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When crisis strikes, it is helpful to call on people looking not just today but tomorrow.
One of those thinkers is Rob Nail, former CEO of Singularity U, and a successful technology entrepreneur. "I'm an engineer. I like to build stuff. And I like to solve hard problems.” One of those challenges is artificial intelligence, which he spoke about at length in an interview with Rhett Power and me on our LinkedIn Live program, What’s Next: Previews, Predictions and Prognostications.
Three areas of interest, or endeavors, guide Nail’s thinking as he looks to the future and how AI technology will shape and complement it. The first endeavor is empathy. “I think there's always going to be things that humans want to do with other humans, right? The emotional interaction, biological love, you name it. I mean, some people will bring in technology to more of that than others do.”
The second endeavor is entertainment. “We're creative beings. We want to play and think and be creative and solve problems. That's going to be fun.” For Nail, an engineer at heart, problem-solving is fun.
The third endeavor is exploration. “For me, it's about exploring the big questions of humanity. Like the big questions, the philosophers for thousands of years have wanted to dive deeper into it. Why are we here? What else is there? What is consciousness? If we can stop fighting with each other, we could put all of our efforts on these explorations. Then we're going to go places.”
Nail challenges technology investors to think about the future of companies in their portfolio. “One of my recommendations is that when you're interviewing entrepreneurs, or if you're an entrepreneur, spend some of your time fantasizing about that future.”
For example, what would happen, as it did in the case of Google and Facebook, what would happen if billions of people became customers? “What does that feel like? What, how could that be abused and misused, and if necessary, corrected? What would I do today to avoid that malign future? This is all in the spirit of taking a little time, doing some future scenario planning.” Social responsibility must be a concern for all tech entrepreneurs.
Look for opportunity
The pandemic has disrupted the lives of everyone on this planet. For Nail, that is an opportunity. “There is an amazing opportunity to build a bridge between jobs disrupted and opportunities coming. And this is an area that I want to work on.” Together with colleagues and investors, we “have been thinking about it, but I'm always looking for new angles and people interested in that space."
While it may be tempting to go long and go bold, just trying one new thing can be beneficial, says Nail. Doing so gives you the ability to experiment without breaking the bank. “It may be even better for small companies. The advantage small have over big companies is that they can be more nimble and adaptable. They can move faster on those potential trends that are very differentiating," Of course, such companies do not have the financial resources of larger companies. Still, they may have greater impetus and ability to get things done more efficiently and effectively.
For example, Nail himself, who began his career after Stanford in robotics with Velocity 11, is engineering an AI avatar who can help Nail plan more carefully, test assumptions, and make better decisions. As forward-thinking as that is, Nail is also linking that avatar to a smartwatch to monitor physical health. Big idea yes, but related to something practical and doable.
Rob Nail, explorer-engineer, embodies the thinking that will help us shape our "new normal." It will be women, and men like him, who challenge us to think beyond our immediate environment to dream about, and ultimately, create the future that benefits us best. This effort fuels human ambition.
