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An architect and engineer by training, Professor Carlo Ratti teaches at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he directs the Senseable City Lab, and is a founding partner of the international design office Carlo Ratti Associati. He graduated from the Politecnico di Torino and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, and later earned his MPhil and PhD at the University of Cambridge,

UK. He has co-authored more than 500 publications and holds several patents. His work has been exhibited worldwide at venues such as the Venice Biennale, the Design Museum in Barcelona, the Science Museum in London, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Two of his projects – the Digital Water Pavilion and the Copenhagen Wheel – have been included by TIME Magazine in the list of the “Best Inventions of the Year.”

Senseable Cities

The way we live, work, and play is very different today than it was just a few decades ago, thanks in large part to a network of connectivity that now encompasses most people on the planet. In a similar way, today we are at the beginning of a new technological revolution: the Internet is entering the physical space – the traditional domain of architecture and design – becoming an “Internet of Things” or IoT. As such, it is opening the door to a variety of applications that – in a similar way to what happened with the first wave of the Internet – can encompass many domains: from energy to mobility, from production to citizen participation.

The contribution from Prof. Carlo Ratti will address these issues from a critical point of view through projects by the Senseable City Laboratory, a research initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the design office Carlo Ratti Associati.

Lewis Pugh goes to extremes. He’s been to the world’s most inaccessible places. He’s put his body through unimaginably difficult conditions. He’s learned how to harness the energy that comes from overcoming extraordinary odds and knows how to inspire audiences to rise to their own internal challenges. His talks make a difference to individuals as well as to organizations. His dream is to encourage people to make a difference in the world.

He has received a number of awards including France’s and South Africa’s highest honours, as well as the Freedom of the City of London. In 2010, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader for his “potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership,” and in 2013 the United Nations Environment Programme appointed him “Patron of the Oceans.”

Achieving the Impossible Ocean advocate Lewis Pugh has pioneered swims in the most challenging environments on earth including the Antarctic, the North Pole and the Himalayas and developed an understanding of the beauty and fragility of life and its many ecosystems.

Justine Cassell is Associate Dean for Technology Strategy and Impact in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and Director Emerita of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute. She co-directs the Yahoo-CMU InMind partnership on the future of personal assistants. Previously, she was a member of the faculty at Northwestern University, where she founded the Technology and Social Behavior Center and Doctoral Program. Before that, she was a tenured professor at the MIT Media Lab. She received the MIT Edgerton Prize. In 2011, she was accepted into the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on AI and Robotics. In 2012, she was named a AAAS fellow; in 2016, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Scotland; and in 2017, she was made a Fellow of the ACM. She has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos for the past five years on topics concerning the impact of AI and Robotics on society.

Curious Technologies! Inspiring a new generation of creative innovators Innovation and creativity are the highest values in today’s competitive technology arena. And yet, few people talk about how to inspire innovation and creativity among the young people who may one day invent the most important technologies for tomorrow’s societies. When advice is given, it usually consists of telling those young wouldbe entrepreneurs to spend long lonely hours by themselves brainstorming what kinds of technology they might themselves want to use. But what if innovation and creativity were social in nature? What if they were more likely to occur if people spent time together with others? And what if they grew out of a very natural skill among children – and that is curiosity? Finally, what if technology itself could play a role in building groups capable of collaborating with others in innovative and creative ways? If technology could improve learning in groups of peers? If it could even inspire curiosity in young people of the kind that will later lead to a generation of creative innovators? In this talk I’ll discuss the research behind these claims, and the technology that could bring it to pass.

“With an extensive expertise in Technology and Mega-Event Staging, Philippe Blanchard is also the Founder of Futurous, the “Olympics” of Innovation, which is a new type of competition for men and women, athletes and para-athletes, mankind and robots, offering education and interactivity between competitors and spectators. He has been the Senior Advisor to Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai. His mission was to ensure that the Expo operates as an advanced smart city. Prior to joining Expo 2020, he was Director of the International Olympic Committee, helping bidding and organising committees in their Olympic ambitions. He previously served as Director General of La Cité Apprenante, a ICT Think Tank, and as Consultant in Strategy and Organisation with Accenture. On a personal level, he is an active member of several UN working groups, such as e-governance and smart cities. He holds an M.Sc. in Business Administration from EDHEC Business School and post-graduated in Innovation and Technology Management from Ecole Centrale, Paris.

Disruption – Technology and sports Technology is about to disrupt the nature of many of the sports and much of the entertainment we watch and play. It will level the playing field for men and women, athletes and para-athletes. Combined sports with people and robots will become a part of the action. Fans, live and virtual, will become a vital part of the outcome. And it’s all about to hit our screens in the next couple of years.

Former Director of the International Olympic Committee, Philippe Blanchard, Founder and CEO of Futurous, tells us what we can expect to see and how both communities, countries and companies can learn from these new games?

The technological revolution has had a profound impact on businesses and entrepreneurs. The digital transformation is putting a small underserved market segment within the reach of young designers and entrepreneurs. Impacting the product development and manufacturing, the retail, marketing and sales, technology can be harnessed by youth to create new business models in the fashion and creativity industries. What is the current situation in the region and in Saudi Arabia? Can fashion-tech and luxury-tech start-ups grow the market? Are technology disruptions of the luxury, art, and culture a vector of improvement and safeguard of older crafts, or will technology disruption wipe clean the past and its learnings?

The profound transformations of the Saudi economic landscape associated with societal, art, and cultural transformation are unleashing creativity. Fashion, art, and culture with the artists’ and creative directors’ visions and interpretations of the world and society are transforming the fashion and culture scene. With limited infrastructure to help, the growth of the local production scene Saudi Arabia is at a disadvantage. Can technology help level the playing field in giving entrepreneurs, designers, and artists new tools to speed development? From fabrics to manufacture, from human capital to infrastructure, what does the Kingdom need to help nourish and empower the “Made in KSA”? Can technology and new material help in leapfrogging global fashion capitals and projecting the Kingdom to the next stage?

From wearables to connected watches, from new fabric material and tracking devices, technology has entered the fashion and luxury scene with a big bang. Is this a sustainable approach? Do consumers want and appreciate this convergence? What type of impact is technology having on the product? Can Saudi Arabia benefit from this convergence to help preserve its arts and crafts?

Luxury and fashion are drawing their creativity from the past and building on it. Technology kills the past to build its present. Are those two forces compatible in building a sustainable future?

The transformation of the Saudi economy is fueling the rise of start-ups and young entrepreneurs. The next generation will need to rely on role models to help drive forward its dreams, but to also pave the way for the following generation.

Can this transformation operate fast enough to help the current generation build its dreams? From entrepreneurs to corporate giants, what does it take to make it?

New technologies have tremendous potential on disrupting societies. From design to cities technology disruption is as much a process of the mind as a usage of the technologies to achieve a set of goals that has been well though during the design phase. In this workshop Carlo Ratti will take the audience through several projects that he has designed that are or will disrupt cities or lifestyle. From the inception of the idea to the design of the outcome Carlo Ratti will explain each step and how he used his mind and experience in creating the standard for tomorrow.

Art and culture have long been instruments of building power and influence. Today, luxury brands are using art and culture to build the strategy of desire. In our fast, attention-deficient times, brands are struggling to meet the consumer demands, and the efficiency of marketing spend is dramatically falling. However, a dollar spent on a brand’s cultural content stays relevant forever. All in all, cultural engagement brings brand leadership, but how does it do that and why?

In a global market place, every company wants to be more innovative. However, most have no idea of a process that they can apply on teams and goals. This workshop will introduce a hands-on perspective of each step of Design Thinking and allow participants to practice in a mock case study.

Meet the Disruptors: Amal Al Marri & Deem AlBassam

Amal Al MARRI (Co-Founder SALT)

Deem Albassam (Co-Founder SALT)

Disruptors are dreamers and entrepreneurs, making the impossible possible. Transforming a vision into a tangible product and service. When Amal and Deem decided to launch SALT they embarked on a unique journey. Tackling the challenges along the way to disrupt a market and create a new one. Discover how the use of tech enabled the leap in logistics, regulation and marketing required to make SALT a reality. Join an in-depth conversation with Amal Al Marri and Deem Albassam to hear about her journey, how she harnessed tech to reach consumers, but most importantly what it takes to build a dream and inspire the next generation.

Building a luxury or fashion brand may seem to be an easy task. Armed with strong creativity that pulls its inspiration in the local culture, designers and entrepreneurs focus on the product and the creativity aspect of the business.

The journey from creativity to a sustainable business can be difficult, with many surprises and sometimes disappointments. The market expansion can be shutdown due to inadequate protection of the brand’s IP. Product design can be at risk of being copied or inspiring a competing brand with better and stronger access to the market. The company’s capital might not be sufficient to take the idea from a few items to a developed business.

The workshop will explore real stories from successful entrepreneurs who used their energy to bring to life their designs as well as who developed and grew the business. The workshop looks into startup fundraising in Saudi Arabia, who to approach and how prepare your business plan to raise money. It will also explore brand protection and intellectual property (IP) to ensure that the business can develop on it.