micro1 forum

This discussion focused on how enterprise AI agents move from experimentation to reliable production use. As agents operate inside real workflows, human-generated data and expert judgment become essential for shaping behavior, evaluating performance, and ensuring agents meet professional standards. The conversation explored why grounding agents in real context is critical for building systems enterprises can trust.

Speakers: Aaron Levie - CEO at Box & Ali Ansari - Founder and CEO at micro1

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

This event took place on December 16th at 8am PST and featured Dr. Andrew Maynard, Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions at Arizona State University and author of AI and the Art of Being Human.

In the conversation, Dr. Maynard explored how AI is redefining what it means to be human—how we think, create, work, and relate to one another. Drawing from his recent book, he examined the emerging tensions and opportunities at the intersection of human identity, technological acceleration, and the future of meaningful work.

The session was moderated by micro1 Chief Economist, Mark Esposito, and connected these themes to the shared mission of micro1 and Dr. Maynard’s work: building an AI-powered economy that enhances human capability.

Speakers: Dr. Andrew Maynard, Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions, ASU

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

We hosted our last session in the micro1 / Microsoft AIEI “Reshaping the Future of Work” virtual series, “Education to Employment: Building AI-Ready Talent.”

Moderated by Dr. Mark Esposito (Chief Economist at micro1), the discussion featured Dr. Ben Shapiro and Dr. Amy J. Ko, both Microsoft AIEI Senior Fellows and Professors at the University of Washington.

The session explored how we can prepare the next generation for AI-driven industries through early education, hands-on experience, and equitable access. Speakers shared insights on designing joyful, ethical, and inclusive AI education, embedding creativity and justice into computing curricula, and bridging research with practice to build AI literacy from classroom to career.

Speakers: Ben Shapiro, PhD. - Professor, UW and Microsoft AIEI Senior Fellow & Amy J Co, PhD. - Professor and Associate Dean, UW and Microsoft AIEI Senior Fellow

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

We recently held a session in the micro1 / Microsoft AIEI “Reshaping the Future of Work” virtual series, moderated by Dr. Mark Esposito (Chief Economist at micro1), and featuring Dr. Fabian Stephany (Microsoft AIEI Senior Fellow, University of Oxford) and Dr. Diana Tuman (Columbia University and micro1 expert), as they explored how AI was reshaping jobs and the skills that mattered most.

They reviewed real-time data showing which human capabilities—creativity, empathy, and complex reasoning—were rising in value, and how governments, companies, and educators could design inclusive re-skilling pathways to ensure everyone benefited from the AI-driven economy.

Speakers: Fabian Stephany, PhD. - University of Oxford Professor, Microsoft AIEI Senior Fellow & Diana Tuman , PhD. Cofounder of Catalyst Partners, Columbia University, micro1 expert

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

We hosted the next event in micro1’s “AI for Good” series, “Women Shaping AI for Good.” The session highlighted how women were driving innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence, economic opportunity, and social progress. Moderated by Dr. Mark Esposito, Chief Economist at micro1, and featuring Bolor (Obuna) Battsengel, Former Vice Minister for Digital Development of Mongolia and Oxford University, the conversation explored how inclusive leadership and diversity in data design led to fairer and more impactful AI systems. Together, they discussed how AI could unlock new pathways for education, employment, and entrepreneurship—particularly for women and underrepresented communities—while ensuring accountability, transparency, and human oversight remained at the heart of technological progress.

Speakers: Bolor (Obuna) Battsengel - Former Vice Minister of Digital Development, Mongolia; Oxford University

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

micro1 is excited to announce our launch of our fall virtual event series “Rewriting the Future of Work” featuring Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, the AI Economy Institute (AIEI).

We will feature Research Fellows from Microsoft AIEI’s cohorts in each episode, exploring how AI is reshaping the future of work, labor mobility, and workforce enablement.We’re kicking off our first one titled, “AI, Labor Markets & Mobility” on Oct 1st at 10am PST with Morgan Frank, Microsoft AIEI Research Fellow & Professor at University of Pittsburgh, and Joshua Browder, Board of Directors at micro1, in a conversation led by Mark Esposito, micro1's Chief Economist.

Together, they’ll explore how AI is reshaping global labor markets, enabling new mobility pathways, fostering inclusive economic participation, and the role of micro1 and Microsoft AIEI in building a more equitable AI economy.”

Speakers: Morgan Frank, PhD. - Microsoft AIEI Research Fellow/ Professor at University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information & Joshua Browder - Board of Directors at micro1 and CEO at DoNotPay

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

In our "AI for Good" event series, we hosted a conversation on Designing Human-Centered AI, exploring how technical ingenuity and societal ethics intersect in shaping the future of AI.

The discussion, moderated by Mark Esposito, PhD (Chief Economist at micro1), featured Aurélie Jean, PhD (Chief AI Officer at Infra) and Jamie Paik, PhD (Director of Reconfigurable Robotics Lab at EPFL).

Together, the speakers examined what makes an AI system truly human-centered, why transparency and explainability are essential for “AI for Good,” and how to balance rapid technical innovation with broader social responsibility. The session highlighted how advances in soft robotics enable safer, more intuitive human-AI interaction, and shared real-world examples across health, mobility, and public impact that demonstrated the potential of AI to serve people, not just processes.

Speakers: Jamie Paik, PhD. - Harvard, Director Reconfigurable Robotics Lab (RRL) at EPFL & Aurélie Jean, PhD. - MIT, Chief AI Officer (Infra), Computational Scientist

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

In our "Humans in the AI Loop" event series, we hosted a conversation exploring how educators are shaping the human foundation of the AI economy.

The discussion, moderated by Mark Esposito, PhD (Chief Economist at micro1) featured Aleksandar (Sasha) Tomic, PhD (Associate Dean at Boston College, micro1 expert) and Dr. Starling Hunter, PhD (Professor at London Business School, micro1 expert).

Together, the speakers examined how higher education is evolving to meet the demands of an AI-driven economy, balancing technical skill-building with ethics, governance, and critical thinking. They discussed embedding AI across non-CS disciplines such as business, humanities, and law, and highlighted the role of expert educators in shaping human-in-the-loop systems and values. The session also drew lessons from micro1’s work with academic institutions and talent development, underscoring how educators remain at the core of preparing talent for the AI economy.

Speakers: Aleksandar (Sasha) Tomic, PhD (Associate Dean at Boston College, micro1 expert) and Dr. Starling Hunter, PhD (Professor at London Business School, micro1 expert)

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

In our "Humans in the AI Loop" event series, we hosted a conversation on Governing the next Generation of AI, exploring how to bridge the gap between cutting-edge agentic AI research and the governance structures needed to ensure safety, alignment, and inclusivity.

The discussion, moderated by Mark Esposito, PhD (Chief Economist at micro1), featured Amir Afsharrad, PhD (Stanford University & micro1 Expert) and José Ramón Enríquez, PhD (Stanford HAI Researcher, Harvard University, & micro1 Expert).

Together, the speakers examined what makes agentic AI distinct and why it matters. Amir Afsharrad offered a technical perspective, drawing on his Stanford research on AI alignment to discuss jailbreak attacks, human-in-the-loop safeguards, and the boundaries of programming autonomous systems. He also touched on robotics and the challenges of governing AI systems that act in the physical world. José Ramón Enríquez brought the governance lens, sharing insights from his work at Stanford HAI on data equity, democratic oversight, and scalable civic engagement. He highlighted platforms that allow anonymous, safe participation for underrepresented voices, the importance of multilingual model training, and the use of AI tools like LLM-powered chatbots to foster reflection, learning, and inclusion.

The session underscored the need to balance technical innovation with policy frameworks, demonstrating how human-in-the-loop strategies, data norms, and democratic engagement can help shape agentic AI to serve society responsibly.

Speakers: Amir Afsharrad- micro1 Expert, PhD, Stanford University & José Ramón Enríquez- micro1 Expert, PhD, Harvard University/Standford HAI

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1

In our "AI for Good" event series, we hosted a panel on Expanding Access to the AI Economy, exploring how AI is reshaping the nature of work and creating new, symbiotic roles that amplify rather than replace human potential.

The discussion, moderated by Mark Esposito, PhD (Chief Economist at micro1), featured Kary Bheemaiah (VP & Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Capgemini Invent; Executive Fellow, World Economic Forum) and Arun Sundararajan (Professor at NYU, Economist, and Author).

Together, the speakers examined how AI’s superpowers are transforming work from job loss narratives to job evolution, highlighting real examples where humans and AI collaborate in creative and technical problem-solving. They discussed how social capital, hiring, and career mobility are shifting in an era when AI recruiters and asynchronous evaluations can unlock latent global talent beyond traditional credentials. The panel also emphasized the importance of equity in the AI economy, ensuring that capability-expanding opportunities reach underserved and overlooked communities.

The session underscored how the global hiring layer powered by AI can drive more inclusive, dynamic, and opportunity-rich labor markets, redefining what it means to build a career in the age of intelligent machines.

Speakers: Arun Sundarajan - PhD/NYU Stern School of Business & Kary Bheemaiah - Capgemini and World Economic Forum

Moderated by: Mark Esposito, PhD. - Chief Economist, micro1