EmTech 2013 day three: Climates of yes (October 2013)

I am officially addicted to EmTechMIT. Since returning to the left coast from last week’s event, every neuron in my body is firing from a reconnection to one of the ultimate “Climates of Yes."

On the website, the event is described as “…where technology, business, and culture converge. It’s the showcase for emerging technologies with the greatest potential to change our lives. It’s an access point to the most innovative people and companies in the world. Most of all, it is a place of inspiration—an opportunity to glimpse the future and begin to understand the technologies that matter and how they’ll change the face of business and drive the new global economy.”

That last bit bears repeating.

Many of us have been in communities where in-fighting and turf wards lead to implosion, slogging along directionless towards muddled goals or limited vision. If they even get that far. As one involved in the policy arena, a ground-breaking idea can quickly suffer pugilistic bandying and emerge a tired facsimile of itself.

MIT, and other environments like it, thrive on inspiration. More than the pride of irrefutable excellence and a reputation for providing the right answers, they are equally adept at asking the right questions. Certainly there is competition for funding and getting one’s idea to market, but the ship (in general) moves forward in collective and shared purpose.

One of the poignant takeaways from EmTechMIT, at least for me, is the reminder, lessons, and best practices this predisposition can provide to communities—regions, states, nations— towards heightened vision and more effective and successful outcomes. Can they push through negativity and self-limiting patterns, and instead redirect those energies to increase the pie versus fighting over the perception of limited slices? How can the USA reposition itself so that network density (as Steve Case of AOL termed it) can be realized across the national landscape…be it in large areas or small?

The infectious can-do underpinning at MIT in general, and EmTechMIT specifically, is well worth experiencing at least annually. Few, if any of us, can come away from it without seeking like-minded visionaries in our own back yard, and contributing to a Climate of Yes via impactful change.

I noted with great pleasure that EmTech events are now being supported in Mexico, China, Spain, Singapore, and Germany. With a robust MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest chapter here in the Seattle area, you can bet I’ll be exploring the same possibility for us.

My sincere gratitude to the rock stars at MIT Sloan Executive Education for such a stimulating opportunity.

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Doña Keating is President and CEO of Professional Options, a prominent innovator in the leadership, policy and management consulting industry which provides solutions for businesses, organizations and governmental agencies.

EmTech MIT is where technology, business, and culture converge. It’s the showcase for emerging technologies with the greatest potential to change our lives. It’s an access point to the most innovative people and companies in the world. Most of all, it is a place of inspiration—an opportunity to glimpse the future and begin to understand the technologies that matter and how they’ll change the face of business and drive the new global economy.

Originally published on MITSloan Executive Education innovation@work Blog

#EmTechMIT

EmTech 2013 day two: Not all genius is simplicity (October 2013)

Steve Case, Chairman and CEO of Revolution, Cofounder of America Online, and Chairman of the Case Foundation, set the tone for day two of EmTech 2013 with a dynamic, informative, and savvy discussion about public policy and the intrinsic role it plays in a burgeoning and technologically innovative economy. Unlike the sometimes brash Silicon Valley titans who believed they could rocket to success without being beholden to Big Brother, Case encouraged constructive engagement with what is typically a successful startup's biggest customer: the government. Quoting an African proverb, "If you want to go quickly, go alone; but if you want to go farther, go together," Steve further emphasized policy's value in setting ground rules that allow entrepreneurship and innovation to flourish.

His fireside chat with Joi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab, also explored Case’s investment in "second internet revolution" companies in locations other than the usual New York, Chicago, Boston, or Silicon Valley. His belief is that centers of innovation gravity will give way to new companies across the country, presenting opportunities for investment at lower valuation points. This, in turn, would create network density, a flywheel component sparking regional entrepreneurial success at its core. Startup Weekend is an example of his efforts to create robust industries and regional entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Case also took issue with US immigration policy, terming it a hindrance and citing a ten point drop in the percentage of Silicon Valley companies started by immigrants (down from 52%) as a result. In order to maximize its lead as world innovators, American policy regarding immigration and research needed vast improvements and increased advocacy from relevant stakeholders.

Though the Emerging Technologies for Connected Cities segment was about infrastructure, cities actuating data to help us make better decisions, and how utterly inane it is to steal from MIT (you had to be there), the theme returned full circle to smart partnerships, balancing tradeoffs between privacy and benefit, and the question of how cities can use mined data to ultimately benefit the economy whilst driving entrepreneurship. The day's program was seasoned with the usual round robin of inspiring and brilliant Innovators Under 35, mesmerizing us with peel and stick solar cells, biomimetic toxic nano-sponges, gesture keyboards, and phone printing (CallDNA) to offset the rise of phone-number spoofing. As I watched Bright Simon's presentation about mPedigree Network's projects from EmTech's Connections Lounge, a collective exclamation of shock was heard round the room when he indicated there was a 1 in 2 chance of getting counterfeit medicine in parts of Asia or Africa which could cause irreparable harm...and even some of the proffered solutions were themselves counterfeit. Quite a sobering thought with the potential to temper the oft unfettered exuberance of inventors among us. Is nothing sacred? Speaking of exuberance, Mary Lou Jepsen, Head of Display Division for Google[x], lived up to her description as a global thought leader by urging us to push the envelope, go beyond the predictable path, aim for impact via the creation of novelty, even sleep on the floor of international factories to learn and understand how things are truly built if one can. Just for grins, she threw up a video clip constructed from brain activity. But don't press her for details or she might have to kill you....working for the [x] and all. Jepsen's presentation was preceded by Lee Forster, Commercial Strategy Practice Lead and Technology Advisory at Sagentia, who spoke of when it made sense to kill projects and redirect time, money, and intellectual energies into new or alternative opportunities. Since all ideas don't make it to market, knowing one's target market and having a technology evaluation framework in place (including, but not limited to, stakeholder analysis and technical review), can also help one to meet stakeholder needs. Typically, the word "insurance" sends The Inspired off in the opposite direction, skid marks in the wake. This afternoon, however, Joe Coray - Vice President of Technology & Life Science, Renewable Energy and International Business at The Hartford, laid out a spot on case for the challenges and risks which come with disruptive innovation. Rather than discouraging or stifling the process, he suggested risk management and innovation be seen as a dialogue between friends. In his autonomous vehicles example, the requisite safeguards protect the interests of all concerned - leading to safe drivers and even safer vehicles. Regarding medical devices, many which store and can transmit extremely private an invaluable information, encryption and shielding would protect inventors, vendors, and patients alike. To backtrack a bit, we also had the distinct pleasure of listening to Craig Mundie, Senior Advisor to the CEO of Microsoft, on cybersecurity and the importance of protecting your personal identity online. As he walked us through the five categories—hacking, crime, espionage, warfare, terrorism, and actors (amateurs, professionals, and governments)—he urged a new model wherein permissions are attached to data release within a strengthened legal and policy framework. Creators of apps would be required to register intended use of data, and a policy regime with substantial legal penalties (felony!) would be instituted along with more cryptographic wrappers to control the release and transmission of data. The goal: mitigate fiduciary and technological breaches. Though many of us would have loved him to remain longer, he was shuttled off to New York to receive the BENS Eisenhower Award.

Per the BENS website, the Eisenhower Award was first presented in 1986 on the 25th Anniversary of President Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, and recognizes outstanding Americans whose contributions best represent his definition of security as “...the total product of our economic, intellectual, moral and military strength.” Citizens and public servants have been honorees, and prior recipients include President Jimmy Carter; Secretaries of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Condoleezza Rice; Generals David Petraeus, James Jones, John Abizaid, and Michael Hayden, as well as business leaders, such as Thomas Watson, Jr., Tom Peters, Norm Augustine, Denis Bovin, Mary and David Boies, among many other. Suffice to say, Mundie is in great company, as were EmTechMIT attendees. The Advanced Manufacturing segment kicked 3D printing up a notch to 4D, and a new era where intuition is part of the creation process and printed items also self-assemble. Stephen Hoover, CEO of PARC (a Xerox company) was also jazzed about how 3D printing democratized technology and the entire value chain, by giving on-demand access to the products being created to those who wouldn't otherwise have it. As I prepared to depart for my flight, a video demonstration (of an object being shaken apart inside of a flask and coming together on its own into a circular shape) was the perfect pièce de résistance before rushing off.

Another successful and inspiring day for EmTech MIT 2013.

-- Doña Keating is President and CEO of Professional Options, a prominent innovator in the leadership, policy and management consulting industry which provides solutions for businesses, organizations and governmental agencies.

EmTech MIT is where technology, business, and culture converge. It’s the showcase for emerging technologies with the greatest potential to change our lives. It’s an access point to the most innovative people and companies in the world. Most of all, it is a place of inspiration—an opportunity to glimpse the future and begin to understand the technologies that matter and how they’ll change the face of business and drive the new global economy. Originally published on MITSloan Executive Education innovation@work Blog

#EmTechMIT #SteveCase

EmTech 2013 day one: Futures of hope (October 2013)

It’s hard not to love Cambridge and the greater Boston area. An elegant skyline draping itself across the Charles River, surrounded by world class academic institutions. A highly innovative, collaborative, and solutions-driven climate which promises refinement and an irreverent insistence that the world’s problems will be tackled and changed by its inhabitants.

Nay, this is not a Frommer’s testimonial, but a prelude to my hearty endorsement of EmTech 2013, day one.

Since 1999, MIT Technology Review’s mission of  identifying important new technologies and deciphering their practical impact has manifested in EmTech, a gathering of the sharpest minds in the technology, engineering, academic, startup, and management communities to provide insight into the innovations that shape the world and business. Held at MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, MA, this showcase for emerging technologies with the greatest potential to change lives continues to attract worldwide interest and attendance. It’s an extraordinary opportunity to glimpse the future, drive the new global economy, and inspire.

My expectations were high regarding this event, and I wasn’t disappointed. MIT Media Lab was stunning, and there were three distinct feels to the main meeting room (absorbed, dynamic, attentive), Winter Garden Area (casual, sometimes loud, interactive), and Connections Lounge (quiet but relaxed university classroom). Attendees enjoyed the outside deck during breaks, and sat in huddled but independent groups on its floor during lunch.

Morning presentations began with a Big Data panel which included Deb Roy, Associate Professor at MIT and Chief Media Scientist with Twitter; Mitchell Higashi, Chief Economist of GE Healthcare; Kate Crawford, Principal Researcher with Microsoft Research; and Ari Gesher, Senior Engineer with Palantir Technologies.

With the overarching premise that science and technology were absolute goods but dependent upon ultimate use and purpose (further supported by open debate and conversation as a proctoring agent), Roy described how a personal life experience drove his curiosity in infants, language, and physical/social contextual development. After capturing ten hours a day of activity, he described how wordscapes held predictive power in why and where certain words and language were acquired. The extrapolated analysis ultimately led Roy to Twitter, where he created the analytics platform of people in the USA and a content graph which helped television stations understand what people were saying and when. A virtual tidal wave of content-driven impressions (and thus, conversations),cemented the guiding idea that conversation around a shared event could wield considerable influence, allowing companies like ESPN to create parallel paths to tweeters who did not see their show but could nonetheless be recruited to additional engagement via relevant video or audio stream.

My unspoken question was whether re-tweets and responses were the measurement, or simply being a subscriber to a Twitter user where one might rarely see a post. But what do I know? Roy’s company, BlueFin Labs – which analysed online chatter about TV shows and companies then sold its findings – was eventually sold to Twitter for nearly ninety million dollars.

Higashi made valid and interesting points about an industrial internet, designing society with cutting-edge healthcare systems, using big data to help policymakers to solve problems, and guiding behaviours with positive nudges which increase participation. Ari Gesher wrapped up the session with a presentation about intelligent augmentation, using the strengths of humans in concert with technology and computers, and a touching example of how his company (Palantir) partnered with Team Rubicon to improve workflow automation and facilitate work orders during Hurricane Sandy.

But Kate Crawford stole the show with her cheeky anti-big data ‘possible world’, where information is filtered and our decisions are virtually made for us. For our own safety and in our best interests, of course…

Crawford deconstructed Big Data Fundamentalism and its self-professed goal of objective truth with three counterpoints regarding the myth of objectivity, risk of data discrimination/redlining, and the end of anonymity. She left us with the poignant thought that data is both precise and coarse, and that both inaccurate and accurate predictions on its basis can be deleterious…particularly if we are not diligent about protections which arbitrate and regulate.

The Neuroengineering panel was fascinating and a personal highlight, as I drifted into a Zen state of absorption whilst Ed Boyden, Associate Professor of the MIT Media Lab, Steve Ramirez, Graduate Student at MIT, and Theodore Berger, Director of the Center for Neural Engineering at University of Southern California explored topics such as neurochemistry, electrical impulses, 3D robotic neurosurgery, memory creation/installation, neural and motor prostheses to mimic input/output functions, and opportunities for collaboration between disciplines to determine and understand the biochemical implications of memories. I was so enthralled with Borgen’s detailed description of hippocampal spatial/temporal activity and how to predict and measure, then recover memory function and learned behavior with a biomimetic neural prosthesis. So much so that it took everything I had to resist an urge to ring my husband at a nearby hotel, and announce my intention to move back to the area – stat. EmTech MIT 2013 invigorated a sense of “coming home,” and being in a community where everyone “gets it” is a highly intoxicating experience.

The afternoon continued with a stellar and impressive lineup of Innovators Under 35, who discussed climate change, geo-engineering, triple bottom line nuclear reactors, wind power, rainwater harvesting, air quality, MwangaBora solar lamps, DIY laboratory equipment, soft bio-integrated electronics, the Leveraged Freedom Chair, and anticipatory prevention of Mendelian disease.

Scot Osterweil, Research Director for the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program, spoke about the use of games to inspire invention, social interaction, playfulness, problem-solving, and language proficiency with children. His insights and cautionary tales about the benefits and drawbacks of narrowly-focused STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curricula resonated, as was his suggestion that community education and exploration leads to an empowered youth.

The Emerging Technologies in Health Care discussion with Jonathan Bush, Cofounder and CEO and President of Athena health, was equally informative and entertaining. This bloke was wired for sound, and his machine-gun humor about the trials and successes of his cloud-based “healthcare internet” was the stuff of lore. His high energy and passion were infectious, kept the crowd engaged, and provoked thought about a future of information transparency.

Marco Tempest captivated the audience with an “Open Sourcery” magic show using his version of Google Glass, and the day’s agenda was appropriately wrapped up with a fireside chat with Angela Belcher, MIT Professor and winner of the 2013 Lemelson-MIT prize. Her clearly brilliant innovative efforts were the perfect closing remarks about the critical need to continue challenging the mysteries and possibilities of science, and to inspire the next generation of student inventors, innovators and technologists.

Though I couldn’t stay at the reception as long as I would have liked, I had a delightful conversation with Sheila Danko, Professor and Chair of Design and Environmental Analysis, College of Human Ecology, at Cornell University. We both agreed that leadership and strategy were important for creating cultures which supported disruptive technology and innovation. And as a nearly perfectly timed backdrop to our discussion, my newly nine year old daughter arrived to share her experience with Mandarin, and a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) camp in which she participated this past summer.

Day two can’t come soon enough.

–

Doña Keating is President and CEO of Professional Options, a prominent innovator in the leadership, policy and management consulting industry which provides solutions for businesses, organizations and governmental agencies.

EmTech MIT is where technology, business, and culture converge. It’s the showcase for emerging technologies with the greatest potential to change our lives. It’s an access point to the most innovative people and companies in the world. Most of all, it is a place of inspiration—an opportunity to glimpse the future and begin to understand the technologies that matter and how they’ll change the face of business and drive the new global economy.

Originally published on MITSloan Executive Education innovation@work Blog

#EmTechMIT