SELECT TOPIC
X
IN-PERSON FEE RANGE
X
SPEAKER LOCATION
X
SELECT PROGRAM
X

Byron Reese

Add to My Speaker List
Add to My Speaker List

Speaker | Futurist | Technologist | Entrepreneur | Publisher | Author

Check Fee / Availability
  • Fill out this form to find out the availability for any of the speakers added to your list or Call Us 1-973-313-9800
  • Event Dates
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

SAME BUSINESS DAY RESPONSE!

[email protected]

2 Video(s) By This Presenter

Byron Reese Speaking Reel
Byron Reese

10 Programs By This Presenter

Byron Reese’s newest talk is designed to help a non-technical audience understand ChatGPT and generative AI.
Beginning with a short explanation of how it operates, Reese explores what can be done by casual and business users today, and how it can be used to increase their productivity. Equally as important he details what it can’t do and where it shouldn’t be used. Finally he reflects on its impact on jobs and the economy,  and explores the new developments that will likely be seen in the next two years.

Futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese dispels the fearful myths around these topics and describes a world where workers of all skill levels use new technology to increase their own productivity.

Byron explains, “Technology will continue to transform the workplace. That is certain. But it will do so by making humans more valuable.  The biggest problems of tomorrow will not be a lack of jobs, but a shortage of humans to take advantage of all of the opportunities technology will offer.”

While much of this talk focuses on how technology will reshape the workplace, Byron pays special attention to what workers can do today to maximize their productivity tomorrow. “A few simple rules,” he explains, “will help anyone position themselves to prosper in the world of tomorrow.”

“Workers today should be no more fearful of AI and robots than our great-grandparents should have been fearful of mechanization and electricity. Those devices changed the workplace, but they did so by empowering workers, not replacing them. This is what will happen this time as well.” – Byron Reese

Sharing insights from his book, “The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers and the Future of Humanity,” Byron invites us to explore the many advances leading to today’s technological age, and then to consider the vast possibilities of the future, the coming Fourth Age.

What skills will be useful to have in the future? Which technologies should we adopt? How will technology affect the workplace, the home, and society in general?

Answering these questions, Byron suggests that the future is not going to be a frightening place where humans become displaced, but rather “one in which the things that make us human become incredibly valuable. We are entering a world of more choice and more opportunity than ever before,” says Byron, and “the best response is to expand our dreams and expectations, not our fears and concerns.”

Attendees can expect to gain an understanding of:

AI and robots

Why AI and robots will create jobs

How what makes you human makes you valuable

The coming labor shortage

“When 90% of people farmed, the 10% that didn’t undoubtedly looked upon those that did as capable of little else. The idea that those very people could become lab techs, marketing directors, and ice sculptors would have struck them as ludicrous. ‘They are just plain farmers,’ would have been the common retort. But people farmed because we needed farmers, not because that was all they could do. And I believe that a great part of the workforce needs to be liberated from the drudgery of doing the work a machine can do.” – Byron Reese

What skills are useful to have in the future? Which technologies should we adopt? How will technology affect the workplace, the home, and society in general? In this empowering talk, Byron suggests that the future is not going to be a frightening place where humans become displaced, but rather one in which the things that make humans become incredibly valuable.

“We are entering a world of more choice and more opportunity than ever before, and the best response is to expand our dreams and expectations, not our fears and concerns.” – Byron Reese

In a talk from his book, “The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity,” futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese identifies these as fundamentally philosophical, not technical, questions. Instead of telling the audience what he thinks, he teaches them how to apply their own beliefs and values to them to come up with their own answers.

Byron then proceeds to tell the story of technology over the last 100,000 years, focusing on three times in the past when we created a technology so profound that it permanently altered our bodies and minds, changing the trajectory of human history in a dramatic way. Byron believes that humanity is about to be so transformed a fourth time, due to artificial intelligence and robots.

“As humans progressively “outsource” our cognitive activity to computers and our physical activity to machines, once again we will be permanently changed, and in this Fourth Age, humanity will embark on the next stage of its evolution, towards a better world for everyone.” – Byron Reese

This talk overflows with reasoned optimism and is suitable for all audiences, as its focus is not specific technologies, but how to think about technology.

“The next seven years will have much more change than the prior seven years. We know this. And this is the change we need to begin preparing for.” – Byron Reese

This talk overflows with reasoned optimism and is suitable for all audiences, as its focus is not specific technologies, but how to think about technology.

As a lifelong entrepreneur with multiple IPOs and successful exits under his belt, Byron frequently speaks to business audiences on how to excel in the world of tomorrow, and how to deploy technology successfully.

He states: “Technology multiplies human ability. That’s its trick. It magnifies us. We can move more bricks with a forklift than we can on our backs. Technological advancement is not to be feared, rather it should be welcomed, for by enhancing human ability, we enhance our productivity and therefore our standard of living. This is the entire reason why we live so much more lavish and prosperous lives than did our great-grandparents.

An hour of our time is vastly more productive than was an hour of theirs.”

Byron has addressed hundreds of corporations and professional organizations on almost every continent and reports that he is open to traveling to Antarctica to round it all out.

“Robots and artificial intelligence will change the world, empowering humans to be more productive and live better lives. We will use these technologies to end disease, hunger, and poverty. We should no more fear these than our ancestors should have feared steam power and electricity.”

– Byron Reese

The world has, throughout human history, changed. Almost always, this change is for the better. Through civilization, we have raised life expectancy, the standard of living, access to education, and political liberty. How has this change been brought about? Futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese explains the change is driven largely by the actions of individuals driven to change the world. This talk focuses on how that change happens and looks at how virtually any individual can literally have a worldwide effect on the history of the planet.

On this topic, Byron demonstrates how current technological changes will ultimately bring about the end of poverty, disease, hunger, ignorance, and war. Additionally, Byron explores how these historical problems of humanity are fundamentally problems of technology, and thus will have technological solutions, solutions we will find much sooner than is commonly believed.

Attendees can expect to learn:

  • Why the gloom and doomers always get it wrong
  • How technology will transform the world
  • What is needed to end misery and want; disease and death
  • What to expect from the coming golden age of humanity

 

“We are entering a world of more choice and more opportunity than ever before, and the best response is to expand our dreams and expectations, not our fears and concerns.” – Byron Reese

No matter your industry, you probably have a sense that you are in one of those radical disruptive periods where everything seems to be changing. You may be wondering when it is all going to settle down so you can take a bit of a breather.

In this talk, futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese explores how businesses operating in industries undergoing dramatic changes can prosper and be successful. While traditional futurists seldom bridge the gap between “here is what is going to happen” and “here is how you capitalize on it,” Byron explores how it is that radical technology advancement creates new multi-billion dollar companies, and destroys old ones.

What would you have foreseen seven years ago? There were no self-driving cars or Apple watches. Would you have seen the transformative effect that tablets and smartphones would have? The next seven years will have much more change than the prior seven years. We know this. And this is the change for which we need to prepare.

Attendees can expect to learn:

  • How to profit in times of great change
  • How to innovate in a rapidly changing world
  • How AI will change business
  • How to use AI in business … without a data scientist

“Think about AT&T, 3M, NCR and Geico. They are all acronyms. And if you know what they stand for, you will notice something interesting: None of them simply do the thing that is in their name. These companies transformed themselves. And yet, why doesn’t Blockbuster own streaming video? Why doesn’t Kodak dominate in the digital camera world? These cases, and many more like it, are examples of entrenched companies failing to adopt a transformative technology.” – Byron Reese

In this talk, futurist, author, and technologist, Byron Reese answers these questions and explains that the University system is a 12th Century French invention that remains to this day largely unchanged from its origins in the Middle Ages.

“Our K-12 system is a 19th Century German invention designed to produce homogenous factory workers,” he says. “It too remains unchanged since the late 1800s. Now, we find ourselves in a world that has changed in ways no one expected. Now, the two most important job skills are the ability to independently learn new skills and working collaboratively with a team, neither of which are taught in our existing framework.”

Attendees can expect to learn:

  • How education will be different in the next decade
  • What skills will be needed in a technical future
  • How to spot a robot-proof job
  • What a 21st Century education could look like

“Our world is full of countless institutions, each of which evolved over that long history to fill a specific purpose. The institutions upon which our world rests will play a big part in how the future unfolds.”

– Byron Reese

Reviews

“It was a pleasure having Byron Reese on our campus. Not only was his presentation to nearly 400 faculty stimulating and well-received, he also was personable and generous with his time in discussing ideas with faculty before and after the presentation. Byron’s visionary approach and dynamic style provided an instant connection to the audience.”

— Texas Woman’s University

“Byron’s talk was spectacular. He took the time to speak with me in advance about our event and crafted a presentation that perfectly fit our theme. He kept the audience engaged throughout the presentation both through the thought provoking topics he discussed as well as the visual images he included. On top of all this, he was exceptionally easy to work with before, during and after his presentation. He truly made my job easier.”

— Johnson & Johnson

“Byron was an absolute hit and everyone truly enjoyed hearing his insights on the intersection of history, technology and our future. His passion and energy on the subject matter is unmatched! Further, we greatly appreciated all of the time he spent with our team and guests.”

— Crestone Capital Advisors
By continuing to browse, you consent to our use of cookies. To know more, please view our Privacy Policy. Hide