It's not often we get to step away from the inbox and into the future (and actually as far as space in some sessions). But today was one of those days. And, as days go, it was pretty incredible.
Thanks to New Scientist for inviting me to host its first-ever Emerging Tech Summit #nstechsummit.
I am now the proud owner of a lot of insight that I didn't even know I needed and am more convinced than ever that we need to get science, tech and business minds in rooms more often to share knowledge and learning.
From apps that can take 15 years off your chronological age (yes please) to building hotels in space and the critical importance of debiasing data in healthcare, it was a day when technological advancement took centre stage.
But it was also a day when we were reminded of a few very important messages:
1) you can't have artificial intelligence without intelligence. Tech only helps if you have the right dataset to draw on.
2) tech is the enabler not the answer. The starting point for all tech projects should be a focus on what humans need. We need to use to tech to empower, not undermine.
It was also inspiring to hear of the work of R&D funding agency ARIA who make it their mission to literally search for the impossible where failure is almost a certainty in the hope that their pushing of boundaries will genuinely unlock life-changing solutions. I look forward to seeing what they make possible.
I also learned a new word 'automagic'.
The right tech in the right tech will transform lives. Today reminded me of that.
So inspiring to meet so many of the speakers, including Kirsty Bennett Peter Ward Sanjeevan Bala Paul Dongha PhD Sophie Cunningham Konrad Dobschuetz Ilan Gur Catherine de Lange Sam Decombel so beautifully curated by the fantastic Andrea Monteiro
Thanks, as always, to the incredible Timothy Revell and Justin Mullins, Adrian Newton, Henry Gomm, Joanna Adams PG Dip DigM (she/her) Jacqui McCarron and the whole New Scientist team. What an event!
#grateful #emergingtech #businessmeetsscience #conference #summit
