation in New York City, is a Machine Learning Engineer at Luminary Media (a podcasting media platform). Before that, he was Machine Learning Engineer at FourSquare for ten years. Max also hosts the popular Local Maximum Radio -- a podcast about examining technology, engineering, and social trends through the lense of expanding perspectives and moving beyond the Local Maximum both for ourselves AND for our algorithms.

You can listen to Charlie being interviewed by Max on his podcast: Charlie Oliver on Tech 2025, Open and Thought Provoking Conversations about our Near Future

Some of the topics Charlie and Max cover in this episode include:

• How you can miss one revolution, and then go on to define another one. Max missed the early mobile revolution and then went on to have a lot to do with the rest of mobile;
• The most important thing you need to know about machine learning to grasp the potential of the technology and to understand where it's going in the future.
• Whether or not tech companies are doing a good job of presenting technologies with a reasonable balance between hope and hype;
• Max's take on why Mark Zuckerberg was wrong to say that Facebook will solve hate speech on Facebook using machine learning within 10 years (according to Max, "It's not going to happen!");
• Max's "Under the Radar" prediction for 2019 (the technologies no one is paying attention to that will likely be the breakout innovations that make a big impact).

• Max's Local Maximum Radio podcast: https://www.localmaxradio.com/
• Follow Max on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-sklar-b638464/
• Follow Max on Twitter: http://twitter.com/maxsklar

Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show Twitter: @JoinTech2025 Instagram: @jointech2025 Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025 Email: [email protected] Charlie Oliver: Twitter – @itscomplicated

Become a Tech 2025 member: bit.ly/t25member

View our upcoming events: bit.ly/t25events

SHOW NOTES

Season 3, Episode 17: Taming Automation Dragons with John Pavley

It can happen to any one of us. A software developer working at a big company is suddenly fired by his company's automated system and no one knows why or how to stop the system from terminating the employee. The story went viral this Summer, with everyone weighing in on the perils of automation and befuddled human beings who may become victims of rogue technology. "The Machine Fired Me: No human could do a thing about it!"

Charlie discusses this troubling scenario, among other things, with guest, John Pavley (@jpavley), Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Viacom. John offers a unique take on how companies and employees can implement emerging technologies responsibly (hint: learn to love taming the dragons).

CONNECT WITH JOHN:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpavley/ John's Blog: http://www.pavley.com/ Twitter: @jpavley

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

John's List of Resources:

• Ray Wenderlich for mobile development tutorials (books and videos). John notes that this platform keeps him sharp as Google and Apple keep moving headlong into the iOS and Android future.
• Glitch.com -web development platform started by creators of Stack Overflow and Trello -- what John likes about Glitch is its social coding and ease of use features. If you want do learn and do Node.js-based HTML5 development, Glitch is a great way to get started.
• Metamagical Themas - Douglas Hofstadter is a philosopher/computer scientist/author/mathematician who has profoundly influenced John's thinking and life choices. Definitely worth reading.
• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century - new book by Yuval Noah Harari, a historian/futurist who deeply thinks about what it means to be human.
• Story of Civilization - classic book by Will and Ariel Durant -- gain a broad perspective of human history but with enough detail to understand more than just the main events, John is currently listening to the audio book version and highly recommends it.

Charlie's List of Resources to get up to speed on automation:

Online Courses

• Robotic Process Automation - RPA Overview (Udemy)
• Mind of the Universe - Robots in Society: Blessing or Curse?
• Organizational Analysis
• Unethical Decision Making
• Introduction to Software Development
• Building Chatbots Powered by AI

Books, Articles, Movies

• What the Czech Play That Coined the Term 'Robot' Tells Us About Today's Robonomics
• The Second Machine Age (book)
• Future Shock (classic book by Alvin Toffler)
• Automation and the Future of Jobs (documentary)

New Research on Automation and Jobs

• How Will Automation Transform Jobs in NYC?
• Aligning Opportunities in Northeast Ohio
• Automation Potential for Jobs in Indianapolis
• Automation Potential for Jobs in Phoenix

REACH OUT TO US AT:

Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show Twitter: @JoinTech2025 Instagram: @jointech2025 Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025 Email: [email protected] Charlie Oliver: Twitter – @itscomplicated

If you've ever been to a Tech 2025 event, you've undoubtedly seen Rebeca managing the event, greeting attendees, managing staff, and taking care of guest speakers, among other things. Rebeca Cornejo is our incomparable Media Coordinator - she's also a college student majoring in communication, a millennial who thinks deeply about emerging technology and an artist (photography).

Charlie kicks off Season 3 with an interview with Rebeca that will give you a peak behind the curtain to see what happens at our tech events, how technology is impacting how people think and feel and how they are impacting how we develop and grow this community and organization.

REACH OUT TO US AT:

• Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show
• Twitter: @JoinTech2025
• Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025
• Email: [email protected]
• Charlie Oliver: Twitter – @itscomplicated

We're back! It's the end of Summer and we're heading into Labor Day weekend and Fall 2018 with a new season of Tech 2025.

Charlie shares how this season will be different than others (hint: YOU) and why she's excited about Fall 2018.

REACH OUT TO US AT:

• Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show
• Twitter: @JoinTech2025
• Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025
• Email: [email protected]
• Charlie Oliver: Twitter – @itscomplicated

If you knew that AI would destroy mankind in 150 years, would you still support it?

This is the question, asked by Dr. Seth Baum of the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute during his presentation, that resonated the most with Francine Mends (a neuro-radiologist, freelance writer, and soon to be digital nomad who now trains AI in radiology) when she attended our think tank, What is AI and How Can We Keep It from Harming Humanity?.

Francine proceeded to participate in the think tank and write a followup blog post (Want to save the world from AI? Answer these 3 questions) about the experience and that compelling question posed by Dr. Baum. In this episode, Charlie learns why radiologists are feeling AI-anxiety and how Francine is adapting to her industry being automated by AI. Somewhere along the way, they discuss survival skills in a zombie apocalypse. After the interview, Charlie shares some surprising information on how how radiologists are thinking about (and coping with!) AI.

[Photo above: Francine Mends talking to two other members at our think tank]

MORE ABOUT FRANCINE

• Twitter: @Onevolving
• Francine's Website: http://onevolving.com
• What's her site about?: Francine writes about biotech, travel, and life through the lens of modern psychology and practical philosophy

RESOURCES & ARTICLES MENTIONED

• Want to save the world from AI? Answer these 3 questions
• Why AI will not replace radiologists
• The Future of Radiology and Artificial Intelligence
• The A-Z Guide to radiology AI companies showcasing at RSNA 2017
• Radiology Leadership Institute Podcast
• Artificial intelligence in imaging – threat or opportunity?

REACH OUT TO US AT:

• Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show
• Twitter: @JoinTech2025
• Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025
• Email: [email protected]
• Charlie Oliver: Twitter – @itscomplicated

Change isn't just coming to the trucking industry -- change is here!

Nearly everything we touch, eat and buy was brought to us on a truck. Approximately 3.5 million truck drivers transport 14 billion tons of freight (more than 70% of goods we consume) all across the United States every year. Yet truck drivers, and the trucking industry as a whole, is tremendously underappreciated and often ignored. Can we afford to continue ignoring an industry that is undergoing massive technological disruption that will impact our entire supply chain and economy in the next 20 years?

Charlie welcomes Seth Clevenger (Managing Editor at Transport Topics), who we've had the pleasure of having as guest speaker at our think tank, "Driverless Trucks Will Come Before Driverless Cars – Here's How They Will Disrupt Everything." Charlie and Seth discuss how the adoption of disruptive technologies are impacting truck drivers, how these technologies are changing truck driving culture, and what might be needed to draw younger generations (millennials and, eventually, Gen Z) to the profession. The trucking industry is now facing a massive job shortage with over 90,000 trucking jobs needing to be filled each year in order to keep up with consumer demand -- while an aging trucker workforce prepares to retire (the average age of a truck driver is 55).

Seth offers great insight into an industry in need of solid solutions on how to innovate while being empathetic to truck drivers facing disruption. Check out Seth on Transport Topic's latest episode of their LiveOnWeb series, "Mega Trends in Trucking Technology" where they discuss blockchain and other technologies in trucking.

Charlie then shares a few resources (movies and podcasts) on the trucking industry (particularly on the culture of truck driving and what drivers experience) that may give us insight into the profession and keep us informed on the latest news on how emerging technologies are changing the industry.

Articles

• The Future of Trucking by Uber (Part 1) and (Part 2)
• Will Automation Put an End to the American Trucker?
• The U.S. Is Running Out of Truckers

Movies

• Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
• They Drive By Night (1940)
• Dual (by Steven Spielberg, 1971)
• Big Rig (Documentary, 2007)

Trucking Podcasts

• Red Eye Radio
• Let's Truck with Kevin Rutherford
• Freightliner RunSmart Hour Podcast
• Alice Isn't Dead
• An American Truck Driver with Chris Polk
• TalkCDL Trucking Podcast
• Trucker Dump
• The Trucking Podcast
• Truck Driver 101
• Ask the Trucker Live with Alan Smith

• Twitter: @sethclevenger
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-clevenger-449637aa/
• Transport Topics: http://www.ttnews.com/

• Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show
• Twitter: @JoinTech2025
• Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025
• Email: [email protected]
• Charlie Oliver: Twitter - @itscomplicated

He's baaaaack! Ed Maguire takes some time out of his hectic schedule to chat it up with Charlie on everything from innovation, to the future of work, to crypto whale sightings and Blockchain bros with Lamborghinis (it's just like old times again!).

Ed (Insights Partner at Momenta Partners and Founding Partner at Bluemont Partners) shares his insights and wisdom gleaned from many years of experience in tech on the best way forward for anyone who is ambivalent about the future. As always, he offers an enlightening historical perspective that gives us much food for thought!

For more on Ed, definitely listen to Season One of the podcast when he cohosted with Charlie.

MORE ABOUT ED

• Twitter: @eemaguire
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emaguire/
• Check out Ed's Momenta Podcast on leading thinkers in emerging tech: https://www.momenta.partners/iot-edge/topic/podcasts
• Suggested books by Ed: http://bit.ly/2D1x7v0

REACH OUT TO US AT:

• Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show
• Twitter: @JoinTech2025
• Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025
• Email: [email protected]
• Charlie Oliver: Twitter - @itscomplicated

On our 1-year anniversary of the launch of Tech 2025 (January 11, 2017), we're going back… waaay back. Charlie takes us back to the very first Tech 2025 event (Battle of the Chatbots & Conversational Interfaces in 2017) featuring guest speakers, Clara De Soto, (coFounder, Reply.ai, writer of chatbotsweekly.com newsletter) and Alec Lazarescu (chatbot builder, writer at Chatbots Magazine, and founder of Bots and AI meetup in New York City with over 1,600 members). What made that first event so special? Why did so many people (many of whom knew absolutely nothing about chatbots or Tech 2025) come out to an event about the even growing dominance of chatbots in our everyday lives?

As a part of our efforts to highlight communities around the world that are engaging the general public in emerging technologies for Season 2 of the podcast, Charlie interviews Alec Lazarescu about how he grew his community of chatbot enthusiasts to over 1,000 members so quickly, what he sees as the most effective ways to engage the general public in discussions around emerging tech, and what he sees as the next trend in chatbots. He also shares what it was like to be the first guest speaker at Tech 2025 (hint: freaking awesome!).

CONNECT WITH ALEC AND CHATBOTS AND AI GROUP

• Website: www.botsandai.com
• Meetup Events: https://www.meetup.com/Bots-and-Artificial-Intelligence
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/alec1a

CHATBOT RESOURCES

• Tech 2025 blog post about chatbots by Anne T. Griffin: "Improving the Patient Waiting Room Experience: Chatbots Could Be the Prescription We Need"
• Online courses on how to build chatbots: Udemy – www.udemy.com/topic/chatbots
• Chatbot publications: Chatbots Magazine chatbotsmagazine.com — Chatbots Life chatbotslife.com
• Chatbot email newsletter: Chatbots Weekly by Clara DeSoto chatbotsweekly.com
• Upcoming Chatbot Conferences: The Third International Chatbot Summit (Tel Aviv, Israel) Conversational Interaction Conference (San Jose, CA) Re.Work Fifth Global AI Assistant Summit (San Francisco, CA)
• Research: 51 Corporate Chatbots Across Industries Including Travel, Media, Retail, And Insurance (CB Insights)
• Article on Facebook's failed chatbot: Facebook M is Dead

FOLLOW AND REACH OUT TO US AT:

• Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show
• Twitter: @JoinTech2025
• Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025
• Email: [email protected]
• Charlie Oliver: Twitter – @itscomplicated /

As we begin season two shining a light on Tech 2025 members who are defining emerging technologies and inspiring us to push beyond our perceived limitations, we could hardly find a shining star brighter and more inspiring than Faith Legendre (Business Outcome Strategist, Cisco Systems). Faith is passionate about helping people. She specializes in corporate and social good, benefitting both at Cisco and The Aspen Institute. And she is a self-professed "hoarder of #humansideoftech use cases of tech."

Faith (whose personality embodies the definition of her name perfectly) has been an awesome member of the Tech 2025 community since we launched our very first event one year ago on January 11(Battle of the Chatbots & Conversational Interfaces in 2017). In this episode, Charlie and Faith have a deep-dive conversation about the importance and impact of building communities around emerging technologies that everyone can participate in and how companies can avoid becoming "zombie organizations" in these exponentially innovative times. Faith's unique insights and advice on how to embrace change and the future is just what we need right now (that and humility).

(1) 2:02 - Announcements, upcoming events, etc. (2) 12:02 - Interview with Faith LeGendre (3) 1:02:42 - Post-interview observations and information

MORE ABOUT FAITH

• Twitter: @FaithLegendre
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/faith-legendre-9a89b5/
• Looking for bot designers and developers of bots: http://bit.ly/2DOzJhN
• How can companies implement a circular economy to bring about substantive change in communities and the world? http://bit.ly/2DMXbMd
• H&M and the circular economy: http://bit.ly/2DQtLgq
• Book recommendation: Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change by David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney

REACH OUT TO US AT:

• Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show
• Twitter: @JoinTech2025
• Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025
• Email: [email protected]
• Charlie Oliver: Twitter - @itscomplicated

Aaaaand we're BACK! Now that 2017 is in our rearview mirror, and 2018 is staring us dead in our eyes, Charlie briefly pops in to explain why she's optimistic about 2018, what you can expect in Season 2 of the podcast, and to say Happy Anniversary to the Tech 2025 community on this one-year mark since we launched.

Happy New Year!

FOLLOW AND REACH OUT TO US AT:

• Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show
• Twitter: @JoinTech2025
• Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025
• Email: [email protected]
• Charlie Oliver: Twitter - @itscomplicated /