THE NEXT FIVE YEARS ARE CRUCIAL

Artificially Intelligent agents, remote collaborative working,  teleoperated robots – for over two decades Spencer Kelly hasn’t just reported on the workplace of the future, he’s lived it. But while the big exciting tech grabs the headlines, many companies are grappling with much more nuanced challenges – and ones that will shape their future within the next five years.

Are we agile enough? What do younger employees expect? How do we think like a startup?

Spencer has filmed and worked with hundreds of companies of all sizes as they’ve faced these questions on their digital transformation journey. He’s interviewed the CEOs of pioneering tech giants, and the founders of disruptive startups.

He uses his unparalleled perspective to tailor his Future of Work keynotes to individual industries, bringing real-world examples to the stage with a storyteller’s flair, and ensuring your audience is informed, inspired and entertained.

While the mainstream press talk about AI threatening every job, Spencer will help you take a more educated view. As a Cambridge Computer Scientist, he has a deep understanding of how AI works, what it is, and what it isn’t. He will explain what your business needs to use AI effectively.

Some jobs are safe. Some jobs will go. And some jobs don’t yet exist. There are limits to AI’s abilities, and understanding them will ensure you know how and where to deploy it.

“I’ve had the unique opportunity to witness technological change in every workplace, but,” Spencer points out, “I’ve also seen the effect that change has on employees and those in charge. I’ve interviewed the CEOs from the likes of Microsoft, Intel, LG and Sony, and I’ve discussed the impact on workers’ mental health, work-life balance, and expectations.

“Throughout history we’ve automated more and more manual tasks, and that automation is now happening higher and higher up the skills chain. And when I’ve asked what happens to the workers whose jobs no longer exist, the most common answer is that they will be ‘upskilled into supervisory roles’. But, as one dock-worker put it to me, ‘some of us just want to work with our hands.’

Not everyone is suited to those new management roles, even if there were enough of them to go round.”

“I’ve seen some really cool stuff, though” he chuckles. “I’ve been trained to handle fragile objects in virtual reality, and I could actually feel them thanks to the data gloves I was wearing. In Texas I’ve been to a building site where they’re 3d printing entire houses with brilliant, unique designs. I’ve seen warehouses around the world where AI robots are learning the best place to pack frequently requested items, while in the labs at universities like MIT and ETH I’ve met researchers who are developing soft robotics that will allow these machines to interact with objects – and us – without smashing us to pieces.”