Navigating the AI Landscape: Strategic Insights for Tech Leaders

In today’s environment, the rapidly accelerating pace of artificial intelligence (AI) development has left many tech leaders feeling overwhelmed by both the potential benefits and the lurking risks. As the media often fuels misconceptions and sensationalism, navigating the real-world impact of AI on business strategy becomes challenging. You’re likely balancing two key priorities: seizing the opportunity to boost productivity and reduce costs, while ensuring your company avoids the kinds of embarrassing missteps that could end up splashed across the headlines.

Fortunately, you don’t need to be swayed by hype or fear. This full-day workshop will provide practical insights into the current state of AI, helping you make informed, strategic decisions about when and how to engage with these powerful technologies.

Topics Covered:

1. A Brief History of AI
   Understanding AI’s evolution helps to put current developments in context, making it easier to discern hype from genuine innovation. We’ll cover how AI has developed over time and what key milestones have shaped the technologies we see today.

2. Generative AI
   Generative AI has the potential to transform industries with its ability to create new content, from text and images to software code. We’ll explore how companies are leveraging generative models to boost creativity and efficiency, as well as the potential risks around intellectual property and ethical concerns.

3. Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
   Learn about the latest developments in LLMs like GPT and how they are reshaping everything from customer support to internal knowledge management. We’ll also discuss Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), a technique that combines the power of LLMs with specialized data retrieval systems to provide more accurate and relevant results.

4. Multi-Modal Systems
   As AI systems evolve to process and generate content across multiple formats (text, images, audio, and video), we will look at how multi-modal AI is pushing the boundaries of what's possible and the opportunities and challenges it presents.

5. Bias, Costs, and Environmental Impacts
   No discussion of AI is complete without addressing its ethical dimensions. We'll talk about algorithmic bias, the hidden costs of AI development (including financial and resource use), and the growing concerns around AI's environmental footprint. Understanding these trade-offs is crucial for tech leaders who want to make sustainable, ethical choices.

6. AI Reality Check: Separating Hype from Practical Applications
   Finally, we will take a step back and conduct an AI reality check. What are AI’s genuine capabilities versus what is being exaggerated in media or sales pitches? How do you sift through the noise to make strategic decisions that add true value to your business?

About Brian Sletten

Brian Sletten is a liberal arts-educated software engineer with a focus on forward-leaning technologies. His experience has spanned many industries including retail, banking, online games, defense, finance, hospitality and health care. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary and lives in Auburn, CA. He focuses on web architecture, resource-oriented computing, social networking, the Semantic Web, AI/ML, data science, 3D graphics, visualization, scalable systems, security consulting and other technologies of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. He is also a rabid reader, devoted foodie and has excellent taste in music. If pressed, he might tell you about his International Pop Recording career.

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