Announcing Robo Madness 2017: A.I. Gets Real on March 28 at Google

It’s time for Xconomy’s third annual robotics and artificial intelligence conference in Boston. In previous years, we’ve highlighted areas such as manufacturing, logistics, and medical robots.

This year, the focus is on A.I.-related software—applied to hot areas like autonomous vehicles, virtual assistants, and connected devices. But there will also be discussion about the role of increasingly powerful machines in human society, and what the rules and ethics should be. (Just a little more social upheaval for you.)

It’s all happening on the afternoon of March 28, at Google in Kendall Square. Our “Robo Madness 2017: A.I. Gets Real” conference will bring together top roboticists, A.I. experts, and business leaders to talk about trends that are sweeping the broader tech industry. Anyone interested in the opportunities that A.I. affords will want to be there and contribute to the discussion.

Indeed, robotics and artificial intelligence have gone mainstream, with major consequences for business and society. From warehouse automation and self-driving vehicles to smart home assistants and drones, robotic technologies are poised to transform daily life and work. But as noted, they’re also raising questions about A.I. ethics, the future of jobs, and the competitive landscape in technology.

How will robotics and A.I. reshape the economy and create new opportunities—and challenges—across industries? Who are the hottest companies that will compete with the likes of Google, Amazon, and Uber to create the future? And what are New England innovators doing to strengthen the local cluster and help lead the national discussion? We’ll address these questions, and much more, in a series of interactive talks, panels, and demos.

Here’s our preliminary list of speakers (more coming soon):

Stephen Wolfram, Founder & CEO, Wolfram Research
Jeremy Wertheimer, Vice President Engineering, Google
Semyon Dukach, Managing Director, Techstars Boston
Tom Ryden, Executive Director, MassRobotics
Max Versace, Co-founder & CEO, Neurala
Joshua Feast, Co-founder & CEO, Cogito
Slater Victoroff, Co-founder & CEO, Indico Data Solutions
Bryan Healey, Director of AI, Lola
Maia Heymann, General Partner, Converge Venture Partners
Krishna Gupta, Founder & Managing Partner, Romulus Capital

We’ll have further updates on the program, but you can grab a seat here. See you on March 28.

Author: Gregory T. Huang

Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003. Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.