Why I can’t wait for Seth Dobrin’s talk at TNW Conference 2022

The future’s never been fuzzier for the field of artificial intelligence. Today’s headlines are ripped straight out of our favorite science fiction classics.

Sorting the nonsense from reality can often be an exercise in trying not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

This might not be a problem for people who have the luxury of not caring about artificial intelligence. But anyone currently working in the STEM fields or running a business large enough to have an IT department, should definitely be able to separate the hyperbole from the things that will soon become absolutely crucial to their businesses.

To that end, Seth Dobrin, IBM’s first ever chief AI officer, will be involved in two of the most important sessions — in my opinion — that we’ll be hosting at the TNW Conference this year.

First up, from 11:05 – 11:30, on 16 June, Dobrin and the Financial Times’ Tim Bradshaw will be on the Ignite stage to discuss “Building creative partnerships between humans and machines.”

Simply put, this is a can’t miss conversation. Under Dobrin’s leadership, IBM’s AI department has become the world leader in B2B machine learning solutions. It’s also secured that position over the long haul by contributing massively to the company’s quantum computing efforts.

The future of AI is the further development of systems capable of better interfacing with humans. We’re entering a paradigm where software learns to work for humans and systems configure themselves to our needs, not the other way around. And, if you ask me, IBM is bushwhacking that trail. I’m looking forward to this event…. almost as much as I am Dobrin’s second one.

Dubbed “TNW Talks careers in AI with Seth Dobrin, Chief AI Officer, IBM,” the second Dobrin talk goes from 11:40 – 12:00 on 16 June, and will be moderated by Neural’s own Thomas Macaulay.

Here’s the thing: if you ask me, the idea of a “career in AI” is a bit of a moving target these days.

Ten years ago, if you wanted a job in machine learning, my advice would be to study computer science and focus on developing algorithms.

Now, prestigious universities around the world have entire departments dedicated to teaching AI. And there are myriad big tech incubators, internships, and contract positions available to suit nearly every level of expertise.

We no longer think of AI and ML as tiny subsets of the CS community. And I believe 10 years from now, we’ll consider the terms “computer science” and “artificial intelligence” to be mutually inclusive.

What this means is that there’s a lot more out there these days than just “machine learning developer” and “data analyst.” Traditional CS jobs such as those remain, but they’re vastly changing. And new positions have sprung up around the industry.

IBM will turn 111 years old on the same day Dobrin speaks at the TNW Conference. Who better to help us navigate these uncharted waters than the company’s first ever chief of artificial intelligence?

Seth Dobrin will be speaking at the TNW Conference on June 16^th, check out the full list of speakers here.