TECH HUMANISM with Kate O'Neill: Virtual Keynotes, looking for meaning, and an optimistic future for tech (and humans)

Julie and Casey chat with Tech Humanist, Optimistic Futurist, and in-demand keynote speaker Kate O’Neill about the future of technology. As the lines between the digital and physical worlds blur, as AI, automation, algorithms, and data mining increasingly affect our lives, how can we prepare for the future? Along the way, Kate gives us insight into virtual presenting, what it’s like to go viral, why you should think pretty hard before posting those “viral challenges”, and revealing hidden truths without feeding conspiracy theories.

TOP TAKEAWAYS:

• Optimism is not about ignoring the bad stuff, it’s about envisioning and working towards the good.
• Virtual Keynotes are a great leveler and an opportunity for more immediate and purposeful audience connection.
• Every opportunity to be authentic is a strategic choice.
• How can we expect to build products for all of humanity if we don’t have a wide representation of human experience in the room?
• Data is important because humans create data, and because it represents what we find meaningful. We need to get savvier about how companies are using our data, and about what we give them to use.
• Sometimes, you gotta reject “A to Z” in favor of “A to . . . Kumquat”

Kate O’Neill is known as “the Tech Humanist.” She is helping humanity prepare for an increasingly tech-driven future by teaching business how to make technology that’s better for humans.

Kate has led innovations across technology, marketing, and operations for more than 20 years in companies from startups to Fortune 500s. Among her prior achievements, she created the first content management role at Netflix; developed Toshiba America’s first intranet; led cutting-edge online optimization work at Magazines.com; was founder & CEO of [meta]marketer, a first-of-its-kind analytics and digital strategy agency; and held leadership and advisory positions in a variety of digital content and technology startups.

Kate is a favorite keynote speaker for audiences of leaders from companies such as Google, Etsy, Coca Cola, McDonald’s, Cisco, Adobe, Kelly Services, and Charles Schwab, as well as the city of Amsterdam, the University of Cambridge, and the United Nations. Her insights and expertise have been featured in outlets like WIRED, and she has appeared as an expert commentator on the likes of BBC, NPR, Marketplace, and NBC News.

Kate now lives in New York City, where she writes prolifically and contributes to numerous outlets on an eclectic array of topics, but her primary focus as both a writer and speaker is on the future of meaningful human experiences. Kate’s most recent book is Tech Humanist: How You Can Make Technology Better for Business and Better for Humans, and she now hosts a weekly live program and podcast called The Tech Humanist Show.

More about Kate:  www.koinsights.com

Follow Kate on Twitter: @kateo

Watch/listen to The Tech Humanist: https://www.thetechhumanist.com