OPEX Week Summer Guest Speaker

We are excited to announce guest speaker - Martin Ford!

Martin Ford is a futurist and the author of two books: The New York Times Bestselling Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future (winner of the 2015 Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award and translated into more than 20 languages) and The Lights in the Tunnel: Automation, Accelerating Technology and the Economy of the Future, as well as the founder of a Silicon Valley-based software development firm. He has over 25 years experience in the fields of computer design and software development. He holds a computer engineering degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a graduate business degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Martin will be leading a session on - The rise of Artificial Intelligence: implications for jobs and the economy.

Advancing information technology is already transforming both workplaces and the overall job market. The latest innovations in robotics are pushing factories and warehouses toward full automation, while machine learning algorithms are impacting white collar jobs. Smart software is replacing lawyers and paralegals who once reviewed documents, while intelligent algorithms are writing coherent news stories and internal corporate reports. Emerging technologies like 3D printing and self-driving cars have the potential to eventually threaten millions of jobs. Artificial intelligence and robotics are becoming true general purpose technologies that will continue to advance and scale across industries. Over the coming decades, the impact on employment and the economy as a whole is likely to be dramatic