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Thanks to technology, we are more connected than ever-digitally. But at what cost? How have technologies, like online dating sites and apps like Tinder, changed attitudes and behaviors? How do we choose a partner and stay interested when we have an almost infinite world of choices at our fingertips? Will marriage become a thing of the past? How do men and women interact an...
Trust is fundamental to almost every action, relationship, and transaction in society, but we live in an era when technology is rapidly changing who and how we trust. The trust we used to place in traditional institutions such as governments, banks, media, and charities has hit an all-time low, and trust now flows horizontally through systems and networks that are as likel...
A.I. experts are confronted with an enormous opportunity to build technology that benefits everyone, but it’s critical that these systems are built carefully. Discover the transformative potential of A.I. as we explore the essential guardrails required to ensure it remains a force for positive change.
E.O. Wilson said, “We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.” How should technology be designed and controlled so it improves our lives, economy, and culture without losing individuality, privacy, and trust in society and each other? Presented by Allstate
Artificial Intelligence is appearing in practically every facet of our lives, and Olympic sports is no exception. The US Olympic Committee is employing new technologies to supplement athletic ability and coaching intuition, from innovations in psychology, to the radar technology that helped propel one USA team to gold in Rio, and to cutting-edge motion capture technology b...
What if technology could read and respond to emotions the way humans do? It turns out that it already can, and in this session you’ll see a mind-bending live demonstration of software that recognizes our feelings based on facial cues. We’ll also explore how everyday tech like text messaging can get in the way of important social connection, but also how applications like C...
With advances in testing and technology, the world of professional sports is beginning to use data to evaluate athlete health and to predict — and ideally, prevent — injury. Experts equipped with 3D motion capture technology are now essential members of team training staffs. Are these new technologies and recovery interventions increasing player longevity? Will cost-effect...
There’s nothing so sacred — or lately, so contested — as casting a ballot. But once the circle is filled, the screen is pressed, or the hole is punched, how can we be sure our vote does what we intended? Poor public understanding of cybersecurity issues feeds the flame of targeted disinformation, shaking our confidence in democratic institutions. How can the nation regain...
Within our lifetimes, AI will, by design, begin to behave unpredictably, thinking and acting in ways which defy human logic. Big tech companies may be inadvertently building and enabling vast arrays of intelligent systems that don't share our motivations, desires, or hopes for the future of humanity. Is it too late to change course and realize a human-centered future for a...
Silicon Valley is notoriously a boys’ club, perhaps to society’s detriment. What effects do discrimination and inequality in this sector have on our culture, society, and economy? What happens to technology when the executives, engineers, and designers who produce it are mostly male? Who are our most powerful advocates for diversity in the tech industry, and how are they f...
Technology has revolutionized the way we see and share beauty. From street style rocking luxury fashion houses to the changes in how and what we purchase, social media is disrupting the world of fashion. How does having the world at our fingertips make fashion more accessible and democratic? And in the process – how are we changing the ways in which we express ourselves cr...
Today, throughout urban, rural, and tribal regions of the nation, underage girls are being trafficked and sold for sex, online. They are abducted or lured by traffickers and then routinely raped, beaten into submission, and sometimes even branded. And because most children are being sold online, buyers of child sex enjoy full discretion and anonymity. Technology has render...
What is design’s role in our lives today? How will it evolve in the future? How can design help us address the tumultuous changes we now face? Award-winning design critic Alice Rawsthorn delved into these key themes to write her latest book, Design as an Attitude. From the deepening environmental and refugee crises to the rise of inequality, intolerance, and prejudice to t...
Design’s intrinsic motivation is to improve a user’s experience. There has been a surge of design with and by people with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and sensory abilities aiming to make the lives of those with special needs easier. Fueled by advances in research, technology, and fabrication, this proliferation of functional, life-enhancing products is creating un...
Excelling as an elite athlete isn’t just about performance — it’s also about not getting hurt. In this session, two Stanford researchers discuss how DNA data can help athletes predict propensity for injury. From genetic tests of 100 NFL linemen and collegiate cross-country runners, the researchers are using DNA sequencing, algorithms, population data sets, and evidence of...
Williams, Jordan, James, Brady. They’re among a growing class of the superstar athletes delivering career-best performances well past what's been considered peak age for their sports. As this phenomenon becomes more common, it begs the questions how and why now? How are experience and maturity winning out over inevitable, natural physical decline? Athletes in the 30s and 4...
The way history books tell it, the story of science and technology is one where the heroes are almost exclusively men. But we as a country have recently come to think of female and trans leadership differently, allowing the stories of past scientific pioneers to surface. This new perspective has enabled talented technologists to take greater leadership in the innovation se...
The Internet, to date, has been an open system that has enabled ideas to spread across borders, has created transformative new economies, and has helped people connect, create, and distribute information, exposing us to perspectives that were previously out-of-reach. But it’s also left behind those on the wrong side of the digital divide, and raised thorny new questions a...
Homicide remains an endemic, seemingly unsolvable problem in America. And violent crime afflicts African-American communities to a much greater degree than it does others, as does mass incarceration — and as does police violence. What is the cause of this crisis? What role does racism play? What is the role of culture? Are there any solutions to be had? The mayor of New Or...