Why People Matter in the Age of AI
Highlights and Takeaways from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
Image credits: Raphael Henrique via Adobe Stock
During the last week of October, I headed to San Francisco for TechCrunch Disrupt. It was my first time at this huge event. Thousands of attendees, businesses and founders at all stages of the entrepreneurial journey, days of deep dives into various tech- and innovation-focused topics … I’m still recovering!
Conversations, Innovation, and Action at TechCrunch
A few snaps I took from Tech Crunch Disrupt. The photo on the right is with OptiGenix, a student team out of UC Berkeley that I advise.
The best part of the event? Conversations. Whether I was pitching as a member of the Astreas team or listening to an excited description of another innovation, it was great to connect with people who are excited to leverage business to solve thorny problems.
Here are just a few of the things I learned from the talks and roundtables I attended, thanks to the investors, innovators, and “old hands” who shared their insights:
💡Right now can be a tough time to attract investment; both startups and investment funds are feeling pinched.
💡Unless you’re talking about AI. Lots of action, but …
💡Buzz words aren’t enough. Don’t expect to fool anyone by sprinkling the phrase “AI” throughout your deck. Rather, it’s important to go deep and understand whether the problem you’re tackling is a good one for AI—including all the types of AI that existed before generative AI and large language models!
Bridging Tech and Human Experience
Actually, the most important thing I observed at TechCrunch Disrupt was also a bit disturbing. Yes, I met lots of folks who were excited to use technology to make life better around the world.
And yet, here and there, I detected an alarming tone deafness to the way that many, many people outside technology view our efforts. I was jarred by the enormous, prominently placed banner from an AI company exhorting us to “stop hiring humans.” Startled by the AI company whose tagline read “Layoffs. Streamlined.” Smacked my face with my palm when I spotted a hoodie proclaiming, “MIAMI TECH IS THE SHIT BRO.”
I’m not looking to shame individual companies or people for the choices that they’re making. But I am very concerned by missed opportunities to co-create futures that deliver prosperity and health and dignity for more than just a few.
I’m scared of “tech stories” that ignore the very real fear, resentment, powerlessness, and anger that technological change is prompting in communities around the world. In November 2023, the Pew Research Center found that 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI. And in the Ipsos AI Monitor from early 2024, across 50% of respondents in 32 countries said that products and services using AI make them nervous (and 53% said they make them excited, in a separate question).
This phenomenon isn’t new; check out this podcast episode considering the Luddites and the Industrial Revolution. What this tells me is that change of this scale strikes a chord of unease deep inside many people—a chord that can swell not just into stalled progress, but into violence and worse for generations to come.
Co-Creating a Thriving Future
A photo of my Homeward Bound cohorts trying out Astreas performance chocolates
Technological innovation is delivering amazing things, with far more to come. But every step of the way, we must place people at the center of what we do. Dignity matters. Agency matters. Wellbeing matters.
Hope matters.
The coming years are going to be some of the most difficult that our species has ever encountered. We’re in polycrisis, friends. Let’s use our creativity, our tools, our ambition, and—most of all—our humanity to deliver a positive legacy for generations.
About Tiffany
Dr. Tiffany Vora speaks, writes, and advises on how to harness technology to build the best possible future(s). She is an expert in biotech, health, & innovation.
For a full list of topics and ways to collaborate, visit Tiffany’s Work Together webpage.
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