3 Neuroscience Discoveries Shaping the Next Decade
In recent years, technological innovation has significantly shaped business advances. Examples like the invention of the Transformer algorithm in an academic setting, which gave rise to the Generative AI world, or the discovery of the CRISPR/CAS gene-editing approach, which paved the way for myriad biotech solutions, demonstrate the power of those tools.
Imagine that someone showed you the Transformer algorithm 10 years ago and gave you a sneak peek into what AI would be, or gave you a preview of the RNA vaccine a decade before it materialized - would you be able to leverage that towards your business?
In this talk, Professor Moran Cerf will share with the audience several ideas that are emerging from academic labs (namely, in neuroscience) that are likely to shape the world in the coming decade. Think of it as a preview of what is to come to (and likely dominate) our world in the near future.
About the Speaker:
Moran Cerf is a neuroscientist and professor of business. He is the director of the lab for advanced technology and human performance at Columbia University and an academic director in executive education. Additionally, he is the Alfred P. Sloan Professor at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AFI).
Prof. Cerf holds a PhD in neuroscience (Caltech), an MA in Philosophy of Science, and a BSc in Physics (Tel-Aviv University).
In his research, Prof. Cerf studies patients undergoing brain surgery with neural implants embedded deep inside their heads to address questions concerning consciousness, dreams, behavior change, and decision-making. His work has paved the way for several key neuroscience disciplines, including advanced brain-machine interfaces, and is at the heart of numerous commercial applications (i.e., Neuralink, Paradromic).
He is the founder of Return on AI (http://r-o.ai), a professional services organization specializing in the interface of neuroscience and AI.
Recently, he has been involved in applying key lessons from his studies to help leaders improve critical decision-making protocols (e.g., devising the new US nuclear launch protocol).
Previously, he spent a decade working in Cybersecurity as a hacker and served as a board member of several public companies.
Cerf published papers in academic journals (i.e., Nature, Science) and popular science ones (Scientific American, Wired, New Scientist, ...). He is a contributor to numerous media outlets (Forbes, Atlantic, BBC, Bloomberg, Time, NYT, New Yorker, ...), and his work has been portrayed in venues like CNN, Fox, or Netflix Explained and featured in TV shows such as Bull, Limitless, House, Mr. Robot, and more. His work was recently turned into an Off-Broadway show ("Sans Me").
He has published several books, including the recent graphic novel "Brain Imaging: An Illustrated Guide to the Future of Neuroscience” and "Return on AI", and has made much of his research accessible through public talks at TED, TEDx, DLD, the World Economic Forum, and others - garnering millions of views and a large following.
Prof. Cerf is a four-time US national storytelling champion (The Moth), a recipient of several awards and grants (including the President's Excellence, The Sage, and the Templeton Extraordinary Minds awards), and was named one of the “40 leading professors under 40.”
Most importantly, he is left-handed.