Seattle 2035 social recap: A day of innovation predictions
Campus was abuzz with a day of conversations and predictions about what next big innovations will shape Seattle in 20 years, as Northeastern University-Seattle hosted Xconomy’s Seattle 2035 Conference on October 30.
The conversation continued online with #2035Seattle. Check out an overview of the social timeline and stay tuned for a more in-depth recap from Dean Tayloe Washburn coming soon.
Creating a Livable Seattle for All
Glenn Kelman, CEO, Redfin started off the day with an overview look at what growth in the Seattle area looks like as the region firmly establishes itself as a tech center.
“We are going to see the tech economy change in every major city (Austin, Dallas, etc.), Seattle is just where it’s happening first,” Kelman predicted.
“Seattle used to be a city based on timber, airplane manufacturing and retail. Now it’s a tech hub.”- @glennkelman CEO @Redfin #2035Seattle
— Northeastern-Seattle (@NU_Seattle) October 30, 2015
Glenn Kelman @Redfin: economic integration leads to mobility, and to the kind of society we can be proud of. #2035Seattle — Jen Davison (@JenEDavison) October 30, 2015
IT and the Future of the Northwest
Eric Horvitz, Microsoft Research’s managing director, and Ed Lazowska, University of Washington’s computer science and engineering chair, discussed regional issues, like traffic congestion, that can be addressed by solutions from the biotechnology, computer science, and artificial intelligence fields.
Lazowska said for Seattle to continue being a leader in computer science, it means higher education, including public institutions like UW and private institutions like Northeastern, will have to build up their programs.
.@erichorvitz & @lazowska talk future of tech in at #2035Seattle conference pic.twitter.com/6SB4P8M4zn
— Microsoft Research (@MSFTResearch) October 30, 2015
Adding “hyperlanes” to roads that provide sensing guideposts can usher in high-speed, reliable automated driving. https://t.co/y0qan65H9o — Eric Horvitz (@erichorvitz) October 30, 2015
Artificial Intelligence in 2035
Oren Etzioni, CEO, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, acknowledged that the rate of change for AI is not happening fast enough to make dramatic predictions in 20 years stating, “Artificial Intelligence is not a simple optimization problem, it’s a lot more complex than chess.”
Realistic predictions by @etzioni for how #ArtificialIntelligence will empower us in #2035Seattle. pic.twitter.com/daEmJsQt4P
— Northeastern-Seattle (@NU_Seattle) October 30, 2015
From Big Data to Machine Learning to AI
NU-Seattle’s Director of Computer Science moderated a panel with big data stakeholders from a variety of industries: Kieran Snyder, co-Founder & CEO of Textio, Dragos Margineantu, Boeing Technical Fellow at Machine Learning and Intelligent Systems, and Deep Dhillon, CTO of Socrata.
Predicted to be 50 BILLION new connected devices by #2035Seattle, that’s a lot of data being generated. – Ian Gorton, our director of CS — Northeastern-Seattle (@NU_Seattle) October 30, 2015
@KieranSnyder “Building an explanatory layer for humans in AI takes at least as long as building predictive algorithms.” #2035Seattle
— Mark Harris (@meharris) October 30, 2015
Augmented and Virtual Reality—Gaming, Business, and Beyond
Is it immersive technology? Mixed reality? Extended reality? Leaders in the field discuss the quickly growing arena of augmented and virtual reality: Bob Berry, co-Founder & CEO of EnvelopVR; Brian Vowinkel, Chief Revenue Officer at VRstudios; Forest Gibson, co-Founder Pluto VR; Geoff Entress, Angel Investor & co-Founder at Pioneer Square Labs.
Will virtual reality/augmented reality replace television screens and tablets? #2035Seattle @Xconomy
— Emily Welsch (@EmilyAWelsch) October 30, 2015
a year from now, 3-4 major cos will have vr headsets on market vs none now says @forestgibson #2035Seattle — Xconomy (@Xconomy) October 30, 2015
Predictions: Glasses will create “annotated reality;” Less need for travel; Screens will be non-existent for tech savvy #2035Seatttle
— Northeastern-Seattle (@NU_Seattle) October 30, 2015
Lunch’s Brown Bag Discussion
Lunch at Seattle 2035, was served with a dish of inspiration and students from Urban@UW presented their Next Seattle idea for JobBox, a solution for unemployed homeless youth.
As #2035Seattle looks at next 20 years of innovation, @JobBox_Seattle team reminds us “growth does not have to lead to rising inequality.”
— Northeastern-Seattle (@NU_Seattle) October 30, 2015
Visions of the Future of Cities
Three individual presentations address specific innovations for creating sustainable living for the future: Nitin Baliga, Senior Vice President of Institute for Systems Biology, Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of International Living Future Institute, and David Kaplan, Founder and CEO of 1Energy Systems.
.@ISBUSA‘s Nitin Baliga: can we create an integrated solution to rising population, declining ag., & a major shift in jobs? #2035Seattle — Jen Davison (@JenEDavison) October 30, 2015
We love idea of living buildings. Our campus space in Terry Thomas Building is full of stair-spiration! #2035Seattle pic.twitter.com/pB3iQVQyYx
— Northeastern-Seattle (@NU_Seattle) October 30, 2015
Developing All of Washington’s Talent: What’s Working
Seattle has the opportunity to be a world leader in establishing culture of diversity in the tech industry. Ruchika Tulshyan, Author of “The Diversity Advantage,” moderates panel of regional advocates to discuss how to get there with Cynthia Tee, Executive Director at Ada Developers Academy, Trish Dziko, co-Founder & Executive Director at Technology Access Foundation (TAF) and Dan Shapiro, co-Founder & CEO at Glowforge.
“If we can create companies that look like the world around us, those companies are going to have a strategic advantage.” #2035seattle
— Candace Faber (@candacefaber) October 30, 2015
.@trishdziko tells #2035seattle audience to check out prof. orgs such as @hereSeattle as a first step toward diversifying.
— Benjamin Romano (@bromano) October 30, 2015
Seattle as the Epicenter of “Scientific Wellness”
Scientific wellness utilizes the collection of 360 degree health data to create quantitative measurement and establish new insights into wellness that could potentially predict psychological and physiological health, as discussed in this panel by Leroy Hood, President of Institute for Systems Biology, Clayton Lewis, co-Founder & CEO of Arivale and Andrew Scharenberg, Principal Investigator at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
Our Dr Scharenberg discussing Seattle as Epicenter of Scientific Wellness w/ Leroy Hood & Clayton Lewis #2035seattle pic.twitter.com/TrUBDLmD5S — Seattle Children’s (@seattlechildren) October 30, 2015
genetics don’t determine destiny, they determine potential—and u can circumvent genetics with behavior, says @ISBLeeHood #2035Seattle
— Robert Buderi (@bbuderi) October 30, 2015
Entrepreneurship in a New Era of Space Exploration
It’s not just because of the Space Needle, the impact of tech industry talent and regional investors has made Seattle a leader in the space industry. Local leaders share the future of commercial space endeavors: Jason Andrews, CEO, Spaceflight; Nathan Kundtz, CEO, Kymeta; Joe Landon CFO, Planetary Resources, & Chairman, Space Angels Network; Kraig Baker, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine (moderator)
“Barriers to entry into #space are becoming easier.” @JasonEAndrews, @SpaceflightInc #2035Seattle — davies + dixon (@daviesanddixon) October 30, 2015
Access to software devs, big data, and capital is why the space industry is growing in Seattle #2035Seattle @SpaceflightInc
— erikashaffer (@erikashaffer) October 30, 2015
Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going—20 Years of Investing in Northwest Innovation
Seattle has changed a lot in the past 20 years. The final discussion of the day with Tom Alberg, co-Founder & Managing Director at Madrona Venture Group, and Susannah Malarkey, Executive Director at Technology Alliance, looks back at how far Seattle has come in order to look ahead at where it can go. Transportation and education were identified as two areas that have been and continue to be crucial areas in need of improvement.
Talking continuity between Seattle 20 yrs ago and today @tomalberg and Susannah Malarky #Seattle2035 pic.twitter.com/rfBozwmASv — MadronaVentureGroup (@MadronaVentures) October 30, 2015
Blended learning – a combination of in-person and online learning – is the future of education and can solve issues of access. #2035Seattle
— Northeastern-Seattle (@NU_Seattle) October 30, 2015