AI and the Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace, Business, Ethics, HR, and IT for AI Enthusiasts, Leaders and Academics

Kai Nunez, VP Research & Insights at Salesforce, didn't always know she wanted to pursue a career in AI because it didn't exist as a field. Her dad was a linguist and she became interested in human-computer interaction at a young age. Kai's deep concern for values-based leadership and operating with integrity led her to become a leading voice in the DEI and AI ethics communities. Today, her teams are creating a culture of awareness about the impact tech has on underserved populations. She's a passionate advocate for educating teams to do the right thing... even when nobody's looking.Listen and learn...About Salesforce's real "biggest competitor"Why DEI matters in technologyHow Kai lives the value of "being a respectful truthteller"Why the future of software includes data audits to mitigate the risk of bias  What happened when Kai presented an unpopular idea to Marc BenioffReferences in this episode...Krishna Gade from Fiddler on AI and the Future of WorkAI ethics at Salesforce

René Morkos, CEO and Founder of ALICE Technologies, grew up wanting to build things. That passion led him to degrees in Construction Management and an adjunct professorship at Stanford. In 2015, he founded ALICE to improve the efficiency of complex construction projects. Rene has since raised nearly $40M from an incredible list of investors including Lightspeed, Merus, and Future Ventures. Listen and learn...What René learned from his first job after college working on construction sites in AfghanistanWhy ConstructionTech has attracted nearly $6B since 2014How algorithms figure out what 6,000 people on a construction site should do every dayWhat the world will be like in ten years when technology is fully adopted in the construction industry Why "startups are really just R&D departments for large companies"What's hard about building startups...that they don't teach you in CEO schoolReferences in the episode...ALICE TechnologiesALICE on TwitterAI and the Future of Work with Rachel Chalmers from Alchemist Accelerator

Gary Bolles, entrepreneur, venture advisor, and best-selling author, is a deep thinker who established roots in Silicon Valley in the 80s to pursue his joint passions for technology and exploring what he calls the three boxes of life - learning, work, and leisure. He’s the author of The Next Rules of Work which was published August 31. He’s also the chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University and the founder of eParachute among other companies. Oh, and his LinkedIn courses have helped train more than 800,000 students. Listen and learn...How the son of a laid off minister became one of the foremost authorities on the future of workWhat opportunities are being created by "The Great Reset"How technology is redefining work... and redefining our identity as humansWhat it means that we're moving from a "workforce" to a "worknet"About the $10 million exercise... and why it's the best way to find your passionWhy living the acronym "PACE" is the best way to ensure future career successReferences in today's episode...Gary's siteSingularity UniversityAI and the Future of Work with Charlene Li

Derek Steer cut his teeth as a data analyst at Facebook and Yammer more than a decade ago. He co-founded Mode in 2013 to make it easier to ask questions about data and get better answers faster. Mode has since raised four rounds of funding including a recent $33M round from an exceptional group of investors. 52% of Fortune 500 companies use Mode and Derek has grown the team to more than 300 employees. Derek's vision: "drive the time to do analysis down to zero." He's well on his way!Listen and learn...What Mode's doing to "unlock the power of human reasoning"What Derek learned about tools for data analysts from Facebook and YammerWhy there will always be a need for analytics frontends even amid competition from data warehouses like SnowflakeThe future of work for data analystsThe biggest tragedy in BI todayReferences in this episode:Benn Stancil's "season without bats"FivetranThoughtSpotTrifactaTiernan Ray on AI and the Future of Work

Jeff Meyerson, entrepreneur, musician, technologist, and author of the acclaimed "Move Fast: How Facebook Builds Software", discusses the stranglehold Big Tech has on developer tools and how the future of software development may be quite different from the present.Listen and learn...What Jeff learned about sales from playing pokerHow Facebook builds software... and how it can avoid being evil Why React is the "Linux of the frontend of the web"The development tools Jeff's most excited aboutWhy Zuck's not a good leaderWhat Jeff will tell Zuck when they finally meet  References in this episode..."Move Fast: How Facebook Builds Software" on AmazonJeff on TwitterSoftware Engineering DailyJanelle Shane's great book

Krishna Gade was an engineering leader at Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook before realizing AI is eating software... and responsible AI is essential. He turned a passion for "trustworthy AI" into a company that recently raised $32M to make AI explainable.Listen and learn...Why AI explainability matters... and how to instrument it in AI modelsWhat developers need to know to ensure AI models don't make bad decisionsWhat legislators need to know when creating frameworks to regulate "responsible" use of AIHow Apple fumbled AI explainability when issuing credit cards through Goldman SachsKrishna's top lesson learned as a first-time CEO References in this episode:AI and The Future of Work with Dr. Mark van RijmenamAI and The Future of Work with Tiernan RayThe Algorithmic Accountability ActFiddler.ai

Neelima Parasker started coding at a young age.  Inspired by her entrepreneur mother, she studied Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering before eventually starting SnapIT Solutions. Neelima's passion for investing in unproven talent has guided her as a leader. She's an active entrepreneur coach and is involved in many civic organizations in and around the Kansas City area.Listen and learn...The single most important lesson for parents looking to cultivate a love of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in their kids.How Neelima has built a culture around her belief that we should "use technology to grow people, not the other way around."How glass ceilings for women and under-represented minorities can be shattered.How governments should take responsibility for improving access to STEM education.Why Neelima isn't afraid of bots taking jobs because "our faults make us human."References in today's episode...SnapIT SolutionsJoe Rehmann from Victory Farms on AI and the Future of WorkFilip Dousek on AI and the Future of Work

Rachel Chalmers aspired to be an English professor before being inspired by a technology journal to relocate from Ireland to San Francisco. She has since covered over 1,000 startups as an industry analyst and invested in many more as an investor. Rachel is passionate about representing the under-represented and encouraging all those who have been told they can't  live their dreams. This is a must-listen for entrepreneurs who have ever felt disadvantaged by circumstances out of their control. It's also the episode in which I volunteer to chair the Chalmers 2024 campaign.Listen and learn...The burn rate rule of thumb for startupsWhy "venture capital wants to perpetuate itself"The origins of the Silicon Valley myth that "all talent is concentrated in white males"How to eliminate institutional biases that constrain women and under-represented minorities when raising money and building companiesHow Rachel is defining the future workplace where humans and machines collaborateReferences in this episode:Ravi Belani and the Alchemist AcceleratorThe Innovators Inside podcast by AlchemistXCharity Majors and HoneycombEdith Harbaugh and LaunchDarklyCiro and Jacopo from Tooso on AI and the Future of WorkFilip Dousek from Workday on AI and the Future of WorkProject IncludeArlan HamiltonKate Crawford's Atlas of AISeeing Like a State by James C. Scott

Dr. Cataltepe is an accomplished scientist and entrepreneur... with a social conscience. She has published more than 100 academic papers and is a three-time recipient of the "Women Entrepreneur of the Year" award. Dr. Cataltepe and her team believe building and managing AI models should be something anyone can do... even her 70 year old mother who is a farmer in Turkey :). Tazi's vision is to make AI explainable, accessible, and configurable for "mere mortals".Listen and learn...What's required to deploy AI that is easy to understand, monitor, and update by business people without data science or computer science backgroundsHow to apply micro-segmentation to detect and eliminate bias in data and modelsWhy "bring your own model" may solve critical issues related to data privacy and data biasHow reducing the complexity of AI also will limit its environmental footprintHow insurance companies are using AI trained with telematic data to determine driver risk and premiumsWhy the Turkish saying "even the snake eats the earth one bite at a time" represents Dr. Cataltepe's vision for the future of AIThanks to the Alchemist Accelerator team for the introduction to Dr. Cataltepe!

Ken Gonzalez has spent the better part of 35 years as an IT practitioner, CIO advisor, and industry analyst. He has fielded more than 2,500 inquiry calls and contributed to some of the most impactful IT trends. Ken's advisory work focuses on IT metrics and organizational change.  Hear Ken share the one workplace technology shift that all organizations must make to remain competitive in the next decade.Listen and learn... What it means for IT to adopt a "product management mindset"How Ken helped a client save $750,000Why most enterprise IT teams "overestimate their process maturity"The role AI will play in defining IT strategy (hint: it's not what you think)Jargon alert: "KTLO" = "keep the lights on"References in this episode...Ken's virtual home on the internetColin Fletcher on AI and the Future of WorkDion Hinchcliffe on AI and the Future of Work