Back @ IT: Scaling Technology to Address Human-Scale Problems with Kate O'Neill

Technology is an integral part of our everyday human life. There is no escaping the impact that technology has had across the globe. Unfortunately, many tend to focus on just scaling technology for its capabilities and features.

How can we shift our thinking to leverage the technical advantages we have?

Technology requires purpose, ideas, creativity, and governance driven by people. And, companies are seeing the positive and negative impacts of technology on humanity. As such, many organizations saw the "critical role of science, technology, and innovation".

Kate O'Neill, author and "Tech Humanist”, joins me in this podcast episode. Kate is focused on helping humanity prepare for an increasingly tech-driven future by teaching businesses how to make technology that’s better for humans.

Kate's 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.

Highlights

01:58: Kate shares her early "claim to fame" where she won a statewide programming competition in the first grade. And, she was one of the first 100 employees at Netflix as their Content Manager.

05:32: Disney theme parks have truly honed their organizational philosophy to create "magical experiences". This approach has driven the practical use cases of scaling technology that is, without a doubt, truly magical.
“The future is just the timeframe that exists based on our decisions today”

11:21: There is tremendous pressure that companies face to create great consumer interactions between the digital and the physical. 

13:57: Kate outlines her self-titled term of "optimistic futurist". She defines the juxtaposition of her optimism with the realities of technology. 
"Historically only two lenses we've ever been given to look at the future through that is dystopia, and utopia" 

19:36: One of the concepts that Kate uses in her work is "both/and". Technology is increasingly shaping the world we live in. However, organizations can keep strive for humanitarian goals and, at the same time, focus on the revenue streams while scaling technology.

24:33: We should keep sustainability goals in mind to address the human scale problems with our fast-paced technology growth. The U.N. has outlined 17 goals of sustainable development goals that articulate the ways we need to improve life on earth.

27:22: The agriculture industry is seeing huge gains with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify weather patterns, crop layout, soil composition, and more. 

Kate’s expertise in data-based business models, integrated experience strategy, and human-centric digital transformation comes from more than 25 years of experience and entrepreneurship leading innovations across technology, marketing, and operations in category-defining companies. She was one of the first 100 employees at Netflix, where she created the first content management role and helped implement innovative dynamic e-commerce practices that became industry standard; was founder & CEO of [meta]marketer, first-of-its-kind analytics and digital strategy agency; developed Toshiba America‘s first intranet; led cutting-edge experience optimization work at Magazines.com; and has held leadership and advisory positions in a variety of digital content and technology start-ups, consultancies, and agencies.

The latest book from Kate, "A Future So Bright: How Strategic Optimism Can Restore Our Humanity and Save the World", is available on September 7, 2021, and can be ordered on Amazon.