by Ian Khan | Oct 10, 2023 | Futurist Blog
Dr. Jeremy Bailenson: As the founding director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Dr. Bailenson is a leading voice in VR research. His work delves into how virtual reality can transform education, environmental conservation, empathy, and health.
Nonny de la Peña: Dubbed the “Godmother of Virtual Reality,” she’s the founder of Emblematic Group. Nonny pioneered the use of VR in journalism, helping to produce one of the first-ever VR documentaries.
Rony Abovitz: The founder of Magic Leap, Abovitz has been a dominant figure in AR. Though Magic Leap faced challenges, Abovitz’s vision for an augmented human experience remains influential.
Jesse Schell: As the CEO of Schell Games and a professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center, Schell provides unique insights into game design and its potential in creating engaging VR and AR experiences.
Timoni West: Leading XR (extended reality) at Unity Technologies, West has been instrumental in crafting tools that enable creators to produce immersive experiences seamlessly.
Mark Billinghurst: Known as one of the pioneers in AR, Billinghurst founded the HIT Lab NZ at the University of Canterbury and has been involved in numerous AR/VR projects, pushing the boundaries of interactive user interfaces.
Blair Renaud: A trailblazer in the world of VR gaming, Renaud, the mind behind “Technolust” and other titles, has provided valuable insights into how gaming can be enhanced with VR’s immersive capabilities.
Helen Papagiannis: An AR specialist, designer, and author, Papagiannis’s work in the AR space spans over a decade. Her book, “Augmented Human,” delves deep into how AR is changing everyday life.
Amber Case: A cyborg anthropologist, Case examines the intersection of humans and technology. Her insights into how technology can create more human-focused, immersive experiences are invaluable.
Kent Bye: Through his podcast, “Voices of VR,” Bye has interviewed a vast number of experts in the VR field, making him one of the most informed and influential voices in virtual reality.
by Ian Khan | Oct 10, 2023 | Futurist Blog
Dr. Jack Dongarra: Known for his role in the development of the LINPACK benchmarks, Dongarra’s influence spans decades in the HPC community. He’s heavily involved in the challenges and possibilities of exascale computing, particularly in adapting software to new architectures.
Dr. Thomas Sterling: A professor at Indiana University, Sterling’s work on the Beowulf cluster made supercomputing accessible to the broader research community. He’s actively researching exascale computing paradigms.
Prof. Katherine Yelick: At the University of California, Berkeley, Yelick’s work focuses on parallel languages, architectures, and algorithms. Her research aims to solve the software challenges posed by exascale and beyond.
Dr. William D. Gropp: A distinguished HPC researcher, Gropp has been pivotal in the development of the Message Passing Interface (MPI). His insights will be crucial as software design and scalability become focal points for exascale challenges.
Dr. Sudip S. Dosanjh: As the director of the NERSC (National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center), Dosanjh oversees some of the most significant HPC projects. His leadership will shape how exascale computing is utilized for scientific discovery.
Prof. John Shalf: Based at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Shalf’s work delves into various aspects of exascale computing, including energy-efficient architecture and advanced memory technology.
Dr. Paul Messina: A senior strategic advisor at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, Messina led the U.S. Department of Energy’s Exascale Computing Project, which aims to accelerate the delivery of a capable exascale ecosystem.
Prof. Satoshi Matsuoka: Director of RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Japan, Matsuoka’s involvement in the Fugaku supercomputer project, which is among the world’s fastest, places him at the forefront of exascale advancements.
Dr. Horst Simon: An internationally recognized expert in HPC, Simon’s research has focused on algorithms for sparse matrix operations, which are crucial for large-scale scientific simulations. His insights are vital for the transition to exascale.
Prof. Xiaoye Sherry Li: Working at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Li’s expertise lies in scalable algorithms, which are foundational for exascale computations, especially in large-scale scientific simulations.
by Ian Khan | Oct 10, 2023 | Futurist Blog
Dr. Kwabena Boahen: As the director of the Brains in Silicon lab at Stanford, Dr. Boahen has been at the forefront of neuromorphic engineering. He’s been developing silicon circuits that emulate the way neurons compute, aiming to make electronic circuits that are as compact, power-efficient, and robust as the human brain.
Dr. Giacomo Indiveri: A professor at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Dr. Indiveri has made significant contributions in the field of neuromorphic engineering. He co-founded iniLabs, which has produced various neuromorphic hardware platforms.
Prof. Steve Furber: Known for his involvement in the development of the BBC Micro and the ARM microprocessor, Furber’s recent work at the University of Manchester focuses on the SpiNNaker project, aiming to simulate the functioning of the human brain on a supercomputer.
Dr. Tara Sainath: A research scientist at Google, Dr. Sainath’s work focuses on deep neural networks and their application in speech recognition, paving the way for neuromorphic approaches to speech and language processing.
Dr. Julie Grollier: A research director at CNRS/Thales, she’s working on the intersection of physics, nanotechnology, and bio-inspired computing. Her studies on spintronics and resistive memories have profound implications for neuromorphic architectures.
Dr. Jennifer Hasler: As a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Hasler’s research involves developing new computing devices and systems architectures, particularly focusing on field-programmable analog arrays and large-scale neuromorphic systems.
Prof. Yannick Bornat: Based at the University of Bordeaux, Bornat’s research revolves around bio-inspired electronic circuits. He’s particularly interested in developing electronic synapses for neuromorphic systems.
Prof. Yoshua Bengio: While primarily known for his deep learning contributions, Bengio’s work at the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA) also encompasses neuromorphic algorithms, emphasizing their potential for AI and machine learning.
Dr. Rajit Manohar: Currently at Yale, Dr. Manohar’s expertise lies in asynchronous systems and their use in neuromorphic computing. He has been devising energy-efficient designs that mirror the brain’s own low-power computations.
Prof. Joerg Conradt: Working at the Technical University of Munich, Conradt focuses on real-world applications of neuromorphic systems. His work on vision processing systems for drones and robots has gained significant attention.
by Ian Khan | Oct 10, 2023 | Futurist Blog
Shoshana Zuboff – Surveillance Capitalism: Professor Zuboff’s groundbreaking work, “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” delves into the economics of personal data. She discusses the challenges to human autonomy and the market-driven approach to collecting user data.
Bruce Schneier – Data Security and Cryptography: An internationally renowned security technologist, Bruce’s writings and studies shed light on the importance of robust digital security mechanisms and the ethical implications of digital surveillance.
Rebecca MacKinnon – Consent of the Networked: MacKinnon’s expertise lies in online freedom of expression and privacy. She argues for digital consent and the rights of netizens in the age of big data.
Daniel Solove – Understanding Privacy: A professor at George Washington University Law School, Solove’s work on privacy law and the philosophy of privacy has reshaped discussions on the nuances of digital privacy and how it impacts societies.
Tim Cook – Apple’s Privacy Stance: As Apple’s CEO, Cook emphasizes the company’s user-first privacy approach. His discussions on differential privacy and data minimization make him a prominent voice advocating for consumer data rights.
Kate Crawford – AI Now Institute: Crawford’s work focuses on the social implications of data systems, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. She raises ethical concerns about bias in AI and data privacy.
Dr. Ruha Benjamin – Race After Technology: Dr. Benjamin critically examines the relationship between technology innovation and racial justice. She warns of the “New Jim Code” where tech reproduces racial biases and calls for ethical reflections on tech’s socio-political implications.
Eva Galperin – Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): As Director of Cybersecurity at EFF, Galperin works on privacy and digital surveillance issues, especially concerning stalkerware and domestic abuse. Her efforts are crucial in the fight against cyber threats to personal privacy.
Cory Doctorow – Digital Rights Activist: As a journalist, author, and digital rights advocate, Doctorow consistently discusses the intersections of technology, privacy, and human rights. His writings provide a critical perspective on the modern digital ecosystem.
Tristan Harris – Time Well Spent: Formerly a design ethicist at Google, Harris co-founded the Center for Humane Technology. His work revolves around redesigning technology to align with human values and not diminish our attention and well-being.
by Ian Khan | Oct 10, 2023 | Futurist Blog
Timoni West – Unity Labs: As Director of XR Research at Unity Labs, Timoni plays a vital role in pioneering augmented, virtual, and mixed reality experiences. Unity’s innovations in spatial computing tools offer designers and developers new ways to interact with digital content.
Amber Case – Calm Tech: An advocate for more human-friendly technology, Case’s work focuses on non-intrusive augmented reality. Her book, “Calm Technology,” lays out principles for technology that respects users’ attention and space.
Jerome Etienne – AR.js: Etienne is behind AR.js, a lightweight library for building augmented reality web experiences. His dedication to making AR more accessible has earned him recognition in the spatial computing community.
Alex Kipman – Microsoft HoloLens: As the technical mastermind behind Microsoft’s HoloLens, Kipman is transforming our interaction with computers. HoloLens’ mixed reality headset combines elements of AR and VR, bringing spatial computing to the forefront.
Rony Abovitz – Magic Leap: Abovitz is the founder of Magic Leap, a company developing headsets that integrate digital content into the physical world. With billions in funding, Magic Leap is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in spatial computing.
Alysha Naples – Design in Mixed Reality: Formerly Magic Leap’s Senior Director of User Experience, Naples’ work centers around creating empathetic and human-centric design in mixed reality environments. She emphasizes creating experiences that feel natural and intuitive.
Mark Billinghurst – ARToolKit and HIT Lab: A pioneer in augmented reality, Billinghurst developed ARToolKit, one of the first open-source AR libraries. His research at the HIT Lab continues to drive advancements in spatial computing.
Blair MacIntyre – WebXR: As a principal researcher at Mozilla and professor at Georgia Tech, MacIntyre’s work focuses on making augmented and mixed reality web-based. WebXR, in particular, is leading the way in bringing spatial computing to web browsers.
Jaron Lanier – VR Philosophy: Often referred to as the father of virtual reality, Lanier’s insights delve deeper than just technology. He discusses the philosophical and ethical implications of spatial computing, ensuring we approach it with humanity in mind.
Brian Schwab – Magic Leap AI: Schwab directs Magic Leap’s interaction lab, focusing on the interplay between AI and spatial computing. By merging these domains, he envisions creating dynamic, smart, and immersive environments.
