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Jesse Hirsh

Futurist & Digital Strategist

Jesse Hirsh is a futurist speaker, researcher and internet strategist. An experienced innovator and collaborator, his passion is educating people on the potential benefits and perils of technology. Jesse helps audiences understand what the future holds for them by sharing strategic, provocative and often humorous forward-thinking insights. He makes the discussion about new technology accessible and empowers groups to embrace the opportunities available to them in this technological age.

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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Presentations

What’s Next for You? A Look through the Lens of a Futurist
Jesse applies his perspective as a technology expert and futurist to your industry. In these presentations, he brings forward themes of leadership and innovation while offering up practical solutions for any organization. Jesse integrates his remarks into the broader threads of the event, while also supporting the message you want the talk to relay.

The Future of Authority and the Role of Education in Innovation
Who we listen to and who we trust is changing, and this is having a massive impact on the education sector. In a world of “alternative facts” where anyone can broadcast to a global audience, the ability to provide a signal amidst that noise directly influences who has authority and why. How can formal education better engage students and society? When attention is fleeting and distractions abound, innovation becomes a challenge for society. Jesse explores new approaches to innovative-focused education where original critical research can be brought forward within the fast-paced global marketplace. With one eye on the big picture and another eye on the challenges we face in the present, he provides audiences with the insights to make education more accessible and increase future opportunities for students.

Key Takeaways:
• How to use open source technology for education and innovation.
• A future-focused understanding of the impact of automation and AI on education.
• Engagement strategies for students and society.

Blockchain | The Future of Authority & Decentralization
Technology is changing our relationship with authority: who we trust, who we listen to, and how we plan for our future. Technologies that enable and reward decentralization are returning the Internet to its original potential, creating opportunities for agile organizations and individuals who are willing to pay attention and adapt accordingly. Driving this shift is the concept of the blockchain. The free and open source evolution of the distributed database that not only enables the rise of cryptocurrencies, but more importantly offers a medium of trust and collaboration that will revolutionize every sector and industry. In this customized industry-specific presentation, audiences will learn how decentralization, transparency, and accountability are increasingly an essential part of our society, and how adopting distributed technologies like blockchain can set your organization up for success in the years to come.

The Economy of the Future
The Economy of the Future is smart, fast, exciting, and full of opportunity, provided you’re willing to pay attention and be prepared. As the Internet Era reaches maturity, and the rise of Artificial Intelligence accelerates, we can see glimpses of what the Economy of the Future entails. Automated corporations, open source technology, rapidly evolving markets, and strong/vibrant communities are some of the features we can bank on. What kind of impact will robots, automation, and multiple internets have on your business? What kind of society can we build using citizen science and learning resources like Minecraft? 3d printers that print 3d printers, and a hyper-reality that helps us lead long and healthy lives… The potential is certainly there… What will it take for you to make the most of it?

The Future of Health: From eHealth to singularity!?
As the emergence of eHealth stabilizes and normalizes across Canada, a new era of healthcare is emerging. What shape this takes is up to us to define. We need to articulate a vision to help make it happen. In particular, the explosion of “Big Data” and mobile technology encourages a significant shift towards a patient-centric, customized, distributed and preventative healthcare system. Yet the obstacles that stand between us and a new era of health and longevity are substantive. This presentation will look at our relationship to privacy, the use of surveillance technology, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology. Institutional change is never easy, and the need for speed when it comes to research, testing and deployment will provide unique challenges.

The Future of Money: From MagicBands to CryptoCurrency  
Smartphones are making it easier for consumers to be more strategic when it comes to their purchasing habits. Jesse believes real transformation is imminent with diversification and expansion of our daily technology use. In this presentation, he explores what’s next for money and how organizations can take advantage of this impending change.

We’ve seen consumers slowly but surely trust mobile payments and witnessed the rise of wearable technology like Disney’s MagicBands. These technologies not only make consumer purchasing easier but create a wide range of data and insights for merchants and venue operators.

Audiences will get a futurist’s take on the next phase of payment technology, one that is driven by cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Jesse will explore the opportunities around data collection, security, ‘ambient commerce’ and analytics. He will inspire you to embrace the impending future frontier, where intelligent assistants and algorithms engage the marketplace at the speed of the web, empowering consumers to be smart, fast, and secure.

The Future of Authority and the Rise of AI
Who we listen to and who we trust is changing. Smarter systems and machines are emerging – ready and willing to make decisions on our behalf. AI and machine learning are having a transformative effect on every sector and industry. In some areas automation is increasing capacity and capability, while in others, it will lead to dramatic consolidation and disruption, especially with regard to employment.

Jesse will explore the significant ethical issues to consider as we embrace these smart systems, especially when algorithms are wrong or exhibit prejudice. Privacy and security pose unique challenges as we place more trust in systems that depend upon massive amounts of data. This presentation explores at the impact AI and Blockchain technology will have on your industry. Jesse discusses the ongoing role of humans will play in an era of autonomous and intelligent machines. His insights will help individuals and organizations not only survive this turbulent era, but more importantly, to thrive in the age of entanglement.

Jesse provides a unique and customized approach to his presentations.  View more industry-specific presentations here.

Platform Plus

Workshop or Keynote | Learning at the Speed of Light: How Technology Accelerates Education
The challenge for organizations and educators in the face of rapidly evolving technology is not only how to keep up with changing tools, but also how to keep up with your employees and students themselves. How do you do more with less, while operating at a speed that makes critical thinking difficult? How do we bridge the digital divide and ensure that everyone has access to the education and empowerment our emerging society requires?
Workshop or Keynote | Technology, Leadership, and Authority: What it Takes to be Taken Seriously in an Era of Rapid Change
Jesse Hirsh has been engaged in a major research project focusing on the future of authority. The premise being that in a society that is constantly changing it is increasingly difficult to establish legitimate authority and provide the kind of leadership that is in great demand. Technology continues to have a disruptive impact on how and who people trust, leading to an unstable environment that requires a reconfiguration of how we relate to our leaders.
Video/Online Program
As a freelance journalist, Jesse's been doing radio and television work for a decade and a half, having worked for CFRB, Jazz FM, TVO, Global TV, Citytv, Rogers, OMNI, and MuchMusic. He knows what keeps audiences engaged with on-screen content.
Event Moderator
A researcher and broadcaster, Jesse Hirsh is a great moderator for discussions on a wide array of topic matter. He comes prepared with interesting facts and current events related to the subject at hand. Jesse keeps the conversation flowing, posing specific questions that bring out unique insights from each panelist. He makes sure the conversation is balanced and brings forward various opinions and points of view.
Panelist/In Conversation

Environment & Science
Education
Innovation & Change Management
Current Events
Technology & Trends
Event Theme Ideas
  • I was very pleased that Jesse integrated our business of workers' compensation into his presentation and concluding remarks. I think he is a brilliant man with an ethical conscience. I would recommend him to other groups - especially those who value thinking forward and being analytical of their circumstances.

    - CEO, Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada
  • Listening to him on the radio is one thing, but to see him in person and to hear what he has to say on the use of technology and social media by public servants and the public in general was really thought provoking and eye opening. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was talking about it at the breaks, over lunch, and likely when they returned home to their families.

    - Health Canada
  • Feedback was exceptionally positive... Great ideas, made people think out of the box and his personal stories just added to his messages.

    - COACH: Canadian Health Informatics Association
  • I know of no one who understands modern society, the turn of events or especially the internet, better than Jesse. He is the smartest young man I have encountered over my professional career.

    - Chairman of Harris/Decima
  • Jesse Hirsh has a unique feel for the new media and what is happening. He is the "go to" guy on technology and its uses and abuses.

    - Hon. Bob Rae, P.C., O.C., O.Ont, Q.C.
  • Jesse was absolutely fantastic. Great ideas, great presentation, terrific speaking style. He was also very down to earth and approachable. Really we couldn't be happier with Jesse... I hope we will have an opportunity to engage him again in the future.

    - Adastra
  • His presentation was entertaining, engaging, provocative (as we requested) and very, very well received. He started a twitter discussion with his points, points that we are repeating in our conference summary and in the follow up action plan from the conference.

    - Communications Consultant, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Summary Profile

Jesse owns and operates Metaviews Media Management Ltd., which focuses on research and consulting around new media business models, big data, and the strategic use of social media. He is also a co-founder of the Academy of the Impossible a peer to peer lifelong learning facility. Because of the impact technology has on our relationship with the world, Jesse believes that it should be used in responsible and creative ways. He encourages audiences to use technology as the catalyst for collaboration, education, and growing thriving organizations.

A speaker who brings excitement and curiosity to technical topics, Jesse is able to synthesize abstract concepts into digestible and actionable pieces of information. His insightful presentations feature valuable unique strategic insights relative for each audience. He is articulate, provocative and his area of expertise amongst the most affordable for the calibre of both delivery style and content.

Jesse was educated at the McLuhan Program at the University of Toronto. Jesse also recently completed a Masters degree at Ryerson University focusing on algorithms and predictive analytics.

Links

NSBlog | Decoding Digital: Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Ontarioshores | #MindVine Podcast Episode 13 - Jesse Hirsh The Future of Education | Jesse Hirsh: Everyday is an Opportunity to Become Smarter Rough Draft | What makes a start-up Incubator work?
RT @random_walker: As a reminder, there's no opt out from big tech. Facebook can and does surveil you even if you never signed up because o… (2019-07-19 08:45:40)
RT @stalfel: "The Deepest of Black. AI as Social Power". Here I look what contributes to turning so many #AI applications into a #blackbox.… (2019-07-18 02:00:07)
RT @CIGIonline: Bureaucratic control will never be as effective as a mobilized and vigilant citizenry that uses democratic voices to demand… (2019-07-18 09:54:57)

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