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Top serial entrepreneur, technologist and leading futurist Byron Reese helps you unlocking future opportunities.
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As a futurist, he understands the unprecedented technological change upon us and explores the dramatic transformation of society it will bring. As a technologist and entrepreneur, he knows how to manage change and inspire innovation, while still meeting the immediate obligations and realities of operating a business.
Byron speaks around world to both technical and non technical audiences, and his keynotes and appearances include SXSW, TEDx Austin, Google, Nvidia, FedEx and Fortune 1000 companies and universities Rice (University of Texas, Queen’s University, TWU) and futurist conferences (TimeMachine, PICNIC Festival in Amsterdam, Wolfram Data Summit, and the IEEE Conference) among others. Byron has enjoyed a wide range of success over 30 years, including two NASDAQ IPOs as well as the sale of three companies he founded.
Today Byron is the CEO of JJ Kent, a venture-backed technology company using proprietary AI tools to create new products that delight consumers. Byron has served on numerous public and private boards and presently resides on the board of directors for GigaOm, a technology research and analysis firm focused on helping business leaders understand the implications of emerging technologies and their impacts on business, media, and society. A highly sought-after keynote speaker, enlightening attendees across nations, Byron is an indemand forward thinker in his field.
See keynotes with Byron ReeseHow will automation reshape the workplace? Will robots take all the jobs? Will artificial intelligence displace human intelligence? Are we destined to a future where we work harder and harder for less and less?
Futurist, author and technologist, Byron Reese dispels the fearful myths around these topics and describes a world where workers of all skill levels use new technology to increase their own productivity.
Byron explains, “Technology will continue to transform the workplace. That is certain. But it will do so by making humans more valuable. The biggest problems of tomorrow will not be a lack of jobs, but a shortage of humans to take advantage of all of the opportunities technology will offer.”
While much of this talk focuses on how technology will reshape the workplace, Byron pays special attention to what workers can do today to maximize their productivity tomorrow. “A few simple rules,” he explains, “will help anyone position themselves to prosper in the world of tomorrow.”
Sharing insights from his upcoming book, “The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers and the Future of Humanity,” released April of 2018 by Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Byron invites us to explore the many advances leading to today’s technological age, and then to consider the vast possibilities of the future, the coming Fourth Age.
What skills will be useful to have in the future? Which technologies should we adopt? How will technology affect the workplace, the home, and society in general?
Answering these questions, Byron suggests that the future is not going to be a frightening place where humans become displaced, but rather “one in which the things that make us human become incredibly valuable. We are entering a world of more choice and more opportunity than ever before,” says Byron, and “the best response is to expand our dreams and expectations, not our fears and concerns.”
Attendees can expect to gain an understanding of:
While audience members once commonly asked, “What should I teach my kids to make sure they have a job in the future?” Byron says today they ask, “What do I need to learn to stay relevant in the future?” And, “How do I keep from falling behind?” Everyone agrees that technology is changing the world. The question is how should we change in response to it? In this talk, Byron tells the story of technology’s advancement from the invention of language until today. He explores what’s to come in the next decade, and examines what we as individuals can do to make the most of changing times.
What skills are useful to have in the future? Which technologies should we adopt? How will technology affect the workplace, the home, and society in general? In this empowering talk, Byron suggests that the future is not going to be a frightening place where humans become displaced, but rather “one in which the things that make us human become incredibly valuable.”
In this talk, futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese explores how businesses operating in industries undergoing dramatic changes can prosper and be successful. While traditional futurists seldom bridge the gap between “here is what is going to happen” and “here is how you capitalize on it,” Byron explores how it is that radical technology advancement creates new multi-billion dollar companies, and destroys old ones.
What would you have foreseen seven years ago? There were no self-driving cars or Apple watches. Would you have seen the transformative effect that tablets and smartphones would have? The next seven years will have much more change than the prior seven years. We know this. And this is the change for which we need to prepare.
Attendees can expect to learn:
Our present age is grappling with big questions around technology: What is really possible with artificial intelligence? Should we fear it or welcome it? Will robots take all the jobs, and if they did, would that be a good thing? Can computers achieve consciousness, and if so, do they then acquire rights?
In a talk from his upcoming book, “The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity,” futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese identifies these as fundamentally philosophical, not technical, questions. Instead of telling the audience what he thinks, he teaches them how to apply their own beliefs and values to them to come up with their own answers.
Byron then proceeds to tell the story of technology over the last 100,000 years, focusing on three times in the past when we created a technology so profound that it permanently altered our bodies and minds, changing the trajectory of human history in a dramatic way. Byron believes that humanity is about to be so transformed a fourth time, due to artificial intelligence and robots.
What would you have foreseen seven years ago? There were no self-driving cars or Apple watches. Would you have seen the transformative effect that tablets and smartphones would have?
“The next seven years will have much more change than the prior seven years. We know this. And this is the change we need to begin preparing for.” – Byron Reese
This talk overflows with reasoned optimism and is suitable for all audiences, as its focus is not specific technologies, but how to think about technology.
The world has, throughout human history, changed. Almost always, this change is for the better. Through civilization, we have raised life expectancy, the standard of living, access to education, and political liberty. How has this change been brought about?
Futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese explains the change is driven largely by the actions of individuals driven to change the world. This talk focuses on how that change happens and looks at how virtually any individual can literally have a worldwide effect on the history of the planet.
On this topic, Byron demonstrates how current technological changes will ultimately bring about the end of poverty, disease, hunger, ignorance, and war. Additionally, Byron explores how these historical problems of humanity are fundamentally problems of technology, and thus will have technological solutions, solutions we will find much sooner than is commonly believed.
Attendees can expect to learn:
How should education change? How will it? What skills will ensure that a person can economically contribute in a world of radical technological change?
In this talk, futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese answers these questions and explains that the University system is a 12th Century French invention that remains to this day largely unchanged from it origins in the Middle Ages. “Our K-12 system is a 19th Century German invention designed to produce homogenous factory workers,” he says. “It too remains unchanged since the late 1800s. Now, we find ourselves in a world that has changed in ways no one expected. Now, the two most important job skills are the ability to independently learn new skills and working collaboratively with a team, neither of which are taught in our existing framework.”
Attendees can expect to learn:
Byron was awesome! His session has gotten very positive feedback on our post-meeting survey, and it’s been fun to hear references to his presentation come up in meetings over the past week. And as a communicator I’m still in awe of his deck. So awesome!
Sarah. S.
Byron Reese presented to our professional organization of about 200. Prior to the event, Byron conferred with me twice to construct a thorough understanding of the audience and my desires for the presentation. The ultimate delivery was a 45-minute talk that engaged my audience, making complex subjects not only relatable to the crowd but topical to their business environment. Byron delivered what he promised: a customized presentation that provided an insightful and uplifting backdrop to further discussion on technological trends. I am very grateful that Byron stayed after the presentation to meet the audience and offer autographs to everyone. We look forward to working with Byron again!
Brent Dohogne, President
Byron kicked-off our event with a great, future-focused Keynote presentation, giving us his predictions for technology’s influence on small business lending. Attendees enjoyed his well-informed outlook for our industry and continued the conversation for the duration of the conference. Both engaging and informative, I would recommend Byron as a speaker for anyone hosting a similar event.
Curtis C., VP Marketing
Byron’s talk was spectacular. He took the time to speak with me in advance about our event and crafted a presentation that perfectly fit our theme. He kept the audience engaged throughout the presentation both through the thought provoking topics he discussed as well as the visual images he included. On top of all this, he was exceptionally easy to work with before, during and after his presentation. He truly made my job easier.
Kevin Houser
It was a pleasure having Byron Reese on our campus. Not only was his presentation to nearly 400 faculty stimulating and well-received, he also was personable and generous with his time in discussing ideas with faculty before and after the presentation. Byron’s visionary approach and dynamic style provided an instant connection to the audience.
Robert Neely
Byron was an absolute hit and everyone truly enjoyed hearing his insights on the intersection of history, technology and our future. His passion and energy on the subject matter is unmatched! Further, we greatly appreciated all of the time he spent with our team and guests.
Patience Baldwin
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