“We have this technology that could completely remove this concept of distance in the world. Next to AI and automation, AR and VR will have the biggest impact on the way we work together.”
In the developed world, that means businesses can hire the most qualified talent regardless of where they’re located. And for employees, it means the freedom to go live and travel wherever you want without compromising your career. But Fleischmann points out that the technology can have an ever bigger impact in the developing world. Opportunities can be equal for everyone, regardless of location or background.
For a deeper dive into extended reality and what Fleischmann is working on at Arthur Technologies, see the discussion below.
“The line between people and their tools gets thinner every day. We have the unprecedented opportunity to enhance human decision-making for the betterment of society.”
Leading a variety of research projects that explore human computer interaction, Maes sees a future where interfaces may become smarter, more perceptive and more aware of what a person is doing. One example: combining deepfake technology with conversational interfaces to create realistic-looking agents that can engage with us in real-time. Other research in her lab aims to augment capabilities for those who are differently abled, such as memory augmentation for older adults or communication enhancement for individuals with autism or ALS.
For more on Maes’s work at MIT in immersive interfaces, see the discussion below.
“We can provide immersive learning to help people gain new skills, upskill and even create new types of content that evolves as technology does, so we are not waiting for universities to catch up with diploma programs.”
Using technologies like deepfakes for good and generative adversarial networks, Pierson and her team at PwC Labs can enable businesses to automatically create new learning content. But there’s much more to building a learning organization. Pierson reminds executives they’ll need to think about how to help people evolve their skills faster and figure out how to give teams the freedom to take risks — a key part of learning.
For a closer look at Pierson’s work at PwC on the ProEdge platform, see the discussion below.
“The most interesting thing about drones is the data you collect. As we get really good at collecting high-quality data, high-precision information, humans can only consume so much of it. The big breakthrough will be in using machines to interpret that information.”
Sanz goes on to describe the example of a geologist who can be helped by deep learning. While the geologist can’t easily review thousands of digital files, an AI model that’s been trained to mirror what the geologist does would take on the initial analysis.
Learn more about hyperconnected networks and what Sanz is doing at Skycatch below.
“We’re building robots that can work side by side with people. We’re very excited about the benefit this brings, allowing us to reinvent entire workflows and workforces and think about what we want people doing in this environment.”
Thomaz is also quick to point out the importance of reframing the conversation. Business leaders should invest in the change management that’s necessary to rethink their entire operations. It’s about asking what we want people to spend their time doing and where they are applying their skills.
Meet Moxi the robot and learn more about working autonomy in the discussion below.