Thought for the week: Powerful technologies require thoughtful/informed policies to reach their full potential in making our world better. It's on all of us to develop skills to clearly communicate with both users and policy makers. Let's go!
Late post, but the 1st TECHvocacy: Emerging Tech Advocacy Summit was a hit! Great day of learning with lightning talks, panels and hands-on media training in the afternoon—including a participant (University of San Francisco professor) scheduled to appear on Bloomberg News the next day. One of the most intriguing ideas came from Brandon Borrman's lightning round talk: the need for a marketplace to choose algorithms based on outcomes. This, in parallel with a need to understand the fundamental components, not just the outcomes. Other speakers reiterated the need for standards and transparency, as well as the inherent tension between policymakers who are generally incentivized to be cautious, not innovative. Storytelling emerged as the key theme of the day and was perfectly captured by incoming University of California, Berkeley Chancellor, Rich Lyons, during his keynote over lunch. Using examples from his current role as Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer, he provided the audience with food for thought on both the value and necessity of storytelling as an essential advocacy tool. Thanks again to Rich, all of the speakers + the dream team that pulled it off and the awesome Parsa Mujadedy who captured so many special moments throughout the day. Karin H. Bauer Hermine Wong Angeli Patel Adeeba Fazil Lenique Frazier See you next year!
