Tallahassee, FL (February 17, 2025) |
An energetic crowd of Tallahassee’s business community, entrepreneurs and students got a glimpse into the future of artificial intelligence (AI) from one of the brightest minds in AI on Wednesday, February 12, during the 11th installment of the Power Forward Speaker Series.
Co-presented by First Commerce Credit Union and the FSU Division of Research, the illuminating presentation featured Futurist Zack Kass, former head of Go-To-Market for OpenAI — the company behind ChatGPT.
First Commerce CEO Cecilia Homison addressed the audience, providing some background about the impetus behind Power Forward and its rich history of bringing world-class entrepreneurs and visionaries to Tallahassee for more than a decade.
“At First Commerce, it is our heartfelt vision to empower generations and transform communities. And from this vision, Power Forward was born to inspire our business community, ignite innovation, and improve the wellbeing of our community,” Homison said.
Kass, who now advises some of the world’s largest and most established organizations on their AI strategies, described to the crowd what it means to be an AI optimist. Kass sees a future where the technology and the efficiencies it brings could ultimately help people live more full lives.
“We are going to have a ton of decisions to make. And it’s not going to be left to the scientists, it’s going to be left to society: Where and how do we want machines to impact our lives,” Kass said.
And, Kass continued, the key to a happy life may well be more time with friends and family, to enjoy physical community, and increased bandwidth to pursue passions.
“In a world where machines can deliver us so many things, one of my great pleas to the world at this point is that we not forget the entire reason we are building these things is to help us live a more fulfilling life,” Kass added. “And then, delivering us to a place where we can do just that is probably the most important thing.”
Prior to the main Power Forward event, First Commerce organized a private Student Meet and Greet to give invited university, college and high school students an opportunity to talk with Kass and ask him questions. The pre-event gathering provided the students with unique insights from Kass about what they can do to be better prepared to capitalize on AI as they embark on their careers.
At the event, FSU Division of Research Vice President Dr. Stacey Patterson underscored how AI will be relevant to nearly every academic pursuit.
“From healthcare to finance, education and entertainment --- AI is transforming industries, redefining jobs, and reshaping our everyday lives,” Patterson said during her remarks.
Following Kass’ keynote address, he participated in a lively question-and-answer portion of the program moderated by longtime WCTV reporter and anchor Julie Montanaro.
The event was made possible in part by sponsors who also support the Power Forward mission of igniting our region’s entrepreneurial spirit. This year’s Platinum Sponsors were the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, and Mastercard.
Supporting sponsors will also receive copies of Kass’ forthcoming book, The Next Renaissance: AI and the Expansion of Human Potential.
