Worth the Flight: Two Sessions at WEF’s Summer Davos

Q: When is it worthwhile to fly halfway across the world for just 2 half-hour sessions?

A: When the event is the World Economic Forum’s “summer Davos” and the sessions attract innovators, CEOs, policymakers, government ministers, academics, and investors.

I was blessed with an audience who wanted to dive in and co-create solutions for using AI to boost collaboration – and for using collaboration to push AI application and adoption.

I’m walking away with powerful questions to fuel a research agenda, such as:

• How will a “bot teammate” most effectively play different roles at different stages of the innovation process?

  
  

• When and how will collaborating with a bot squelch human creativity vs. help to create a safe zone for experimentation?

  
  

• What will it take for wary users to trust a bot teammate – and vice versa?!

I’m ever so grateful to Sarah Armstrong of WEF for being such a deep thought partner as we honed the design and content.

The second session brought collaboration to the realm of amplifying grassroots innovation – like tech built for remote transport networks in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Expertly led by Anup Kaphle (of Rest of World), our conversation with Yousef Yousef (of LG Sonic) left me inspired by their passion and expertise.