Lia Nguyen’s Post

While AI Blueprint for MA isn't meeting this week, so many from our 500+ all-volunteer doer-effort were together this week for John Werner's MA/Boston AI Ecosystem event: "Where We Are, Where We Want to Be, and How to Get There," featuring Sara Fraim, Paul Baier, and numerous other kind, generous #Massachusetts innovators. Imagine that: humans working in, for, around, and with AI intentionally gathering in real life to focus on the next big positive change we can make together. One of the many things I love about AI Blueprint for MA is how we all contribute our tools, time, and talents to building and sustaining a healthy, positive, human-centric AI ecosystem here in #Massachusetts. That means meeting on Zoom for one hour once a month (typically the first Friday), supporting one another at in-person events, and sharing our stories digitally through our AI Blueprint Slack and here on LinkedIn. Meet Guivens Andre, a member of AI Blueprint, who shared why he's staying and building in Boston: In 1999, my family, including my mother, Aimee, baby sister, and myself, moved to Boston from Haiti, seeking a brighter future with the help of my father, who already lived here. While my mother envisioned a positive transformation, the initial journey wasn’t easy. We faced language barriers, limited resources, cultural differences, and financial insecurity after my father separated from us. Despite these hardships, my mother’s unwavering resilience shone through. She developed her English, pursued a medical career, and supported me through high school and college graduations. After college, I transitioned from teaching in Boston Public Schools to a successful sales and marketing career within the SaaS industry. This expanded my network and increased my earnings, allowing me to invest in real estate. Boston truly gifted my family a chance at a new life filled with opportunities. Now, inspired by my journey, I’m building a tech venture named Amie to empower students who share similar experiences at any length and help them achieve their own success. Thank you, Guivens Andre, for sharing your story through AI Blueprint for MA Boston and all of Massachusetts can only keep getting better as we continue to build together. Grow, Mass, Grow! #buildingforgood #techforgood #aiforgood #massforgood #wearegood #besttogether Kara Peterson Beth Porter Judah Phillips James Lewis Beverly Kahn (We're RECRUITING) Larry S. Kahn ([email protected]) Gabi Zijderveld Sam Rowe Linxin Gu Luke Geel

Thank you to those who joined us last week at the Future Makers Symposium presented by The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University and City of Toronto ! 🙌 The panel discussion on “Your 21st Century Career Trajectory: AI from Interns to Execs” was nothing short of dynamic and informative with many fascinating perspectives shared for the audience. As AI reshapes the future of work, it’s crucial to understand how we can leverage it for growth and innovation across all levels of our careers. Here is a summary of some of what we shared: 1️⃣ AI as a Partner, Not a Replacement: AI enhances decision-making by analyzing data at unprecedented speed, but it can't replace human creativity, empathy, or leadership. 2️⃣ Empowering Interns and Entry-Level Talent: AI creates new opportunities for young professionals by shifting focus to critical thinking and problem-solving. Success lies in the ability to merge technical skills with human insight. 3️⃣ Future-Proofing Careers: Professionals should focus on skills AI can’t replicate—emotional intelligence, complex problem-solving, and adaptability. Lifelong learning is key. 4️⃣ Leadership and Equity: Leaders must ensure AI-driven decisions are equitable and free from bias. This balance of data and human judgment is essential for ethical leadership. 5️⃣ Collaboration Over Replacement: AI isn't here to replace jobs but to augment them. With the right training and tools, AI can empower workers and lead to more inclusive growth but people must be willing to upskill, learn, and embrace AI as a new technology. 6️⃣ We also discussed how AI does not adequately provide information about Indigenous communities and that there is a responsibility for government to help gain access to this vital knowledge base while ensuring the democratization of AI for everyone regardless of socioeconomic status. Special thanks to fellow panelist, Neishaw Ali, Umar Ghumman, Rob Elsworthy, and our moderator Jarret Leaman, and the folks at TheCatalyst_TO and the Future Makers Collective Ramona Pringle, Anthea Foyer, Lorena Escandón. AVARA Media #AI #Leadership #FutureOfWork #ThoughtLeadership #TechInnovation #AIinBusiness #AIethics #CareerDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment

I had the pleasure and opportunity to attend Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech 2024 conference with a few other Brigham Young University students as representatives of the university. Here are a few takeaways from some of the speakers at the conference: • Create an organization that has a culture of “and” not “or.” • We fail as an organization, community, and individuals when we become complacent. I respected Roelof Botha’s composure and candor in handling some of the unexpected questions he was asked, and his invitation to treasure this nation that we live in. • Every organization has a narrative, and every narrative has a counter-narrative. • Do you and I recognize the narratives, and what narratives are we telling ourselves? Wasim K. paraphrased a quote by Edward O. Wilson, who said, “The real problem of humanity is the following: We have [primitive brains], medieval institutions, and godlike technology.” In a time where this narrative may be true in our society, I started to process and think through this narrative through a program evaluation lens. This led to exploring what inputs and activities could alter this narrative for the better. I thought about the interactions between sectors, the roles each of them play, and whether the narratives, services, and products that these sectors provide as a whole are allowing and encouraging humanity to progress and evolve. To better understand and measure this, I would definitely need a longer period of time. But for now, this is just a shortened notation of my thoughts. I am indeed grateful for this experience to attend and hear from so many individuals who are passionate about the work they do. Fortune did an incredible job of creating an environment for people to learn from SMEs and one another. I am also grateful for Staci Valentine Carroll who shared with my BYU Marriott MPA cohort about this event. Furthermore, I am grateful for Cory Leonard for extending the invitation to attend, and to him and his team who worked tirelessly to handle the logistics of getting us to this conference. Excited to continue learning and finding ways to effectively apply this knowledge in the industries that I find myself in throughout my career. #fortunetech #fortune #byu #ai #technology #quotes

💪 I can do IT! Back in my graduation class at school, I taught myself the basics of HTML. Among other things, I loved seeing the direct results when building a website. When I announced to a befriended CEO of a software company how much fun it was and that I considered studying computer science, he said: “There are people who can do what you do in no time and way better than you. Don’t waste your time.” Discouraged, I listened to him and gave up on my idea. Just like a young plant, an idea needs to be nurtured and protected. Sometimes, sharing it too early can expose it to others who might stomp on it before it has a chance to grow. Now, almost two decades later, I applied at TechLabs Hamburg. 🎉 And I was accepted for the upcoming summer term 2024. Their claim: “We at TechLabs Hamburg dream of a world with no digital illiterates. A world full of tech-savvy individuals who approach the challenges of our time with a digital and entrepreneurial mindset. In order to achieve this, we aim to turn as many young people as possible into Digital Shapers, and teach them the skills they need tomorrow.“ I learned about TechLabs through Julia Imlauer, who was a mentor herself. 🙏 Thanks to Lena John and Anselm Fehnker, I found the courage to apply. Lena explained different #IT jobs during a valuable master class at the CHEFTREFF event, encouraging especially young women to consider an IT job. Thank you, Lena, for the bag with the encouraging words “You can do IT”. 😊 And thank you, Anselm, for your assessment of how this could be useful for developing the prototype for the VeRiseApp. As a founder, understanding the #tech side early on is extremely beneficial. It not only helps in better assessing the effort required for various tasks but also provides stability in case a technical partner is temporarily unavailable for any reason. 🙏 My goal is to understand and speak the language that my team is speaking. 😉 Also, I want to dive deeper into the topic of #AI, which absolutely fascinates me. Thank you for this exciting opportunity, TechLabs Hamburg! 🙏

Are you prepared to succeed in the post AI World? Are you in the Bay Area on June 25th? - living here, working or visiting? Please join us for a stimulating exchange of views on Career Development strategies in the Post AI Era. https://lnkd.in/gEUpapVG "History repeats itself" is not a cliche. It is true in so many ways. Graduating with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, even from MIT was not a safe bet in the 1980s, especially if your area of focus was "Manufacturing Technology"! Doing "what needs to be done" was the ticket to success. It was not merely "doing what you are asked to do", since the boss asking you to do something most often did not know "what was needed" in the first place! Or. he/she may not be around long enough to back you up! Then came the 90s and the first decade of 21st Century, where "Globalization" became the name of the game! Just getting an advanced degree. completing the project you were assigned well with good technical results were not good enough. One had to become an "entrepreneur" and also learn the skills to survive the waves of down-sizing and right-sizing, and flat organizations! During the 2010s. conversations pertaining to "Technology" has become synonymous with IT and Computer Science. Specialized knowledge in all other disciplines were left aside as incidentals. Listening to the drum beat of new media stories and language of the ledaers everywhere, one has to wonder if there is any "technology" left in Physical Sciences and their engineeting disciplines. Data Science domintaes our conversation, but the "Science" behind that is not Newtonian Physics! Anyone at this point worried about AI and its impact, should sit back and reflect on the changes and challenges for the professionals in the past four decades. We shall do this reflection and develop a structure for building individual career plans for going forward in our session on June 25th at Valley Research Park, Mountainview, CA. This event is organized by MIT Alumni Association of Northern CA. https://lnkd.in/gEUpapVG For those interested in some reading material ahead of the event: https://lnkd.in/gurMcNYb https://lnkd.in/gZjRH9CT

Closing the Digital Divide, Eliminating Veteran Suicide & Bringing Diversity to the Tech Industry The bureaucracy of universities and colleges prevents them from developing the digital talent needed on the frontlines. They're overpriced, sensitive, and out of touch with real-world needs. While some corporations continue to prioritize 4-year tech degrees and inflated job titles, the industry demands a shift towards affordable talent, transparency, and emerging technologies. 🗽 Parachute Promise: Companies that fail to streamline GenAlphas into senior leadership roles will phase out. They are the future of work and innovation. 🌏 At Parachute Group, our 5-year focus is on reducing the cost of innovation to ensure America's 33 million small businesses can access the talent, training, and technologies required to thrive. Post-Covid, we now have the willpower and resources to connect #rural communities to #global economies. #HireRural 💰 In the Digital Era, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) fall into two categories: those that send US tech jobs #overseas and those that do not. 🪂 💡 Using #ArtificialIntelligence to close the digital divide requires all stakeholders to slow down before they can speed up. 📡 We're piloting our Providing Access to Innovation and Results (PAIR) program, a 14-month guided digital transformation initiative aimed at closing the Innovation Gap using common-sense, reskilled veterans, and tech apprenticeships. 🎯 #PAIR offers training, digital strategy development, data governance planning, goal setting, advanced analytics, and a tailored cloud tech-stack that supports remote operations, data transparency, and collaboration. 📊 We're piloting the program in #Colorado across 11 counties and five industries. The program includes access to a full-time apprenticeship-trained IT Project Manager, PMO support, and two years of licensing for Microsoft 365, Profit.co OKR tracking platform, and Snowflake for advanced analytics. 💘 We're providing 50 underrepresented businesses with the ability to integrate and sustain digital solutions. If we can empower 50, then we can empower 50,000. #MilitaryMindset 👩🎓 Upon completing #PAIR, clients progress to our premier service focused on decentralized operations, real-time analytics, and data-driven insights. 💯 We're empowering #underrepresented businesses to use automation to outperform, outmaneuver, and outthink numerically superior forces. For more information about #PAIR, contact us at: [email protected] 🌏 Frost Call Anchovies F1 in Schools Trei McMullen 🌟 Vin Vashishta 🥁 💰 IVMF BunkerLabs Colorado Veterans Chamber F1 in Schools North America Project Management Institute Center on Rural Innovation Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center Neurodiversity in Business (NiB) - the Neurodiversity Charity #dataethics #dashboardanalytics #employeeownership #apprenticeshipswork #measurewhatmatters #digitaltransformations #veteransuicideawareness - 🌏

This post is a bit belated, but I wanted to take a moment to share my experience from this past summer when I had the privilege of being a part of the Equitech Futures Scholars Program. The 8-week journey was incredible, made even more special by the amazing individuals I had the chance to collaborate with in my cohort🤝. Learning alongside such diverse and talented peers was truly inspiring and pushed me to broaden my perspectives. One of the highlights was our group project in data science, where we explored the influence of different data points on large language models. This hands-on project not only deepened my understanding of AI but also underscored the critical role data quality and diversity play in shaping these powerful tools. Collaborating with my peers, we tackled complex challenges and uncovered insights that will undoubtedly shape my future work in tech. Another standout moment was the entrepreneurship class, which introduced me to an entirely new field. Coming from a different background, this course opened my eyes to the world of startups and innovation. It was a crash course in thinking like an entrepreneur—spotting opportunities, evaluating risks, and understanding what it takes to turn ideas into impactful ventures💡. Equally valuable was the focus on honing our presenting skills. We delved into the intricacies of speaking and writing, learning how to communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively. Whether it was crafting compelling narratives or refining our public speaking, these skills have become essential tools that I’ll carry forward in my career📈. I’m walking away from this program with a wealth of knowledge, lifelong connections, and a renewed passion for making an impact in my field. I’m excited to carry forward the lessons I’ve learned and the relationships I’ve built into the next chapter of my career. A huge thank you to everyone involved in this amazing experience 🙏 ! #EquitechFutures #LifelongLearning #WomenInSTEM #STEM #DataScience #PublicSpeaking #Innovation #Collaboration #GlobalCommunity #TechForGood

What’s DX? 😏 Think tech events are boring? Think again. Organized by Microsoft Tech Club ISIMS, in collaboration with Google Students IIT, DX is not just another event—it’s a reimagining of what a tech experience should be. This isn’t about sitting through endless lectures or just skimming the surface of innovation. DX is about diving deep, connecting with forward-thinkers, and tackling the challenges that define the future of technology.  When two powerhouse communities come together, expect nothing less than groundbreaking ideas, electrifying energy, and an environment where collaboration sparks creativity. DX is for those who dare to disrupt the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a creator, or someone looking to redefine the rules, this is your stage.  It’s not just an event—it’s a movement. A place to grow, inspire, and be inspired. Ready to be proven 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴?

Today, we are spotlighting Rosemary S., a 1st-year MBA student studying business. Rosemary joined Business+Tech as part of the 2023-24 Tech Scholar Cohort. We had an opportunity to talk more with her about her passions and experiences. Read more down below about what our Tech Scholars are saying and exploring! Why did you join Business+Tech? "I joined Business+Tech because I will be pivoting from the social impact space to the tech sector. I was excited to join B+T so that I can expand my understanding on the industry and share my learnings with the UofM community." What do you look forward to the most about the growth of Business+Tech? "I'm excited to inspire people with "non-traditional" backgrounds to pursue careers in tech!" What Business+Tech topic should people know right now? "Ideating & prototyping." Name 2 Business+Tech intersections you're interested in/excited about! “FemTech & HealthTech.” #umich #michigan #universityofmichigan #business #tech #technology #femtech #socialimpact #healthteach

Tech Week is back throughout many major cities in the U.S. and San Francisco is hosting a variety of tech events, covering not only technologies but also economic sectors and verticals. Technology in governance, building community with diversity and inclusion in mind, urban mobility and planning are conversations we need to have now more than ever. Silicon Valley Proptech Association is a proud event partner of San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development for “Gov/ Tech SF-The Future of Public Innovation”, an event that unites visionaries and policy makers for a day of discussions, presentations and demos, and networking on Tuesday, October 8, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. TOPICS AND DEMOS INCLUDE: - TechSF: Connecting Talent and Opportunity - Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, and IT: Preparing the next generation - Leveraging Public Funding - AI for Good, and Good for All - Generative San Francisco: Regenerative Tech, AI, and Community - The Future of Workforce and Tech in San Francisco - Challenges in growing innovative companies - From Vision to Venture: Lessons from Top VCs - Web3 and GovTech: Decentralization in GovTech - Robotics and Mechatronics #govtech #TechInGovernance #InnovationInGovernment #AI #ML #IoT #Robotics #Community #diversity #inclusionforall #sanfrancisco #california #oewd #techweek Ken Nim Benson T. Martin Kirkwood Silicon Valley Proptech Association https://lu.ma/98mfrjba