10:15 am – 10:55 am

Moderator: John Tamny

Panel Members:  Vernice Armour and Samantha Ettus 

About the Panel Discussion

Technology convergence and societal forces are changing the work environment-how it gets done, who does it, and what it will look like. • Digital and communications technologies are changing how work is accomplished. • The gig economy and integration of AI are changing who does the work. • This evolution is creating the need and opportunity for new business models. • “Education” must meet the demand for individual skills need in the societal evolution (e.g. on-demand skill enhancement, certificates, certifications, and customized (industry segment) focus.

Some New Realities:

1. Exponential organizations – Big data, the Internet, and generational evolution have created “exponential organizations”, defined as those that have a disproportionate impact (or output) compared to competitors, and as a result have an exponential return on assets (such as talent, capital, or intellectual property).

2. The unleashed workforce – freelancing, mobility, crowdsourcing, and gamification have created an ancillary and mobile workforce that can remotely leverage platform technologies to resolve today’s challenges using artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and robotic process automations.

3. Lifelong reinvention-increased health and lifespan variables lengthen productive years and generate the need for lifelong learning and reinvention. The organizational impact is significant in the area of efficiency and productivity, investment decisions, resource retention, and the need to manage and leverage talent amid intergenerational nuance.

4. Technology, talent, and transformation-Automation, artificial intelligence, and human-machine collaboration create trade-offs and transitions. Increased productivity and the impact of automation generate benefit as well as challenges from a variety of perspectives including social-economic, cultural, and an enterprise view.