Jason Pontin

Emerging technologies and new science are being turned into disruptive, commercial products and services at an unprecedentedly fast pace. Many of these products are based on fundamental breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, gene editing, and materials science. For ordinary people, navigating business and life, it can seem impossible to keep up with the latest ideas and their potential impact. Fortunately, there is a proven methodology, followed by all venture capitalists investing in fundamental advances, for distinguishing between hype and reality. Jason Pontin, a leading futurist and a partner at the venture capital firm DCVC, will teach your organization how the professionals think about the future.

The applications of the metaverse are vast, but just because we can use it, should we? Renowned futurist, journalist, and venture capitalist Jason Pontin – partner at DCVC, the world’s leading deep technology venture capital firm – is skeptical about people hanging out and socializing in the metaverse, but he sees a ton of practical applications. As industries become increasingly automated, the immersive technology will be leveraged across sectors in a variety of ways, from assisting with agriculture, military and infrastructure projects to creating efficiencies in manufacturing and business operations. In this presentation, he discusses the possibilities and opportunities in the metaverse and helps participants understand which applications can benefit their industry and where its uses may be irrelevant, or even harmful.

The breakthrough in artificial intelligence was a revolution 70 years in the making. The creation of rebel computer scientists and mathematicians who pursued an unconventional and disputed approach to machine learning called “deep learning,” modern AI is one of the most impactful technology revolutions in history. Most people have some inkling of how disruptive AI will be, but they don’t know its untold story. Jason Pontin, a leading futurist and a partner at DCVC, tells the story of how a group of unlikely innovators overturned the assumptions of their field. Pontin will explain what to expect next from AI, and how it will impact different industries.

Advanced alternative sources of energy like solar, wind and nuclear power are now cheaper than burning natural gas or coal in many parts of the world. But to finally wean humanity from its addiction to oil and natural gas will require two more revolutions: new ways to dispatch energy from where it’s generated to where it is needed, and new methods of creating polymers like plastics that don’t require chemical companies to crack hydrocarbons. Fortunately, innovators have created solutions to both problems: the wireless transmission of energy, and the production of novel biomaterials using microbes like bacteria or yeast. Jason Pontin, a leading futurist partner at the venture capital firm DCVC, will guide your organization through the revolution in alternative energy and its potential impact on our society and our lives.

The 21st century will be the biological century. Fundamental and surprising discoveries about the human genome and the microbiome (the microbial life that evolved with us, which lives in and on our bodies) – combined with new techniques, artificial intelligence and gene-editing tools- are providing unprecedented insights into human health and diseases. We are learning why cells pass from health to disease, how our brains learn, why we age—and much more. Jason Pontin, a leading futurist and a partner at the venture capital firm of DCVC, will guide your organization through the transformative possibilities of the revolution in genetic medicine and its potential impact on our society and our lives.

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated a transformation in how people work, driven by the rapid evolution of online work environments, artificial intelligence, robotics, and data analytics. What will work be like when we return to our offices, factories, stores, or work from home? Almost every job and industry will be touched by the coming age of machine intelligence and automation; cities and factories will never look the same. Jason Pontin, a leading futurist and a partner at the venture capital firm of DCVC, will explore the present and future of workplace technologies in a presentation customized to your organization and industry.