Zach Kass, former head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI, says AI is moving into smart appliances and scientific breakthroughs like discovering new antibiotics and splitting HIV from DNA. He acknowledges pushback from nurses and workers worried about job loss, but argues AI could dramatically accelerate cures for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Well, we hear about AI seemingly all the time now. Simple things like chatbots on our favorite retail sites and features on our smartphones. But it's hard to grasp what it really is and its potential for both good and bad.
Well, next week, a man who's been at the forefront of AI technology for nearly 15 years is going to be in Tallahassee as the feature speaker for Power Forward. We had a chance to talk with Zach Kass ahead of his visit.
You need to prepare for tremendous, tremendous change.
Zach Kass travels the country speaking to people and advising businesses to get ready for what he calls an AI revolution.
If ChatGPT surprised you, just wait.
Actually tap this button here.
Technology, showcased within the last month at national expos, gives just a glimpse. A fridge that can inventory your food, a microwave that can tell you how to cook it, and an avatar concierge that can guide you through the mall. Cass says we'll increasingly encounter these AI applications in our everyday lives. But he says perhaps, perhaps AI's greatest potential is in the realm of speeding up new and life saving scientific discoveries.
Six months ago, we discovered our first antibiotic in 60 years because of AI. And a year ago, we split HIV out of DNA because of AI. So we're seeing massive implications already in bio and life sciences. And I cannot say enough about how excited I am for this.
Not everyone is excited. These nurses protesting in Florida recently that AI may know data but will never replace the human touch. It's just not the same. Others fear as AI takes over more tasks, people will lose their jobs. They worry it makes it harder to discern what is real and what is AI generated. And still others envision AI gone awry.
For most people, the idea that AI could be this incredible catalyst to sort of thrust us into this new era of curing cancer, curing neurodegenerative disease is such a far leap that it's much easier to imagine the ways in which AIs could enslave or empower the world's great bad actors.
Cass is the former head of GoToMarket at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. He envisions a world where AI will make our lives better in countless ways. He has worked with hundreds of companies, advising them on how to use AI to be more efficient, productive and successful. Cass will soon be sharing that expertise with Tallahassee's business community and inviting them to contemplate AI's future in a different way.
My hope is that people would leave the discussion wondering how much better the world might be soon. I think we spend so much time talking about how much worse the world could be, and I really think that we should give ourselves the room to actually explore. What if the world isn't slightly better soon? What if it's a lot better? And I'm not asking that everyone believe that, but I am inviting the discussion, at the very least.
And Zach considers himself a futurist and a tech optimist, so has lots to say. He's going to be the featured speaker at Power Forward next Wednesday at FSU's Ruby diamond concert Hall. WCTV is one of the sponsors, and I'm looking very forward to moderating this discussion.
Absolutely some incredible people over the years taking part. This is certainly the latest now. First, Commerce Credit Union teams up with FSU's Department of Research each year. We're talking incredible innovators like Cass to Tallahassee for Power Forward, and tickets are still available.
