Fall 2018 member meeting
Workshops: Tuesday, October 23

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

AI and Machine Learning for Health and Biotechnology

Pratik Shah | E15-359

• Addressing key challenges and leveraging opportunities related to confidential and high-value health data.
• Identifying new AI inventions and data structures that can solve key challenges in health and clinical development. 
• New models and technologies for health research; early discovery; safer and faster clinical trials; digitally empowered researchers, clinicians, regulators, and patients; and reduced healthcare costs.
•  Encrypted machine learning and data sharing platforms to protect confidential information: we are working on a new, secure, and encrypted environment to share and use high-value health data and anonymized queries.

 Please check with Ryan McCarthy for details.

Blockchain and AI Systems

Sandy Pentland | E14-244

As the world moves toward more secure and automatic data systems, blockchain and AI are becoming increasingly important. We are creating a new community of multinational corporations, national innovation programs, and startups to help set standards, explore new technologies, and (most importantly) deploy test pilots. We currently have pilots underway in Israel, China, Italy, Senegal, and Colombia, as well as three international projects focused on digital identity, smart contracts, and licensing/payments for digital rights. Come join us and help create a trustworthy, efficient, and fair digital future!

Building Foundations: Applying Lessons From the History of the Internet and Computer Science to the Future of Cryptocurrency

Rhys Lindmark | E14-514B

Interest in cryptocurrency is growing exponentially, bringing with it a new wave of institutions, information, and capital. In this workshop, we’ll answer the question—what can we learn from history to ensure blockchain technology is used for the public good? First, how was the academic field of computer science developed in the the '50s? How can this inform our process for establishing cryptocurrency at the intersection of computer science, economics, and law? Second, how was the Internet developed as a stack of interoperable layers? How can this inform our process for establishing foundations in the emerging blockchain ecosystem? Third, and most importantly, what won’t repeat itself? How will the unique properties of cryptocurrency combine with our 2018 context to generate a set of emerging challenges?

CE2.0

Michael Bove, Andrew Lippman | E15-341

CE2.0 is a working group of member companies and Media Lab researchers who meet three times a year to discuss emerging trends in consumer electronics and the possible effects—intended and unintended—upon users, society and industry. 

The session begins at 5pm and will be a spirited discussion over dinner. Please RSVP to ce20-admin@media.mit.edu to ensure enough food for all.

Ethics and Governance of AI Case Studies and Challenges

Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Initiative | E14-393

As companies and organizations big and small push forward the cutting edge of AI technology, they encounter an evolving and growing array of ethical challenges and hard questions. How do we ensure that AI systems deployed by organizations serve the public good rather than exacerbate existing inequalities and biases? How can we narrow the knowledge gap between AI “experts” and the rest of us? The Ethics and Governance of AI Initiative, a joint project at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University and the MIT Media Lab, aims to bolster the use of AI for the public good by engaging with diverse stakeholders in exploring some of these deep socio-technical issues, and translating some of these learnings into publicly available educational resources (e.g. case studies) that could help others grappling with similar issues. 

 Learn more about our work and find out more about some of the ways that organizations can get involved at this session.

Space Tourism and Our Sci-Fi Space Future

Ariel Ekblaw, Joseph Paradiso | E14-240

The public grand opening of Space draws near. Biology has witnessed an explosion of DIY bio-hacking in recent years; similarly, the dropping costs of space launches and cubesats now enable a new mode of engagement in low Earth orbit and beyond.

Join us for a sneak peek of the 15 new research payloads soon to fly on our upcoming zero gravity flight. We'll share the latest in our “Sci-Fi Space Prototyping” portfolio, discuss business models for space products and space tourism, and update members on the numerous ways to get involved.

Key discussion topics:

• Space, AI, and Ubiquitous Sensing
• Space Food
• Human Healthcare in Space
• Future of Manufacturing in Orbit
• Space and the Future of Cryptocurrency

We look forward to your input on the future of space research, the commercialization of low Earth orbit, and space exploration broadly. The Space Exploration Initiative workshop welcomes and encourages member companies seeking potential collaborations.

Workplace Interventions to Reduce Stress, and Improve Mood and Wellbeing

Terumi Umematsu, Szymon Fedor | E15-466

Innovation in technologies for monitoring and predicting mood and stress will enable new interventions, and lead to health on a large scale. The Media Lab has developed a number of wearable devices to detect activity or record physiology during daily life, monitor sleep, and help researchers better understand emotion. Such devices can enable continuous monitoring of parameters that may help forecast and prevent mood disorders, and improve productivity and wellbeing. In collaboration with multinational companies, we have been running exploratory studies in which we continuously monitor the physiology, activity, voice, phone usage, and sleep of office workers. In these studies, we have attempted to find behavioral and physiological markers related to mental health and long-term performance, using statistical analysis and machine learning techniques, with the aim of developing systems to improve wellbeing. In this workshop, we will introduce our work and discuss potential interventions for improving workers’ moods and wellbeing, using technologies developed at the Media Lab.