Forging the Future of AI in Kendall Square
Hundreds gather to explore AI’s possibilities, potential, and impact on the future
The energy and momentum from the remarkable Imagination in Action (IIA) event on April 12–13 still resonate with us at Link Ventures. On April 12, we hosted founders and startups to connect with entrepreneurs from Deepmind and Spotify at our One Kendall Square headquarters. The April 13 IIA event (founded by our Managing Director John Werner) hosted over 1300 pioneers and explorers of AI on the two top floors of MIT’s Samberg Center overlooking the Boston skyline. As a firm with deep roots in data science, we were thrilled to sponsor and participate in such a groundbreaking event.
With roughly half of our participants hailing from MIT and half identifying as startups, the event brought together some of the brightest minds to discuss large language models (LLMs), deep computation, and the ways AI will augment human efforts and productivity. April 13 included “Startup Alley” which showcased emerging trailblazers in the AI space. We also welcomed leading minds from the financial industry, including Fidelity, TIAA, MassMutual, and Prudential to share insights from incumbents innovating with AI. This aligns with our legacy at Link Ventures, where our founders were early data science experts, and our ongoing commitment to pushing boundaries and bringing AI technologies to the mainstream.
Among an incredible lineup of speakers and panelists, here are some highlights from our day:
- Dave Blundin interviewed OpenAI founder Sam Altman about building in the #AI world. With AI accelerating into all human endeavors, how do we build on existing platforms and evolve these capabilities?
- John Werner spoke to Vinod Khosla about an AI-dominated future where “64 percent of all jobs will be done by AI.” With ideas and products changing at the speed of AI, how can we design for the future?
- Rob Chaplinsky framed pain points and market opportunities for AI. What industries have the most potential? How can we make better data-driven decisions?
- Echoing his lauded podcast, MIT’s Lex Fridman interviewed Wolfram Research CEO Stephen Wolfram about the role and potential of AI and generative AI in transforming industries and experiences
- Lisa Dolan moderated a panel about AI for Efficiency and Decision Making
- MIT Professor Sandy Pentland, Co-founder of Imagination in Action and Faculty Director of MIT Connection Science, helped wrap up the event with thoughts about the progress and limitations of AI, reminding us that while it can augment our human capabilities, it won’t be right all the time.
…and some attendee tweets:
We extend our gratitude to John Werner and Imagination in Action for a truly enlightening day, as well as to MIT and the AI community that inspires us to connect, create, and innovate. The brilliant minds that will solve some of society’s biggest problems in the next 5 to 20 years were likely among the attendees. In the (paraphrased) words of Sam Altman, for those working in AI and emerging tech: let tactics become strategy. A tight feedback loop around what’s working and what’s not, coupled with careful user observation, can take you far.
Stay tuned as we will soon share video content from the two-day event as well as media coverage from esteemed partners including Wired, TechCrunch, Boston Globe, and Forbes!
