About the Forum
The Austin Forum on Technology & Society brings together technology leaders, practitioners, advocates, and enthusiasts to learn about and discuss transformative technology topics such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, cybersecurity, climate tech and clean energy, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), gaming, smart cities, health tech, space exploration, and much more. We explore technologies through the lens of their influence and impact on society.
Technology leaders and experts share information via our extensive programming. Everyone is invited to attend a variety of monthly presentations & discussion events, virtually or in-person, where they can ask questions and share their own experiences and ideas. We offer additional content that can be consumed via our podcasts. And everyone—speakers, staff, and our huge community of tech leaders and professionals, learners, and enthusiasts—all converge and discuss in our Slack workspace.
The Austin Forum is one of Austin’s largest and oldest technology organizations, and we are increasing the quantity, diversity, and quality of our programming to help everyone keep up with technology capabilities and potential. We are focused on developing everyone’s understanding of diverse technologies and accelerating the impact of these technologies in business, government, education, health, entertainment, and more.
Participate in the Forum
EVENTS
Presentation + Networking Events are the premier monthly events where speakers share their knowledge and expertise during an hour-long presentation. Following the presentation attendees can ask the speakers questions and we end the evening with refreshments and networking. These events take place on the second Tuesday of every month.
Discussion Events are either held completely online or completely in person. These events aim to foster intimate conversations about technology and its implications on society. Experts moderate these discussions to ensure a robust, thought-provoking, and respectful exchange of information among participants.
Content
While events are at the center of the Austin Forum, we publish a variety of content to complement these monthly presentations and discussions. You can watch past presentation + networking events on our YouTube channel, and listen to the Austin Forum Upload podcast. AFers can also discuss past and upcoming events, online content, technology news, experiences, and perspectives in our Slack Workspace.
The best way to stay updated on all events and content is to sign up for the Austin Forum newsletter. We notify you when event registrations are live, share the newest podcasts and blogs, and keep you in the loop on all things Austin Forum.
MISSION
The Austin Forum engages and informs a diverse and worldwide community about the importance and impact of technology on society and stimulates discussions, collaborations, and partnerships on new technology opportunities.
COLLABORATIONS
The Austin Forum is designed to bring people together with diverse professions and points of view to increase the collaboration and the cross-fertilization of perspectives, experiences, and ideas. Community members are encouraged to ask questions and engage with speakers and one another through a variety of mediums including events, the Slack channel, and social media.
Leadership
The Austin Forum programming is led by Jay Boisseau, Executive Director, with guidance from an advisory board comprising leaders from technology companies and Austin companies that are partners of the Forum.
History
The Austin Forum was conceived by Jay Boisseau, who launched it in September 2006 under the management of the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) where it was held on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in North Austin and at the AT&T Conference Center at The University of Texas at Austin through October 2014. In February 2015, Vizias relaunched the Austin Forum in downtown Austin, and it has grown into the premier monthly technology event series in Austin.
COORDINATING ORGANIZATION
The coordinating organization of The Austin Forum on Technology & Society is Vizias, an Austin-based technology strategies & solutions company. Contact Vizias.
“I’ve formed literally dozens of new relationships and from a very diverse set of topics. I’ve made new friends, been able to share ideas with public and private sector people, and have joined up with CityUP partners.”
“The Austin Forum has become the primary Austin gathering intersecting tech, culture, and community - sort of like a monthly dose of SXSW programming.”
“Speaking at the Forum allowed us to directly speak to engaged, civic-minded individuals about our new municipal transportation policy initiative, MobilityATX. For an organization like Glasshouse Policy, a crowdsourced think tank that directly sources policy solutions from the general public, engaging such an audience is critical to our success.”