R. David Edelman

Corporations as casualties of great-power cyber war.  Traders making millions from hackable heart valves.  Careers ended on emails leaked by a spy chief a world away.  It sounds like science fiction — but it’s our present: a world where technology and geopolitics are shaping one another to dictate war and peace, fortunes and failures. In this riveting talk, Dr. Edelman takes audiences up close to the real flash points driving the future of technology from the boardroom to the White House Situation Room, revealing some of the critical fault lines in our physical and digital worlds and the immense opportunities taking shape for capital — and capitals. Drawing from the real-life experiences of hundreds of companies who have navigated threats from competitors, criminals, and governments, this talk will help executives and enterprises stay ahead of the curve and where to look to understand what’s next for our fast-changing world.

Artificial intelligence (AI) captures headlines nearly every day. But how well do you understand what the technology is, what opportunities it presents, and what challenges might lurk around the corner?  In this highly practical “field guide,” Dr. Edelman helps audiences make sense of the commercial revolutions in AI, robotics, VR and more transforming individual firms and upending entire industries. With a unique ability to explain and empower audiences at every level of tech fluency, he explains in concrete, accessible terms how data-driven insights are creating the next generation of corporate gazelles. He also guides audiences through the most common, costly mistakes that might undermine AI’s utility — and the jobs of those misusing it. Participants will leave empowered to seize this revolutionary moment of AI, excited to apply it to their life and work, and confident enough to leapfrog the competition.

With technology permeating every sector of the economy, our businesses, and our everyday lives, we are being asked to confront new and profound ethical questions. From ensuring data is used for and not against customers and employees, to ensuring humans stay responsibly in the loop of automated decision-making, confronting these challenges is a must in navigating the 21st-century workplace. This timely discussion helps audiences understand the underlying technological trends forcing these new kinds of ethical dilemmas; provides them with the tools to manage them whether leading teams, writing code, or defining culture; and engages them with up-to-the-minute examples of how organizations and their executives have dealt with them — successfully and otherwise.

Artificial intelligence (AI) captures headlines nearly every day, but how well do you understand what the technology is, what opportunities it presents, and what challenges might lurk around the corner? As executives and boards increasingly demand data-driven decisions and actionable insights from the mountains of information available within every sector of the economy, Dr. Edelman helps audiences make sense of the commercial revolution in big data and AI transforming individual firms and upending entire industries. Explaining in concrete, accessible terms how data-driven insights are creating the next generation of corporate gazelles, Edelman also guides audiences through the most common, costly mistakes that might undermine how companies use data — and can cost executives their jobs. Participants will leave with a thorough, informed understanding not just of the state of artificial intelligence, but of the national and international forces that will shape minds and markets for years to come.