Harnessing our digital future

Professor and the Robert L. and Dale Atkins Rosen Faculty Fellow at NYU Stern School of Business. He has provided expert input to a.o. the US Congress and the White House, and is an advisor to a.o. the City of New York.

How do you adapt to an economy in which disruptive technologies like Machine Learning, the Internet of Things, Cryptocurrency and Big Data keep accelerating past our expectations? Professions and industries of all kinds are quickly becoming obsolete. Entrepreneurial business models, new organizational structures and different institutions are needed to ensure that we are not left behind. We set out the best strategies.

Cybersecurity and Tech Threats

While the arms race of the 20th century was nuclear, the current one is about who has the best computer systems. Hackers range from lone wolves to global powers and are threatening states and individuals. Cybersecurity can make the difference between a clean laptop, protected IP, or fair elections. Is a completely bulletproof system a digital illusion? How can we create reliable and safe networks of communication?

Let’s go to Mars

Most of us will witness the first steps on Mars. According to Elon Musk we will even colonize it as our own. What are the possible (legal, economic, ethical) implications of a second self- sustaining habitat for humans?

The Brain and happiness

Experiencing happiness means the involvement of chemical substances in the brain, such as dopamine, (sexual) hormones, and oxytocin. Can we influence this feeling? Some psychologists challenge the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our ‘psychological immune system’ lets us feel truly happy even when things don’t go as planned.

Smart Cities

Google | April 5, 2017

Director NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress, Professor NYU Stern School of Business and former Under Secretary for President Obama

Connecting all systems in a city into one big data-network creates a smart city. What does this mean for our quality of life, sustainability, privacy, and other aspects of daily life? How can governments, universities, and industries contribute to smarter cities?

The Bigger Picture

Christie’s | May 11, 2017

President, Americas

Senior Specialist, Auctioneer

Christie’s will hold its flagship Impressionist and Modern Art and Post War and Contemporary Art auction which will include work by the giants such as Monet, Picasso, Warhol and Bacon. Prior to this we are invited to attend a tour in the world’s leading saleroom. Furthermore, insights are given into the international art market, the auction process and the economic issues related thereto.

Artificial Intelligence: Science, not Fiction

Facebook | April 11, 2018

Director of AI Research at Facebook, Professor Computer Science, Neural Science and Data Science at NYU.

Self-driving cars, the Internet of Things and customer intelligence are all part of ‘thinking machines’. The rise of these ‘smart’ computers brings along major challenges; what does it for example mean for our privacy and employment? And what happens if robots become smarter than us?