Event Summary

The Austin Forum on Technology & Society covers any and all technologies that are influencing and impacting how we interact, work, learn, innovate and discover, run our companies and organizations, and more. We also frequently discuss how knowledge, and technology capabilities, are expanding exponentially and the challenges this presents. For our November book discussion, we will discuss a book that brings all of this together: how we adapt to all of the transformational changes that AI everywhere, synthetic biology and DNA printers, quantum computing, robots and autonomous devices, abundant green energy, and more will have on our lives, organizations, and planet. Join us for a thought-provoking look at the very near future, and a discussion of what we can, and must, do to make these imminent transformational changes positive.

Moderator

Jay Boisseau is an experienced, recognized leader and strategist in advanced computing technologies, with over 25 years in the field. Jay is the executive director and founder of The Austin Forum on Technology & Society, which he created in 2006 and is the leading monthly technology outreach and engagement event in Austin--and now attracts national and international attendees online. The Austin Forum is one of the pillars of the Austin tech scene, providing connections to information, ideas, collaborations, and community overall. In addition, Jay is CEO, co-founder (June 2014), and a partner in Vizias, a small team of passionate professionals with expertise in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), technology community building, and technology outreach & event planning. Vizias staff lead, execute, and support the Austin Forum through Vizias Research, Education, and Outreach, a non-profit dedicated to using technology for positive social impact. Jay has held previous leadership positions at Dell Technologies, the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin, the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center. He received his doctorate in astronomy from UT Austin, and his undergraduate degree in astronomy and physics from the University of Virginia.

Event Summary

The Austin Forum invites you to attend a special screening of the PBS and Amazon Prime docuseries “Power Trip: The Story of Energy” featuring Season 2’s “SPACE” episode, which uncovers the profound relationship between space exploration and energy innovations. Dive into the story of how energy propels our dreams beyond Earth, making space travel possible and paving the way for future cosmic endeavors.

Following the screening stay for a panel discussion with  “Power Trip” author and energy expert, Dr. Michael E. Webber, “Power Trip” series director and Alpheus Media co-founder Mat Hames, and associate professor and space environmentalist, Dr. Moriba K. Jah, for a deeper conversation about energy and space.

Moderators

Mat Hames is an Emmy winning Director, known for his two feature length Independent Lens documentaries What Was Ours and When I Rise which premiered at SXSW, Hot Docs, and the Big Sky Documentary Festival and are now streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV. Mat’s directorial debut was Last Best Hope, a nationally broadcast PBS film about the Belgian Resistance and escape lines during WWII, for which he was knighted by Belgian King Albert II. He made the award winning documentary series Power Trip: The Story of Energy and A State of Mind on PBS. Additional films include the Robert Redford-narrated Fighting Goliath for SundanceTV, Art of Home (PBS Living Channel), a series of 10 documentaries with Rooster Teeth called RTDocs, and Emmy award winning film Fossil Country. He is co-founder of Austin based production company Alpheus Media.

​As Chief Scientist, Dr. Jah leads the technical vision for Privateer. Jah is a renowned space environmentalist and astrodynamicist specializing in space object detection, tracking, identification, and characterization, as well as spacecraft navigation. He is an associate professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is the holder of the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering.

In almost 20 years of U.S. government service, Dr. Uzo-Okoro has developed several national space policies and contributed to over 60 NASA missions and programs – as an engineer, technical expert, manager, and executive – in space science and technology topics. At the White House, she leads the space, aeronautics, and manufacturing portfolios, and has released space policy on Earth Observations, Orbital Debris, LEO including Microgravity research, Space Weather, In-space Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing, Aeronautics, human exploration, and space science. Her 17-year engineering career spanned contributions to earth observations, planetary science, heliophysics, astrophysics, human exploration, and space communications missions, which represent over $9.2 Billion in total program value to NASA. She has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and three masters degrees in Space Systems, Space Robotics, and Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University (APL), MIT (the Media Lab), and Harvard University, respectively. She earned her doctorate degree in Aerospace Engineering from MIT. Her story is profiled in President George W. Bush’s book, Out of Many, One.

​Dr. Michael E. Webber is the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources in the department of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and CTO of Energy Impact Partners, a $3 billion cleantech venture fund.

From September 2018 to August 2021, Webber was based in Paris, France where he served as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, a global energy & infrastructure services company with 170,000 employees worldwide. Webber’s expertise spans research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization on topics related to innovation, energy, and the environment. His book Power Trip: the Story of Energy was published in 2019 by Basic Books with an award-winning 6-part companion series that aired on PBS, Amazon Prime and AppleTV starting Earth Day 2020. The series had more than 7000 broadcasts in the United States and has been distributed in dozens of countries, ultimately reaching millions of viewers. He was selected as a Fellow of ASME (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and as a member of the 4th class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars, which is a leadership training program organized by Presidents George W. Bush and William J. Clinton.

​Webber has authored four full-length general interest books, created two interactive textbooks, written more than 500 publications, and been awarded 6 patents. He serves on the advisory board for Scientific American and GTI Energy (an industry consortium formerly known as the Gas Technology Institute). A successful entrepreneur, Webber was one of three founders in 2015 for an educational technology startup, DISCO Learning Media, which was acquired in 2018.  Webber holds a B.S. and B.A. from UT Austin, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.  He was honored as an American Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and an AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow on four separate occasions by the University of Texas for exceptional teaching.

Event Summary

Our lives have become increasingly dependent on computing and networking technologies and on the digital data exchanged on our behalves for virtually every aspect of our lives. Powerful analytics and AI methods coupled with cheap, large-scale computing and storage enable companies to develop detailed profiles of everyone, collecting and exchanging data behind the scenes in ways that are often invisible to most people. Thus, we are entrusting the well-being of our companies, organizations, schools, and lives to the digital practices of many companies—with a rapid growth in their capabilities for analysis. It is difficult-to-impossible for proper regulation to keep up to ensure proper usage of this data—and what is ‘proper?’ What should be regulated and how, and what should not (and what are the alternatives)? 

Join us for a spirited debate event in which we will explore all sides to the challenging questions in the areas of digital identity and privacy, data monetization and trust, and the responsibilities and ethical considerations we have to consider to determine what is and isn’t fair, proper, legal, and safe. Audience questions will be posed to the debate participants after the moderator questions. 

This event is co-sponsored by Austin Startup Week

Moderator

Sherri R. Greenberg is a professor of practice and fellow of the Max Sherman Chair in State and Local Government at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and she is a professor of practice at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Additionally, she is the LBJ School Assistant Dean for State and Local Government Engagement. She is a primary researcher for, and Chairperson of, Good Systems, Ethical AI at UT Austin. Greenberg serves on the Austin Smart City Alliance Board of Directors and the Austin Forum on Technology & Society Advisory Board. Previously, she was a member of the Central Health Board of Managers and a member of the City of Austin Housing Investment Review Committee. 
 
Greenberg has served as a senior advisor to Austin Mayor Steve Adler. She was a Texas state representative from 1991 to 2001, and she chaired the House Pensions and Investments Committee and the Select Committee on Teacher Health Insurance. She also served on the House Appropriations, Economic Development, Elections, and Science and Technology Committees. Previously, Greenberg was the City of Austin capital finance manager and a public finance officer at Standard & Poor’s.

Her teaching and research interests include technology policy, state and local government, housing, homelessness, transportation, healthcare, public finance, and campaigns and elections. Recently, she has had funding from the National Science Foundation, the City of Austin, UT Good Systems, the IBM Center for the Business of Government, the Cisco Foundation, Microsoft, MITRE, and the State of Texas.

Debaters

David Dunmoyer is the campaign director for Better Tech for Tomorrow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In this role, he publishes research and commentary, provides expert testimony, and advocates for responsible technology policy in the Texas legislature. His areas of focus include data privacy, cybersecurity, kids’ online safety, and other emerging technology issues. Before creating this new issue area campaign at TPPF, David was chief of staff to the executive team, driving strategy and collaboration across numerous policy issues. Originally from Sacramento, CA, his prior experience includes public affairs and digital marketing.
 
David is currently pursuing his Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, with an expected graduation of December 2023.”

Aditya Khurjekar is building identity.ai, the digital signature system to authenticate content and build trust in the emerging internet that’s increasingly influenced by generative AI. identity.ai is powered by Prove, the global leader in identity & authentication.  

Aditya previously co-founded Money20/20, the world’s largest FinTech conference, which was acquired by Ascential in  2014. He built the brand foundation and the original program for the inaugural Money20/20 in 2012. At Verizon from  2004-2011, he was the founder of the mobile payments joint venture that was acquired by Google & also powers Apple  Pay and Samsung Pay. Aditya spent his early career in semiconductors and held leadership positions in enterprise software and mobile devices at Lucent Technologies Bell Labs & CSG Systems. Aditya was also a founding portfolio advisor at Blume Ventures in India from 2010-2015. 

After a professional journey of more than 25 years in multiple industries working across the spectrum of the global innovation ecosystem, Aditya is keen to engage & invest in pursuits that solve real problems and make an impact. He is an advisor to FinTech-focused Luge Capital in Canada, and an investor in consumer-focused 1000 Farmacie in Italy,  and real-estate tokenization platform Brixie in South East Asia, along with several other FinTech- and crypto-enabled inclusion initiatives in the Middle East, Latin America and India.  

Aditya has a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business.  He lives and works in Princeton and New York City, and collaborates with teams globally. 

Anastasia is a public interest technologist, writer, and speaker with expertise in digital privacy and identity, secure AI, and responsible innovation. She is the founder of Agency, a membership organization of founders, investors, engineers, and cryptographers working in privacy, AI, and decentralized technologies, and host of The Privacy Podcast. With experience across startups and large organizations such as NBC, NPR, and the U.S. Senate, Anastasia has also worked internationally in Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya. She has an M.S. in Information Security and Privacy from UT Austin and a B.A. in Government and International Relations from Cornell University.

​Jay Williams has been a chief technology officer and consultant to many of the Fortune 500. As a consultant, he has developed a highly refined process for managing a company’s technology infrastructure, including applications, security, and network assets. Jay is a highly sought-after, enterprise systems architect and problem solver. He has advised several high-profile technology companies on their products and is known for a rare combination of deep technology expertise, expert problem-solving ability, and business acumen. Jay is widely respected by peers and has influenced many pivotal technology consortia and industry steering groups. He regularly consults with senior technology and business executives and is frequently consulted by venture and capital investors for analyses of new technology strategies.

Event Summary

Shellye Archambeau recounts how she overcame the challenges she faced as a young black woman, wife, and mother, managing her personal and professional responsibilities while climbing the ranks at IBM and subsequently in her roles as CEO. Through the busts and booms of Silicon Valley in the early 2000s, this bold and inspiring book details the risks she took and the strategies she engaged to steer her family, her career, and her company MetricStream toward success.

Through her journey, Shellye discovered that ambition alone is not enough to achieve success. Here, she shares the practical strategies, tools, and approaches readers can employ right now, including concrete steps to most effectively:

• Dismantle impostor syndrome

• Capitalize on the power of planning

• Take risks

• Developing financial literacy

• Build your network

• Establish your reputation

• Take charge of your career

• Integrate work, marriage, parenthood, and self-care

​Each chapter lays out key takeaways and actions to increase the odds of achieving your personal and professional goals. With relatable personal stories that ground her advice in the real world and a foreword by leading venture capitalist and New York Times best-selling author Ben Horowitz, Unapologetically Ambitious invites listeners to move beyond the solely supportive roles others expect them to fill, to learn how to carefully tread the thin line between assertive and aggressive and to give themselves permission to strive for the top. Make no apologies for the height of your ambitions. Shellye Archambeau will show you how.

Moderator

Brad is the CEO and founder of Brad Englert Advisory, a technology planning and consulting services firm, and is an author, advisor, and technologist. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer for ITS and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for The University of Texas at Austin, and was a partner with Accenture. Services offered through Brad Englert Advisory include strategy creation, IT governance, organization effectiveness, cloud solution evaluation and selection, career coaching, and career development training.

Event Summary

After the Austin Forum’s huge September presentation event on quantum computing featuring Strangeworks founder and CEO, whurley,  it became clear that there is strong interest in quantum computing in Austin—including a number of professionals working in this field for various companies. So, we’re going to have a meetup and see just how strong this interest is, and hopefully help people learn how they can contribute to, transition into, or at least learn a lot more about quantum computing! Please join us and bring any friends and colleagues who are interested in, or working in, quantum computing and adjacent fields!

Moderators

Amy Golem, Senior Regional Sales Manager, PASQAL

Brance Hudzietz, Senior Director of Partnerships, Infleqtion

William "whurley" Hurley, Founder and CEO, Strangeworks

Anu Osibajo, Corporate Development Associate, Infleqtion

William V. Oxford, Ph.D., CEO, Anametric, Inc.

Nash Palaniswamy, Chief Commercial Officer, Quantinuum

Stacy Vu, Chief of Staff, Strangeworks

Event Summary

Join us for a dynamic exploration into the expansive world of 3D printing technologies at the Austin Forum on Technology & Society. We're thrilled to host industry leaders from EOS, ICON, and Re:3D, who will illuminate the frontier of additive manufacturing. EOS will kick off the discussion by sharing the latest innovations in industrial-scale metal and polymer printing. As a vanguard in the sector, EOS will provide insights into how their technologies are transforming industries ranging from aerospace to healthcare.

ICON is set to change the way we perceive housing construction. In this session, ICON will present their cutting-edge approach to constructing sustainable and affordable homes using large-scale 3D printing, emphasizing both the speed of their process and its environmental benefits. Rounding out our panel, re:3D will delve into the social impact of 3D printing. With a mission to democratize manufacturing, re:3D’s presentation will spotlight the opportunities & challenges of printing from garbage to create new jobs and reduce supply chain challenges.

This event is co-sponsored by Austin Women in Technology

Speakers

David Dunmoyer is the campaign director for Better Tech for Tomorrow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In this role, he publishes research and commentary, provides expert testimony, and advocates for responsible technology policy in the Texas legislature. His areas of focus include data privacy, cybersecurity, kids’ online safety, and other emerging technology issues. Before creating this new issue area campaign at TPPF, David was chief of staff to the executive team, driving strategy and collaboration across numerous policy issues. Originally from Sacramento, CA, his prior experience includes public affairs and digital marketing.
 
David is currently pursuing his Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, with an expected graduation of December 2023.”

Samantha Snabes is an Officer in the Air National Guard & the CEO for re:3D where she facilitates connections between others printing at the human scale and/or using recycled materials to access locally driven manufacturing in 50+ countries. A serial entrepreneur, she volunteers as the past Global Chair of the IEEE Entrepreneurship Steering Committee. Previously, she served as the Social Entrepreneur in Residence for the NASA HQ & Deputy Strategist supporting the NASA Johnson Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Directorate after selling a start-up for a DARPA-funded, co-patented tissue culture device. Samantha holds a BS in Biology, BA degrees in International Relations & Hispanic Studies, an MBA with concentrations in Supply Chain Management & International Relations, and certifications as a firefighter & EMT-B.

Melodie Yashar is a space architect, technologist, and researcher. She is the VP of Building Design & Performance at ICON, a construction technologies company focused on large-scale additive manufacturing for Earth and in space. Melodie oversees the architectural direction of ICON’s built work as well as the performance of ICON’s building systems to deliver optimally performing structures that shift the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond. Collaborating across technology and construction teams, her department supports the design and construction of dignified and resilient terrestrial housing solutions in addition to supporting the development of ICON’s off-world construction systems. Notable projects of hers include Mars Ice House and Mars X-House, both first prize winners in design within NASA’s Centennial Challenge for a 3D-Printed Habitat on Mars, as well as design and construction of the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Her TED talk, ”How to Build for Human Life on Mars” has been viewed over 1.4 million times.

Melodie teaches undergraduate and graduate design studios at Art Center College of Design. In previous roles, Melodie was a Senior Research Associate with the Human Systems Integration Division at NASA Ames via San Jose State University Research Foundation (SJSURF), a co-founder of Space Exploration Architecture (SEArch+), a research group developing human-supporting designs for space exploration, as well as a Professor within the Architecture department of Pratt Institute. Melodie obtained a Master of Architecture from Columbia University and a Master of Human-Computer Interaction for Robotics from the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. She geeks out on new material & fabrication technologies. She likes tiny robots. She would like to visit the Moon (though not yet Mars) in her lifetime.

Event Summary

Join us for an upcoming book club event featuring 'We Are Legion (We Are Bob)' by Dennis E. Taylor. Delve into the sci-fi journey of Bob Johansson, an engineer turned AI who finds himself uploaded into a Von Neumann probe after his untimely demise. As he explores the universe, replicating himself and encountering various challenges, he transforms into a legion of Bobs, each with a unique personality and perspective. Whether you're an AI enthusiast, a space exploration buff, or simply a curious reader, this is an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and unravel the layers of this captivating novel filled with thought-provoking ethical and technological themes and a smattering of irreverence.

Moderator

Julie is a Finance/HR professional who has lived in Austin for 30+ years. She has worked in a variety of industries, including commercial construction, staffing/recruiting, automotive technology, and FinTech. Her leadership style blends common sense solutions with compassionate decision-making because the best way to grow a business is by supporting the people in it.

She lives in Dripping Springs with a large number of sons, a larger number of chickens, and an impressive science-fiction library.​

Event Summary

In this dynamic presentation at the Austin Forum on Technology and Society, renowned tech innovator William "whurley" Hurley delves into the captivating realm of quantum computing. As the quantum era dawns upon us, whurley demystifies this cutting-edge technology, helping you to understand its principles and transformative potential clearly. He will discuss the crucial role quantum computing plays across diverse sectors, from shaping innovative business strategies to bolstering national security measures. The talk sheds light on how this groundbreaking technology is not a matter of distant future speculation but an inevitable reality of our evolving digital landscape, arriving far sooner than you may suspect. Join us for an insightful discourse to comprehend the magnitude of quantum computing and prepare for its imminent impact. Learn why the quantum revolution matters to us, regardless of our backgrounds or fields of interest, and how it will be a game-changer in the technology and social paradigm.​

Speakers

whurley is the founder and CEO of Strangeworks, an Eisenhower Fellow, a Senior Member of the IEEE, founder of the Quantum Computing Standards Workgroup at the IEEE, the first Ambassador to CERN and Society, and the co-author of "Quantum Computing For Babies” and the upcoming “Quantum Computing for Dummies” (available for pre-order now). Prior to starting Strangeworks, he was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs [NYSE: GS]. He came to Goldman Sachs via the acquisition of his second startup, Honest Dollar. Prior to Honest Dollar whurley founded Chaotic Moon Studios which was acquired by Accenture [NYSE: ACN].

Samantha Snabes is an Officer in the Air National Guard & the CEO for re:3D where she facilitates connections between others printing at the human scale and/or using recycled materials to access locally driven manufacturing in 50+ countries. A serial entrepreneur, she volunteers as the past Global Chair of the IEEE Entrepreneurship Steering Committee. Previously, she served as the Social Entrepreneur in Residence for the NASA HQ & Deputy Strategist supporting the NASA Johnson Space Center’s Space Life Sciences Directorate after selling a start-up for a DARPA-funded, co-patented tissue culture device. Samantha holds a BS in Biology, BA degrees in International Relations & Hispanic Studies, an MBA with concentrations in Supply Chain Management & International Relations, and certifications as a firefighter & EMT-B.

Melodie Yashar is a space architect, technologist, and researcher. She is the VP of Building Design & Performance at ICON, a construction technologies company focused on large-scale additive manufacturing for Earth and in space. Melodie oversees the architectural direction of ICON’s built work as well as the performance of ICON’s building systems to deliver optimally performing structures that shift the paradigm of homebuilding on Earth and beyond. Collaborating across technology and construction teams, her department supports the design and construction of dignified and resilient terrestrial housing solutions in addition to supporting the development of ICON’s off-world construction systems. Notable projects of hers include Mars Ice House and Mars X-House, both first prize winners in design within NASA’s Centennial Challenge for a 3D-Printed Habitat on Mars, as well as design and construction of the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Her TED talk, ”How to Build for Human Life on Mars” has been viewed over 1.4 million times.

Melodie teaches undergraduate and graduate design studios at Art Center College of Design. In previous roles, Melodie was a Senior Research Associate with the Human Systems Integration Division at NASA Ames via San Jose State University Research Foundation (SJSURF), a co-founder of Space Exploration Architecture (SEArch+), a research group developing human-supporting designs for space exploration, as well as a Professor within the Architecture department of Pratt Institute. Melodie obtained a Master of Architecture from Columbia University and a Master of Human-Computer Interaction for Robotics from the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon. She geeks out on new material & fabrication technologies. She likes tiny robots. She would like to visit the Moon (though not yet Mars) in her lifetime.

Event Summary

The worldwide energy sector is going through dramatic shifts in energy demand, end-uses, and sources. Population growth and economic growth are driving up total demand.  Industrialization, urbanization, electrification, and motorization are changing how we use energy. And a policy push for domestic, low-carbon, and renewable fuels is changing our sources of energy.  At the same time, we are entering an era where markets, technologies, and policies are enabling dramatic increases in U.S. production of oil, gas, wind, solar, and bioenergy that are affecting global economies, the environment, and our national security posture.  In parallel, our energy and information sectors are merging to form smarter energy systems and more energy-intensive information systems. For this talk, Dr. Webber will give an entertaining and big-picture overview of global energy trends mixed in with humorous anecdotes, historical snippets, and unexpected examples that will provide a surprising look into the future of energy. 

Speaker

Dr. Michael E. Webber is the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and CTO of Energy Impact Partners, a $3 billion cleantech venture fund.

From September 2018 to August 2021, Webber was based in Paris, France where he served as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, a global energy & infrastructure services company with 170,000 employees worldwide. Webber’s expertise spans research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization on topics related to innovation, energy, and the environment. His book Power Trip: The Story of Energy was published in 2019 by Basic Books with an award-winning 6-part companion series that aired on PBS, Amazon Prime, and AppleTV starting Earth Day 2020. The series had more than 7000 broadcasts in the United States and has been distributed in dozens of countries, ultimately reaching millions of viewers. He was selected as a Fellow of ASME (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and as a member of the 4th class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars, which is a leadership training program organized by Presidents George W. Bush and William J. Clinton.

​Webber has authored four full-length general interest books, created two interactive textbooks, written more than 500 publications, and been awarded 6 patents. He serves on the advisory board for Scientific American and GTI Energy (an industry consortium formerly known as the Gas Technology Institute). A successful entrepreneur, Webber was one of three founders in 2015 for an educational technology startup, DISCO Learning Media, which was acquired in 2018.  Webber holds a B.S. and B.A. from UT Austin, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.  He was honored as an American Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and an AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow on four separate occasions by the University of Texas for exceptional teaching.

Event Summary

For our August monthly online discussion, friend of the Austin Forum and Professor Emeritus at The University of Texas at Austin, J. Craig Wheeler, will lead us in a conversation about the power of our personal data within this new age of the information economy.

Through his book, Who Owns the Future?, Jaron Lanier, Silicon Valley veteran and the father of virtual reality, presses readers to question the intangible data contract inflicted upon them by the world’s elite. At the cost of clicking around on the internet all day for free, hedge funds, industry powerhouses such as Google and Amazon, and the top 1% exploit our data. Lanier argues that this trade quite literally disintegrates the middle class and threatens our economy to the degree that it reaches your mortgage, insurance, and healthcare. Join us as we dive into the concepts of this book on a broader scale and consider potential solutions (our own and Lanier’s) that will give ownership and power back to data owners while strengthening the economy at all levels. This book has renewed relevance in the age of Large Language Models like ChatGPT that scrape copyrighted material from the Web with no recompense. Paying creators could be a version of Lanier’s micropayment scheme.

Moderator

​J. Craig Wheeler is the Samuel T. and Fern Yanagisawa Regents Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus, and Distinguished Teaching Professor, Emeritus, at the University of Texas at Austin and was past Chair of the Department. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society. He has published nearly 400 refereed scientific papers, as many meeting proceedings, a professional-level book on supernovae (Supernova Explosions), a popular book on supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and related topics (Cosmic Catastrophes), and two novels (The Krone Experiment and Krone Ascending). Wheeler has received many awards for his teaching, including the Regents Award of the University of Texas System. He was a visiting fellow at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, and a Fulbright Fellow in Italy. He has served on many advisory committees, including those for the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Research Council. He has held many positions in the American Astronomical Society and was President of the Society from 2006 to 2008. His research interests include supernovae, black holes, astrobiology, and the technological future of humanity. He is writing a book currently entitled Wild Ride Ahead: A Primer on our Technological Future.

Event Summary

AI is everywhere: From your smartphone to your car, favorite calendar application, rice cooker, and even clothes dryer–and in the business services you use, internally and as a customer. The usage of AI in businesses and by consumers has increased dramatically in 2023, and global technology leaders plus thousands of startups are accelerating innovation and racing to deliver new capabilities first. There are now demonstrable benefits of AI in virtually every industry, advancing and optimizing business, healthcare, education, and society overall. But what exactly is AI, how does it work, and what are its risks and limitations (for now)? How can you or your business harness the power of AI? Thus, understanding AI–and the principles, pros, and cons of machine learning-based AI–is increasingly important for everyone. Those who understand AI and how to harness it will be best positioned to lead in business and thrive in life in the years ahead.

This class will present a comprehensive introduction to AI, including generative AI capabilities and tools. The material will cover the basic principles of machine learning and clearly demonstrate how machine learning methods work, their incredible capabilities and potential, and their limitations and risks. It will discuss common AI applications and use cases, how these are evolving and expanding, and possible future directions in AI. The presenters will cover theory while also presenting examples and showing demos to illustrate how machine learning-based AI methods are being used in numerous areas of business and daily life, sometimes transparently. The content does not require mathematics or programming expertise–all principles will be explained at a high level as well–but the pace will be brisk and such understanding would be helpful. The class will be 2.5 hours with a break at the halfway point. 

If you are considering a career switch into AI, evaluating whether AI can enhance your company or organization, or just want to understand how the AI in your life–from Siri/Hey Google/Alexa to smartphone facial recognition, from Netflix/Amazon recommendations to ChatGPT– works, and sometimes doesn’t, this class is for you. This class is open to all and is being offered for free via the Austin Forum on Technology & Society by Vizias, which provides staff to execute the Austin Forum on Technology & Society. The instructors–Luke Wilson, Adnan Khaleel, and Jay Boisseau–have over 75 years of combined experience in HPC, AI, and other areas of computing, including research, development, deployment, and education.

Moderators

Jay Boisseau is an experienced, recognized leader and strategist in advanced computing technologies, with over 25 years in the field. Jay is the executive director and founder of The Austin Forum on Technology & Society, which he created in 2006 and is the leading monthly technology outreach and engagement event in Austin--and now attracts national and international attendees online. The Austin Forum is one of the pillars of the Austin tech scene, providing connections to information, ideas, collaborations, and community overall. In addition, Jay is CEO, co-founder (June 2014), and a partner in Vizias, a small team of passionate professionals with expertise in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), technology community building, and technology outreach & event planning. Vizias staff lead, execute, and support the Austin Forum through Vizias Research, Education, and Outreach, a non-profit dedicated to using technology for positive social impact. Jay has held previous leadership positions at Dell Technologies, the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin, the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center. He received his doctorate in astronomy from UT Austin, and his undergraduate degree in astronomy and physics from the University of Virginia. For Jay's full professional bio, visit here.

Luke has spent the last 20 years advancing the state of the art in high performance computing and artificial intelligence through roles in academia, finance, and technology. In 2005 Luke joined the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) and The University of Texas at Austin as a member of HPC research staff and lecturer in the Department of Statistics and Scientific Computation. While at TACC Luke helped in the design, deployment, operations, and programming of more than a dozen Top500 systems from vendors such as IBM, Sun Microsystems, Dell, and Cray. In 2016 Luke became Director of Training and Professional Development at TACC and developed the successful and popular TACC Institute Series of week-long training courses in HPC, Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, HPC Administration, and HPC Leadership.

In 2017 Luke made the move to Dell Technologies, where he served as Chief Data Scientist and Distinguished Engineer for HPC/AI in the Infrastructure Solutions Group. While at Dell Luke led the development and publication of dozens of patents in areas such as infrastructure configuration, cloud computing, and containerization. In 2022 Luke joined market maker and high-frequency trading firm Optiver as Head of Global Research Infrastructure, where he let a global team advance their compute, storage, networking, and software strategies and deployments. Luke holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and has worked on many high-profile projects, including providing data processing support for the Nobel Prize-winning LIGO project and introducing performance and parallel scaling optimizations for early transformer neural networks, paving the way for technologies like GPT-3/ChatGPT. He is the author of more than two dozen peer-reviewed research papers.

​Outside of work, Luke enjoys science fiction and superhero movies, classical history and Egyptology, golf, and spending time with his wife and 2 children.

Event Summary

For our July monthly online discussion, SXSW Co-President & Chief Programming Officer, Hugh Forrest, will lead us in a conversation about synthetic biology, genetic engineering, and how these advancements will affect our lives.

Amy Webb’s and Andrew Hessel’s book The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology, acts as our springboard as we dive into this field and how computers are used to rewrite genetic code. This advancement opens a world of opportunities, ranging from growing hamburger meat in a lab to creating vaccines for COVID. While hamburger patties are small in the scheme of life, the technology behind it can lengthen lives, as it will be an essential part in eradicating some of humans’ greatest threats, such as food insecurity, climate change, and disease on a much grander scale. A longer, healthier life is something anyone can get excited about, but genetic engineering comes with risks as large as biological wars and extinctions. Join us as we explore the implications this has on the infrastructure of society (good and bad) and how we may avoid the risks that come with redesigning life.

We encourage attendees to read the book Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology, as it will foster richer, more in-depth conversations. Reading the book is not a requirement to participate in the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Moderator

Hugh Forrest is Chief Programming Officer for SXSW. He oversees content for the SXSW Conference, as well as the Music Festival, Film Festival and EDU aspects of the program. Hugh was named “Austinite of the Year” in 2012 by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and in 2014, he and other SXSW Directors were named Austin Entrepreneurs of the Year by Ernst & Young. He recently received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Kenyon College, his alma mater.

Beyond SXSW, he has served on the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is part of the Board of Directors for Austin Habitat for Humanity and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin-based accessibility company Knowbility. Before joining the SXSW team, he founded The Austin Challenger and wrote for several other newspapers and publications.

Event Summary

​Misinformation and disinformation will always be with us, but multiple technologies have made it possible to create and disseminate misleading and false information much more easily over the past two decades. The very recent emergence of generative AI for text, images, and audio/video has greatly increased the ability to create more persuasive misinformation and disinformation, while emerging edge computing and augmented reality technologies present risks for hacking, creating, and spreading false information of more types, more widely. As AI, edge computing and communications networks, AR/VR, and other new technologies become ubiquitous, we need to ensure our new capabilities are deployed with security and safeguards built-in. This conversation with leaders in misinformation/disinformation and technologies will discuss the new threats to information security and quality how they can be misguided or even weaponized, and what we are, may, and need to do to protect against these threats.

Speakers

​Numa Dhamani is a natural language processing expert with domain expertise in information warfare, security/privacy, and trust and safety. She has advised startups and nonprofits, served as the Principal Investigator on various DARPA programs, and contributed to multiple international peer-reviewed journals. Currently, Numa is a Principal Machine Learning Engineer at KUNGFU.AI. She has previously worked on mitigating abuses in the online ecosystem at Twitter, on counter disinformation efforts at the Global Disinformation Index, on detecting online extremism and influence operations at Yonder, and on developing cutting-edge machine learning solutions at Accenture's Innovation Hub. Numa holds degrees in Physics and Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

Robert Matney serves as Director of Partnerships at Primer, a leading AI-ML technology company focused on practical defense applications. Primer delivers mission-ready AI to the analysts, operators and commanders who protect national security. Robert has led various software companies and initiatives since 2000. He has expertise in detecting information operations and disinformation analysis. Robert serves on the board of directors for Fusebox, a global hybrid arts organization and festival headquartered in Austin, Texas, where he lives with his unfeasibly clever spouse and two spoiled dogs.

Ryan Williams is a third-year Ph.D. student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Deputy Director of the Global Disinformation Lab at UT Austin. His research explores global policy responses to emerging technologies. Ryan leads the Global Disinformation Policy Database project at UT. He has previously worked as a computational disinformation analyst for Yonder where he developed tools and tactics for understanding online affinity groups. Ryan has MA degrees from UT in Global Policy and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.

Event Summary

​ChatGPT has created an explosion of interest in AI since its release, and a large number of other similar efforts. Companies and consumers have been using AI for a while to analyze, classify, predict, translate, etc., but the new branch of generative AI tools allows humans to actually generate new works. There are generative AI tools for creating images, sounds, and video, but ChatGPT and other LLMs are so powerful because everyone can relate to reading and writing text, to conversational language, to crafting prose for articles, reports, essays, user guides, and more. LLMs give us the ability to create the kind of content we consume, and that we need to create for others to consume. However, they are not perfect, and they can be used more effectively with careful prompting, fine-tuning, and more. Join us for this discussion of LLMs and how we can use them and make them better for work and other practical projects. Bring your laptop if you want, and join us as we become more effective users of ChatGPT, Bard, and other LLMs.

Moderators

Jay Boisseau is an experienced, recognized leader and strategist in advanced computing technologies, with over 25 years in the field. Jay is the executive director and founder of The Austin Forum on Technology & Society, which he created in 2006 and is the leading monthly technology outreach and engagement event in Austin--and now attracts national and international attendees online. The Austin Forum is one of the pillars of the Austin tech scene, providing connections to information, ideas, collaborations, and community overall. In addition, Jay is CEO, co-founder (June 2014), and a partner in Vizias, a small team of passionate professionals with expertise in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), technology community building, and technology outreach & event planning. Vizias staff lead, execute, and support the Austin Forum through Vizias Research, Education, and Outreach, a non-profit dedicated to using technology for positive social impact. Jay has held previous leadership positions at Dell Technologies, the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin, the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center. He received his doctorate in astronomy from UT Austin, and his undergraduate degree in astronomy and physics from the University of Virginia.

Luke has spent the last 20 years advancing the state of the art in high performance computing and artificial intelligence through roles in academia, finance, and technology. In 2005 Luke joined the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) and The University of Texas at Austin as a member of HPC research staff and lecturer in the Department of Statistics and Scientific Computation. While at TACC Luke helped in the design, deployment, operations, and programming of more than a dozen Top500 systems from vendors such as IBM, Sun Microsystems, Dell, and Cray. In 2016 Luke became Director of Training and Professional Development at TACC and developed the successful and popular TACC Institute Series of week-long training courses in HPC, Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, HPC Administration, and HPC Leadership.
In 2017 Luke made the move to Dell Technologies, where he served as Chief Data Scientist and Distinguished Engineer for HPC/AI in the Infrastructure Solutions Group. While at Dell Luke led the development and publication of dozens of patents in areas such as infrastructure configuration, cloud computing, and containerization.

In 2022 Luke joined market maker and high-frequency trading firm Optiver as Head of Global Research Infrastructure, where he let a global team advancing their compute, storage, networking, and software strategies and deployments. Luke holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and has worked on many high-profile projects, including providing data processing support for the Nobel Prize-winning LIGO project and introducing performance and parallel scaling optimizations for early transformer neural networks, paving the way for technologies like GPT-3/ChatGPT. He is the author of more than two dozen peer-reviewed research papers. ​Outside of work Luke enjoys science fiction and superhero movies, classical history and Egyptology, golf, and spending time with his wife and 2 children.

Event Summary

For our June monthly online book discussion, Austin Forum Executive Director, Jay Boisseau, will lead us in a conversation about the book “Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, and Strategies.” With any new technology comes fears alongside the initial excitement. But more so than ever before, society has to ask ourselves if these fears are warranted when it comes to superintelligence. Author Nick Bostrom explores what exactly superintelligence is and the means by which we can (or should?) accomplish this technological feat. We will dive into the benefits superintelligence will bring to society and at what cost, how we as a society can ensure our own success in this new era, and what responsibilities we have to mitigate these dangers as we build a new form of intelligence that will change life as we know it.

Moderator

Jay Boisseau is an experienced, recognized leader and strategist in advanced computing technologies, with over 25 years in the field. Jay is the executive director and founder of The Austin Forum on Technology & Society, which he created in 2006 and is the leading monthly technology outreach and engagement event in Austin--and now attracts national and international attendees online. The Austin Forum is one of the pillars of the Austin tech scene, providing connections to information, ideas, collaborations, and community overall. In addition, Jay is CEO, co-founder (June 2014), and a partner in Vizias, a small team of passionate professionals with expertise in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), technology community building, and technology outreach & event planning. Vizias staff lead, execute, and support the Austin Forum through Vizias Research, Education, and Outreach, a non-profit dedicated to using technology for positive social impact. Jay has held previous leadership positions at Dell Technologies, the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin, the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center. He received his doctorate in astronomy from UT Austin, and his undergraduate degree in astronomy and physics from the University of Virginia.

Event Summary

On June 6, the Austin Forum on Technology & Society will be hosting an exciting event to teach you how to use generative AI tools in the co-creation of content. more than a dozen AI experts will participate in leading this event. The evening will start with a presentation of the key concepts behind generative AI and how it can be used to create novel and innovative solutions in a variety of fields. We will highlight the growing importance of generative AI tools in industries such as graphic design, marketing, and content creation, and discuss some of the most promising applications of this technology.

​Following the presentation, attendees will be given the opportunity to try out various generative AI tools for themselves--bring your laptops, smartphones, etc.! (We will have virtual tables for online attendees, too.) Attendees will be able to experiment with ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot that can generate human-like responses to user input, Bard, an AI writing assistant that can help generate creative writing, DALL-E, an AI image generation tool that can create images from textual descriptions, MidJourney, an AI tool that can generate music in real-time, GitHub Copilot for generating code, and many more!

Overall, this event promises to provide attendees with a deeper fundamental understanding of the possibilities of generative AI and the chance to experiment with some of the most promising tools in the field. The Austin Forum on Technology & Society continues to be at the forefront of exploring the intersection of technology and society, and generative AI is one of the highest potential impact technologies of 2023. Join us!

Speaker

Amina Al Sherif is a technical engineering lead in machine learning and generative AI at Google. She immigrated to the United States in 2010 as a first-generation Arab American. She has spent twelve years in the Department of Defense serving as an Army officer in the Reserves and North Carolina National Guard as a tactical cyber operator and cyber targeter.

Amina has previously worked as an early-stage startup executive focused on artificial intelligence innovation and products. Before her startup experience, Amina worked at Google as a Cloud Engineer bringing the innovation and power of Google’s capabilities to the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. She focused on big data and machine learning, gaming and simulation, and data privacy and security in cloud computing and analytics.

​Amina has worked with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as an Arabic, Farsi, and French language-enabled Open Source Exploitation Analyst at Fort Belvoir, VA and Fort Bragg. She deployed under Operation Inherent Resolve to Baghdad, Iraq in 2015/2016. In 2016-2017 she deployed to Afghanistan supporting the Special Operations Community. Most recently Amina deployed to Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Israel for a Special Missions Unit out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina supporting cyber-HUMINT operations.

Facilitators

Jay Boisseau, Executive Director, Austin Forum on Technology & Society
Ben Fauber, Senior AI Research Scientist, Dell Technologies
Adam Ghetti, Founder, Adapter
Nylo Landis
Praveen Nuthulapati, Senior Director of Integrations and Partnerships, Dataminr
Jimmy Pike, Technologist and System Architect
Aurora Quinn-Elmore, Co-Founder, Metamorph AI
Elizabeth Quintanilla, Fractional CMO
Johnny Rodriguez, Director of Innovation, Fresh Consulting​
Finn Staber, Founder, Chicken Waffle
Erik Summa, Innovation Experience Lead, Innovation Studio, Dell Technologies
Jay Williams, Founder and CTO, ARCatar
Luke Wilson, Head of Global Research Infrastructure, Optiver
Dylan Wu, Founder, One Person Co​

Event Summary

For our May online book discussion, Austin Forum Executive Director Jay Boisseau will lead us in a conversation about the book “The Spatial Web: How Web 3.0 Will Connect Humans, Machines and AI to Transform the World”. Authors Dan Mapes and Gabriel René dive into the world wide web’s past, present, and future in this illuminating and optimistic global call to action. Understanding the web’s development and the Internet’s dark sides that have sprouted with these developments, provides society the opportunity to anticipate what is in the future and prepare for it. While there are potential risks to AI, AR and VR, robotics, IoT, and more, Mapes and René explore how the convergence of these technologies with human cognition will foster the Spatial Web, an iteration of the web that holds the Internet and its players accountable in a way it hasn’t before. The authors are optimistic that this is an inevitable evolution of the Internet but recognize and demand the cooperation of companies, governments, and individuals in ethical practices, social codes, and protocols. Web 3.0 offers exciting possibilities that promise a connected and sustainable future if we make the right decisions about the Spatial Web now. Join us as we discuss these possibilities and the steps of how we get there.

Moderator

Jay Boisseau is an experienced, recognized leader and strategist in advanced computing technologies, with over 25 years in the field. Jay is the executive director and founder of The Austin Forum on Technology & Society, which he created in 2006 and is the leading monthly technology outreach and engagement event in Austin--and now attracts national and international attendees online. The Austin Forum is one of the pillars of the Austin tech scene, providing connections to information, ideas, collaborations, and community overall. In addition, Jay is CEO, co-founder (June 2014), and a partner in Vizias, a small team of passionate professionals with expertise in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), technology community building, and technology outreach & event planning. Vizias staff lead, execute, and support the Austin Forum through Vizias Research, Education, and Outreach, a non-profit dedicated to using technology for positive social impact. Jay has held previous leadership positions at Dell Technologies, the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin, the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center. He received his doctorate in astronomy from UT Austin, and his undergraduate degree in astronomy and physics from the University of Virginia.

Event Summary

Metaverse is not a new concept but is increasingly in the news recently—for both positive and negative reasons. There are certainly some tremendous successes (popularity and financial) of metaverse technologies and models in online gaming, and some early successes in other areas of entertainment, but widespread adoption has not happened and there are some notable failures as well. Will the ongoing advances in technologies—from performance and visual quality to miniaturization and power efficiency—including new releases from tech giants Sony and (expected) Apple help overcome the remaining barriers? Do metaverse technologies, including spatial organization and navigation of information and artificial environments, have significant enterprise and/or consumer benefits? Can we make the metaverse matter?

​Join us for a conversation about the potential use cases and the challenges of metaverse technologies and applications with three leading metaverse experts: Ahna Boley of Double A Labs, Hrish Lotlikar of SuperWorld, and Finn Staber of Chicken Waffle. We will discuss the current state and expected innovations and applications in metaverse technologies and uses. There will be ample time for audience questions, and then networking with the speakers and attendees. And, as always, one lucky in-person attendee will win a badge for SXSW 2024, at which it is sure to (again) be lots of programming (pro and con) about the metaverse!

Speakers

Ahna is a founding member of Double A Labs. Having started as a producer, she worked her way to becoming the Chief Experience Officer (CXO). Focusing on the day-to-day of the SaaS platform, Double A, she has helped shape the innovation behind the metaverse world builder application, and partner integrations, as well as overseeing the Customer Success team who are the masterminds that make a brands’ experience in the metaverse successful. Let her show you how to build a thriving digital community that fosters loyal relationships and boosts product sales.

Hrish is a Co-founder and CEO at SuperWorld. Previously, he co-founded Rogue Initiative Studios (partnered with director Michael Bay), a Hollywood film, TV, gaming, and immersive entertainment studio. He was also the founding Managing Partner of Eastlabs, an early-stage VC fund based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Previously, Hrish was a Senior Business Developer and Global Evangelist at Toptal (backed by Andreessen Horowitz, the Rockefellers & the co-founders of Facebook and Zynga), a venture capital investor at Spencer Trask Ventures, and an investment banker at both UBS Investment Bank and HSBC Securities, where he specialized in public finance, corporate finance, and M&A. He also was an Associate in the Global Business Development Group at management consulting firm Hewitt Associates.

Hrish was born in India and grew up in the United States. He also has spent many years living around the world in Europe, Asia, and South America. He has a close connection to the people and cultures in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Spain, France, Vietnam, China, Colombia, Bali, and Thailand.

Hrish holds a BA in Political Science from Rice University and both an MBA and MPH from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In his free time, he enjoys working out, fashion photography, and traveling the world.

Game Programmer/Designer with a diverse background in Visual FX, Animation, 3D Art, Level Design, and Blockchain/NFT solutions. Primary focus on building advanced player controls for cross-platform games, and multiplayer eSports using cutting-edge VR and AR technology. Enjoys creating funny interactive experiences, and donates much of his free time to helping others.

Finn has launched multiple successful tech companies and has developed award-winning video games, interactive educational content, digital marketing experiences, and cyber-security solutions. He is the Founder of Chicken Waffle, and Co-Founder of WaveXR and Failed To Render. He has helped many studios ramp up, and has consulted for some of the leading technology developers in the world. He has worked with several Fortune 500 companies to help them build R&D efforts for XR. His experience with agile teamwork allows him to communicate well with other developers, and his experience as a decorated combat veteran of the US Army instilled the ability to work hard to accomplish difficult tasks.

​Finn has worked as a voice actor for multiple games, animated cartoons, and commercials. He enjoys networking with other skilled developers and hacking the latest technologies/hardware to create awesome fun experiences. He has often volunteered his free time to teach game development workshops at numerous local schools and universities and has helped organize developer meetups for the Austin Unity group, AR/VR Tools & Tech, and Austin Game Devs (IGDA Austin).

Event Summary

The 2013 movie “Her” is a wonderful science fiction movie about AI has evolved to the point of general intelligence, even sentience. There is no robotics in this AI movie—it is all about the powerful but human-like AI capabilities of his “OS.” “Her” is inspiring and thought-provoking but represents a reality still far away or possibly unattainable. And yet, on November 30, 2022—just 9 years after “Her”—ChatGPT emerged and suddenly everyone was talking about how it mimics conversation, can be trained on more data than any human could ever learn, etc. (Read our short interview with ChatGPT and you’ll see.) Coupled with AI technologies for turning text to voice and vice versa, one could imagine a verbal form of ChatGPT—and begin to wonder if “Her” is much closer than we thought!

Join us for a showing of “Her" followed by a Q&A session with AI experts, including natural language processing (NLP). They will answer your questions and will share their perspectives on the state and future of NLP and the possibility of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and sentience. The movie is still thought-provoking, and our panel will help us understand where we are with AI, where AI is headed, and how we might(?) get to “Her” capabilities.

Panelists

Seasoned technology leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation and leading high-performance teams across AI/ML, software engineering, data science, and cybersecurity. 

Team lead strategic innovation partnerships. Working in enterprise-scale AI for the last two decades.

Johnny Rodriguez, Director of Innovation at Fresh Consulting, has over 18 years of experience in creating innovative products and experiences. He has a diverse background in AI/ML, Product & Interactive Design, Front-end Web & iOS Development, XR development, and AI product development. Currently leading Fresh Labs, Johnny and his team are exploring, testing, and pushing the boundaries of emerging technologies. During his tenure, he has deployed 20 products, patented Voice AI algorithms, and spearheaded cutting-edge tech projects. He is also the co-founder of Brancher.ai, a no-code platform that allows for the connection of AI models to build AI apps in minutes. Johnny is not only a tech innovator but also a multifaceted individual. He is a beatboxer, fluent in three languages, and enjoys spending time with his family and furry companions when not leading the charge at Fresh.

Aurora Quinn-Elmore is a cofounder of Metamorph AI, a consultancy that helps companies leverage the newest AI capabilities as part of their core product innovation and business operations (sales, customer support, legal services, etc). Aurora is an entrepreneur and product manager with over 7 years of experience leading cross-functional product development teams through user-centered product design, rapid prototyping, and experimentation.

Event Summary

For our April monthly online book discussion, SXSW Co-President Hugh Forrest will lead us in a conversation about the book "The Threshold: Leading in the Age of AI." As artificial intelligence rapidly advances, the need for individuals and organizations to adapt becomes increasingly critical. In this bold new take, author and leadership consultant Nick Chatrath interweaves the analysis of the leadership strategies that sustained us up until this point with "threshold" leadership methods developed with AI in mind. Through anecdotes and research, Chatrath demonstrates that our organizations' survival and success as individuals depend on the qualities that make us uniquely human. Join us as we discuss this candid call to action, the significance of standing at the precipice of AI superintelligence, and how we can utilize Chatrath's toolkit to reposition our companies to thrive in an AI-driven world.

Moderator

Hugh Forrest is Chief Programming Officer for SXSW. He oversees content for the SXSW Conference, as well as the Music Festival, Film Festival and EDU aspects of the program. Hugh was named “Austinite of the Year” in 2012 by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and in 2014, he and other SXSW Directors were named Austin Entrepreneurs of the Year by Ernst & Young. He recently received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Kenyon College, his alma mater.

Beyond SXSW, he has served on the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is part of the Board of Directors for Austin Habitat for Humanity and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin-based accessibility company Knowbility. Before joining the SXSW team, he founded The Austin Challenger and wrote for several other newspapers and publications.

Event Summary

In this talk, Steve will give an introduction to AI for non-practitioners and then highlight current use cases in generative AI, computer vision, natural language processing, time series forecasting, anomaly detection, reinforcement learning, and recommender systems where AI-based systems are already performing well or offer significant promise to do so in the near future. Some key examples include creative writing and video generation, drug discovery, robotics, language understanding, climate change mitigation, and supply chain optimization. A major focus will be on recent generative AI models like Stable Diffusion and ChatGPT that have attracted broad attention across the world.

He will also discuss the significant risks of AI systems related to incorrectness, bias, fairness, privacy, fraud, cybersecurity, and misinformation/disinformation and then the current efforts in algorithmic accountability and AI ethics to minimize negative impacts or harms. There will be plenty of accessible content for those newer to AI as well as pointers to technical details for those with strong AI backgrounds who want to learn about key recent research developments.

Speaker

Dr. Steve Kramer, Chief Scientist of KUNGFU.AI, is a computational physicist and data science entrepreneur with 30 years of post-Ph.D. experience in AI, data science, research, software, and business management. He earned a Ph.D. in physics in the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics at The University of Texas at Austin. Steve has extensive research experience spanning data mining, machine learning, anomaly detection, bot/cyborg detection, clustering, network graph analysis, deep learning, spatiotemporal forecasting, predictive analytics, social media analytics, and pattern discovery/recognition. In 2014, he patented a robust method for dynamic anomaly detection based on chaos theory. Steve spoke at Data Day Texas in 2014 and 2018 and at Data Day Seattle in 2016. Since 2011, he has served as a program committee member and reviewer for the ACM KDD and IEEE Security and Intelligence Informatics conferences. He recently acted as the Principal Investigator on multiple subcontracts for DARPA's Information Innovation Office and on four different prototype contracts for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). He is proud to serve on the Board of the Austin Forum on Technology and Society and as a member of Board of Technical Advisors for data.world.

Event Summary

For our March monthly online book discussion, Austin Forum board member and AMD Senior Fellow, Mike Ignatowski, will lead us in a conversation about the book “Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology.” In this historical account that reads like a thriller, Chris Miller brings context to the current state of microchip technology and semiconductors and how that plays a role in geopolitics, national security, and the global economy. He takes readers on a journey that starts with the birth of Silicon Valley and ends with a competitive US-China relationship reminiscent of US foreign relationships during the Cold War. Join us as we discuss Miller’s work; the complexity of the situation; the implications these complexities could have on the global status quo; and what the future looks like in a world where resources are scarce, the supply chain is unstable, and stakes are high.

Moderator

Michael Ignatowski is a Senior Fellow at AMD Research in Austin, where he leads the research work in advanced memory architecture for high performance computers. Mike was involved in AMD’s role in winning the bid for the Frontier Exascale system to be installed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory next year. Before joining AMD 10 years ago, Mike worked at IBM in upstate New York for 27 years in advanced development and research. Mike has a master’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in physics from Michigan State University.

Outside of work, Mike serves on the board for Common Ground for Texans (CG4TX.org), a local group dedicated to promoting civil discourse among diverse communities and seeking common ground solutions toward a healthy democracy. He also serves on the board of 350-Austin, a local chapter of the international 350.org organization dedicated to reducing the threat of climate change. Mike is also the former president of the Central Texas Chapter of the World Future Society.

Event Summary

SXSW has become one of the largest conferences/festivals in the world, and “SXSW Interactive’ content forms the largest portion of the conference programming, drawing tens of thousands of techies from around the world. The technology programming at SXSW has a strong focus on how these technologies impact all aspects of society. Join us for a recap and discussion of some of the technology news, highlights, discussions, and more from SXSW 2023, moderated by Austin Forum director Jay Boisseau. This meetup will enable everyone who attended SXSW to share information and perspectives, and for everyone who attends to collectively discuss what the Austin Forum should cover in future programming.

Moderators

Jay Boisseau,​ Executive Director, Austin Forum on Technology & Society
Jeff Brooks, Director of America, Helena Group Foundation
Mike Carr, Lead Adviser, FMP Wealth
Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer, SXSW
Jenalea Howell, VP, Informa Tech
Susan Meredith, CEO, MentaMorph Money
Keiarra Ortiz-Cedeno, Computer Science Student
Maxime Peabody, Senior Software Engineer, Wombo.ai
Kristin Pilsner, Transition Specialist, Realty Austin
Michael Scharf, Co-Host, Austin Next LLC
Ryn Wilcox, Product Manager, Artemis Health

Event Summary

Today’s financial markets are deeply dependent on technology to improve their function and enable expanded access to all participants. But why is technology so fundamental to modern markets? In this month’s Austin Forum, Optiver’s Scott Richardson and Luke Wilson will walk us through the role of financial markets in today’s society and how technologies, like machine learning and reprogrammable hardware, make modern financial markets possible.​

Speaker

Scott Richardson is the managing partner of Optiver’s Austin office. Optiver is a global proprietary trading firm. In Austin, we develop and run ML-based algorithmic trading strategies in world futures markets. This offices serves as a global HQ for Optiver’s quantitative research and hardware research/engineering. Before moving with Optiver to Austin, Scott ran various algorithmic trading groups at Optiver in Chicago.

Luke has spent the last 20 years advancing the state of the art in high performance computing and artificial intelligence through roles in academia, finance, and technology.

In 2005 Luke joined the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) and The University of Texas at Austin as a member of HPC research staff and lecturer in the Department of Statistics and Scientific Computation. While at TACC Luke helped in the design, deployment, operations, and programming of more than a dozen Top500 systems from vendors such as IBM, Sun Microsystems, Dell, and Cray. In 2016 Luke became Director of Training and Professional Development at TACC and developed the successful and popular TACC Institute Series of week-long training courses in HPC, Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, HPC Administration, and HPC Leadership. In 2017 Luke made the move to Dell Technologies, where he served as Chief Data Scientist and Distinguished Engineer for HPC/AI in the Infrastructure Solutions Group. While at Dell Luke led the development and publication of dozens of patents in areas such as infrastructure configuration, cloud computing, and containerization.

In 2022 Luke joined market maker and high-frequency trading firm Optiver as Head of Global Research Infrastructure, where he let a global team advancing their compute, storage, networking, and software strategies and deployments. Luke holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and has worked on many high-profile projects, including providing data processing support for the Nobel Prize-winning LIGO project and introducing performance and parallel scaling optimizations for early transformer neural networks, paving the way for technologies like GPT-3/ChatGPT. He is the author of more than two dozen peer-reviewed research papers. Outside of work Luke enjoys science fiction and superhero movies, classical history and Egyptology, golf, and spending time with his wife and 2 children.

Event Summary

For our February monthly online book discussion, Austin Forum board member, Julie Tomlin, will lead us in a conversation about the novel Sea of Tranquility. From the perspectives of three different characters in three different time periods, Emily St. John Mandel explores metaphysics and time travel through the threads that intertwine these characters. This book uses their stories to reflect on relationships and interconnectedness, the ethics behind time travel, the tension between bureaucracy and humanity, the importance of steadfast character in an ever-changing world, and how we distinguish between reality and imagination when that world (or universe) turns out to be more fluid than it appears. During this online event, we will discuss these themes and how they apply to our lives and the intersection of society and technology in our world.

Moderator

Julie Tomlin is a 25-year veteran of the Finance/HR world. Currently, she is devoting her time to CVEX, an Austin-based fintech startup and proud sponsor of Austin Forum.  Julie fell in love with James T. Kirk at the age of 6 and has been an irredeemable sci-fi nerd ever since. She is thrilled to boldly lead the AF SciFi Book Club where no book club has gone before. ​​

Event Summary

Almost everyone now has many different digital identities, mostly disconnected from each other—and yet companies are exchanging/selling data and monetizing your personal identity data. Can we simplify how we manage our digital identity and add compensation while enhancing privacy and control of when our data is sold?

Join us for the discussion (meetup format) with opening and closing comments from thought leaders, experts, and practitioners. Share ideas, reactions, and recommendations that may help you, your company, or other companies and organizations improve the security and value of digital identities. After the discussion at Capital Factory, we invite you to join us at Upstairs at Caroline for networking.

Moderators

Mike Kiser is insecure. He has been this way since birth, despite holding a panoply of industry positions over the past 20 years—from the Office of the CTO to Security Strategist to Security Analyst to Security Architect—that might imply otherwise. In spite of this, he has designed, directed, and advised on large-scale security deployments for a global clientele. He is currently in a long-term relationship with fine haberdashery, is a chronic chronoptimist (look it up), and delights in needlessly convoluted verbiage. He speaks regularly at events such as the European Identity Conference and the RSA Conference, is a member of several standards groups, and has presented privacy-related research at Black Hat and DefCon. He is currently the Director of Strategy and Standards at SailPoint Technologies.

​Jay Williams has been a chief technology officer and consultant to many of the Fortune 500. As a consultant he has developed a highly refined process for managing a company’s technology infrastructure, including applications, security, and network assets. Jay is a highly sought-after, enterprise systems architect and problem solver. He has advised a number of high profile technology companies on their products and is known for a rare combination of deep technology expertise, expert problem solving ability and business acumen. Jay is widely respected by peers and has influenced many pivotal technology consortia and industry steering groups. He regularly consults with senior technology and business executives and is frequently consulted by venture and capital investors for analyses of new technology strategies.

Amy Winecoff (Ph.D., Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University) is a research fellow at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) and Center for Statistics and Machine Learning (CSML). Using a combination of qualitative, quantitative, and simulation techniques, she studies how technology communities develop algorithmic systems such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain platforms and how these systems evolve over time. She also serves on the advisory board of the eLab startup accelerator program hosted by Princeton’s Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education and conducts workshops on incorporating ethical deliberation into technology development processes. Prior to joining Princeton, Winecoff worked as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Bard College and as a data scientist for e-commerce technology companies, where she developed large-scale machine learning systems for providing product recommendations. She has published numerous academic articles and book chapters on psychology, neuroscience, machine learning, and human-computer interaction. 

Event Summary

Being able to simulate physical processes with high fidelity on powerful computers is important to research, design, manufacturing, and more, across fields and domains. Likewise, being able to visualize data and simulations helps us humans understand, trust, and share information and understanding. We are now seeing these methods combined, in 'digital twins,' which are models of things, places, infrastructure, etc. that use physics-based simulation, realistic visualization, and sometimes AI-enabled behaviors. And now, we can collaborate to develop and bring all this together in virtual environments of digital twins--a practical, useful metaverse! Join us as Marc Hamilton of NVIDIA returns to Austin to share how these technologies are advancing our capabilities to understand, design, and create everything from research simulations of complex phenomena to more accurate digital representations of things we wish to test, evaluate, and make/build. These powerful technologies are transforming how we work, and understanding the now may give your career or company competitive advantages in our rapidly changing markets and society.​

Speaker

Marc Hamilton is Vice President of Solutions Architecture and Engineering at NVIDIA, helping to build the world’s leading computing company for the age of AI. Marc’s team works with NVIDIA’s end-user customers, partners, and leading OEMs including Dell to build AI and HPC solutions addressing previously unsolved challenges across a broad range of industries. Marc holds a BS degree in Math and Computer Science from UCLA, an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from USC, and is a graduate of the UCLA Executive Management program.

Event Summary

As we kick off a new year, you may want to start a new project or business, or maybe you want to make an already existing product better or more efficient. After leading teams that built the iPod and first iPhone, Tony Fadell shares his insights and lessons learned in his book, “Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making.” He shares personal experiences and practical tips for growing professionally, building a business, and problem-solving through challenges you’re facing.

Join us as we discuss Fadell’s unorthodox views and advice on how we can better develop and improve the projects and environments around us. Bring your thoughts and be prepared to contribute to this exciting conversation moderated by Brad Englert, CEO and founder of Brad Englert Advisory and Austin Forum board member. We encourage you to read the book (or a summary) but invite you to join even if you haven’t as we will explore the themes of the book at large.

Moderator

Brad is the CEO and founder of Brad Englert Advisory, a technology planning and consulting services firm, and is an author, advisor, and technologist. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer for ITS and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for The University of Texas at Austin, and was a partner with Accenture. Services offered through Brad Englert Advisory include strategy creation, IT governance, organization effectiveness, cloud solution evaluation and selection, career coaching, and career development training.

Event Summary

Misinformation and disinformation are growing problems in society, contributing to health risks (e.g. false information about vaccines), societal divides and polarization, and misinformed views on issues of race, gender, and more. We’re not going to solve the problems in one evening, but each of us can do little things to help. We will have some experts in misinformation, and we’ll mingle, discuss, ideate, and close the night with people’s best ideas for how individuals can help, and what ideas researchers and companies (maybe a new startup?) should explore. Come join us for this great in-person Austin Forum discussion event.

Moderators

Mitch Chaiet, Creative Technologist, Accenture
Sherri Greenberg, The University of Texas
Dr. Steve Kramer, Chief Scientist, KUNGFU.AI
Chad Swiatecki, Author, Austin Monitor​

Event Summary

​Jay Boisseau and Jay Williams are back for their annual discussion of the emerging and maturing technologies poised to have much greater impacts on industry and work, research and education, health, entertainment, transportation, and more in 2023 (and maybe a bit later, but still soon!). As always, they have expert guests, and this year will be joined by Michael Shepherd of Dell Technologies and Nancy Giordano of Big Play Inc. We will quickly share tech highlights of 2022 and then focus on key technologies and trends for 2023+. We will share other tech trends lists, discuss why tracking technologies in fast-changing times is important for innovating and out-competing, and provide guidance on how to get started with some of the technologies in your company, organization, or professional development. ​

Speakers

Marc Hamilton is Vice President of Solutions Architecture and Engineering at NVIDIA, helping to build the world’s leading computing company for the age of AI. Marc’s team works with NVIDIA’s end-user customers, partners, and leading OEMs including Dell to build AI and HPC solutions addressing previously unsolved challenges across a broad range of industries. Marc holds a BS degree in Math and Computer Science from UCLA, an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from USC, and is a graduate of the UCLA Executive Management program.

Hugh Forrest is Chief Programming Officer for SXSW. He oversees content for the SXSW Conference, as well as the Music Festival, Film Festival and EDU aspects of the program. Hugh was named “Austinite of the Year” in 2012 by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and in 2014, he and other SXSW Directors were named Austin Entrepreneurs of the Year by Ernst & Young. He recently received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Kenyon College, his alma mater.

Beyond SXSW, he has served on the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is part of the Board of Directors for Austin Habitat for Humanity and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin-based accessibility company Knowbility. Before joining the SXSW team, he founded The Austin Challenger and wrote for several other newspapers and publications.

Nancy built a formidable career at several of the most influential ad agencies in NY, Chicago, and LA and for more than a decade has been the Founder/CEO of Play Big Inc., a strategic inspiration company. Her current work dives deeply into the emerging intersection of tech, business and society. Her expertise and experiences range from A.I., to frozen foods, to reinventing the internet, and all of her projects have a key common denominator: transitioning away from the extractive operating systems and outdated business thinking that no longer holds up... to create the more sustainable, inclusive and dynamic solutions the future demands.

Author of the Amazon bestselling book Leadering: The Ways Visionary Leaders Play Bigger, Nancy is a frequent panelist at South by Southwest, global keynote speaker, Singularity University guest lecturer, and the world’s first TEDx licensee. She is recognized as one of the world’s top female futurists, and is co-Founder of the Femme Futurists Society.

Michael is a Distinguished Engineer and recognized technical evangelist who speaks globally on the impact of emerging technologies. With 25 years of Technology experience backed by 14 years growing up in Asia, he currently leads AI Research and Emerging Tech for Dell Technologies Services. Michael’s responsibilities include engaging with external researchers and collaborating internally across the Chief Technology Offices to envision and drive transformation as we prepare for the Age of AI.

As Augmented Intelligence improves the efficiency by which humans and machines work together, Michael focuses on “the possibilities” with Machine Intelligence and provides a vision for how Data Scientists in Dell Technologies Services can help drive human progress and better outcomes for businesses and humanity. Michael’s experience as a sole proprietor and subsequent 20+ years at Dell in multiple organizations gives him a unique perspective of Dell’s entire product lifecycle. He serves on the MSBA advisory council for the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and has been granted thirteen hardware and software patents in eight countries. When he isn’t consumed by Machine Intelligence, he can be found (or not) hiking with family and friends somewhere off the grid…getting recharged by nature where technology has yet to reach.

Jay Williams has been a chief technology officer and consultant to many of the Fortune 500. As a consultant, he has developed a highly refined process for managing a company’s technology infrastructure, including applications, security, and network assets. Jay is a highly sought-after, enterprise systems architect and problem solver. He has advised a number of high-profile technology companies on their products and is known for a rare combination of deep technology expertise, expert problem-solving ability, and business acumen. Jay is widely respected by peers and has influenced many pivotal technology consortia and industry steering groups. He regularly consults with senior technology and business executives and is frequently consulted by venture and capital investors for analyses of new technology strategies.