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David Weinberger

  • Fellow, Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
  • Technology Visionary
  • Expert in Artificial Intelligence, Chatbots, and Ethics Related to Policy and Use

About

David Weinberger anticipates tomorrow's consequences from today's technology in his long-time role as fellow, senior researcher, and Advisory Board member at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. A prolific thinker and author originally trained in philosophy, David is known as a visionary for tech trends shaping our world, our businesses, and how we think.

Now David turns his watchful eye towards artificial intelligence and the ethical issues AI poses for business as well as life. He points to the life-changing positives of AI, as long as everyone recognizes and addresses the parallel risks. His recent studies extend to the significance of chatbots, not only in how we work and communicate, but also in what we consider knowledge, the importance of creativity, and even what humans believe makes us special.

Chatbots are sentence generators, not truth machines. They know literally nothing, spewing seemingly plausible sentences without attention to meaning or reference. Currently the most visible tip of AI, chatbots are happening. Whether for better or worse depends on the decisions we make now.

A genius in foretelling the impacts of innovation emerged in David's iconic book, The Cluetrain Manifesto. During the earliest days of the internet, he predicted web-based community spaces long before Facebook and the explosion of social media. In his most recent book, the award-winning Everyday Chaos: Technology, Complexity, and How We're Thriving in a New World of Possibility, David offered strategies for managing our times amped up by intricate systems.

David's reach continues through affiliations with leading centers for research excellence—Harvard, MIT, as well as top tech companies. His ideas have been showcased in the New York Times, Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, Scientific American, the Economist, The Atlantic, Wired, NPR, and hundreds more. As a Franklin Fellow at the US State Department, he worked to advance digital applications in diplomatic matters. Additional achievements include the Harvard Shorenstein journalism fellowship and multiple writing awards.

Using engaging wit and easy humor, David delivers dynamic and entertaining presentations plus hands-on advice for navigating technology. Expert at discussing fresh perspectives from breakthrough discoveries, his insights emerge based on real-world experience across the board, from industry giants to startups. By coupling complex thoughts with clear understanding, David brings memorable lessons to audiences and pulls the future closer to our grasp.

Content

Topics

  • AI and Ethics: While AI raises important ethical issues that business must take seriously, in this one-of-a-kind workshop David has business managers probe beneath the tech to see how those issues arise from the very nature of machine learning, how to address them, and how AI is changing our ideas about what's fair and ethical.
  • Take-aways: Understand why bias is machine learning's “original sin.” Learn how our engagement with AI is forcing us to confront issues in our current idea of fairness. In a series of vivid hypotheticals, work through the trade-offs implementing AI systems demand of us

Testimonials

My copy is filled with notes on the margins of every page. This is what books are for—a mind-blowing, game-changing, fun-to-read race into the future. Wow.

Seth Godin, Author of This is Marketing

If you want to better understand the possibilities that machine learning and other forms of AI are creating—and harness the power of these breakthroughs—read this lively and illuminating book!

Reid Hoffman, Cofounder, LinkedIn; Partner, Greylock

David's dual keynotes for KMWorld and Taxonomy Boot Camp 2020 introduced new and forward-looking ways of understanding the changes, challenges, and opportunities presented by AI and the Net—big ideas and solid practical suggestions, delivered with his usual clarity and wit. His energy and fun comments during our interactive discussion at our virtual event definitely translated positively to our audience!

Director of Content Strategy, KM World

Keywords: internet, AI, marketing, machine learning, innovation, technology, future trends, Web, big data

Book David Weinberger