SIM Agenda: SIM TechExec 2024

Topics will be focused on the following themes:

1. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): Sentience Unleashed
Discover the future of AGI where machines achieve human-like intelligence. Learn about its potential to transform problem-solving, natural language understanding, and adaptability. Equip yourself with the insights to leverage AGI in your strategic planning.

2. Hybrid Workforce: Beyond Human-Robot Collaboration
Explore the future of a symbiotic human-robot workforce. Understand the new productivity paradigms, workplace culture, and ethical considerations. Prepare your organization for the socio-economic implications of this revolutionary shift.

3. Third Horizon Digital Twins: The Virtual Prototyping of Existence
Uncover the transformative potential of digital twins beyond asset monitoring. Delve into radical applications in healthcare and medicine that promise to revolutionize treatment and health outcomes. Be at the forefront of this groundbreaking technology.

4. Cybersecurity Evolved: Forestalling the Nation-State Cyberthreat
Stay ahead of state-sponsored cyber threats with strategies to combat long-term sleeper agents. Learn how to safeguard your partnerships, supply chains, and broader ecosystems against geopolitical cyber risks.

SIM Foundation Golf Tournament

Mark Taylor, SIM CEO, invites you to join him for a round of golf benefiting the SIM Foundation at the The Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale. This tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 8:00 AM. Tournament fee includes lunch and a donation to the SIM Foundation. Rivaling its famous sister course in both beauty and playability, the Randy Heckenkemper-designed Champions Course offers an ideal desert golf experience. Built on the former site of TPC Scottsdale’s Desert Course, the layout was completely revamped in 2007 to flow seamlessly within the naturally rugged terrain, meandering between natural ravines and through picturesque foothills.

Participation can be added during registration for an additional fee: $250/practitioner

Alternate Activity - Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West - Architectural Tour

For those who are not interested in golf, we invite you to join us for a 60-minute in-depth guided tour of Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West. In the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, Taliesin West was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright over 80 years ago. Set amid 600 acres of Sonoran beauty in North Scottsdale, Taliesin West was more than Wright's personal winter residence and studio. It was also the home of the Taliesin Fellowship, a group of 23 young architectural "disciples" who built the complex under Wright's direction. One of the most influential architects of our time, Frank Lloyd Wright’s career spanned more than 70 years and produced such iconic buildings as Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum. With each masterful design, Wright forever influenced our relationship with architecture and our idea of how to live in balance with nature.

You’ll spend 60 minutes with a passionate, knowledgeable guide, exploring the Historic Core of Taliesin West, diving deeper into the tenets of Organic Architecture, the collections, and the history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll visit Taliesin West’s highlights, but also see private living spaces that are only available on this tour.

Participation can be added during registration for an additional fee: $150/person and includes transportation to and from the hotel.

Pre-Conference Workshop

Crafting Your Personal Brand

Presented by Richard Bliss - Speaker, Author & Social Media Expert

Your personal brand is your most valuable asset in the digital age. Richard reveals the secrets to crafting a magnetic personal brand on LinkedIn that sets you apart from the competition. You'll learn how to optimize your profile, showcase your expertise, and create content that positions you as a thought leader in your industry. By building a strong personal brand, you'll attract more opportunities, establish credibility, and inspire trust among your network.

Friends of SIM Foundation Reception

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the Friends of the SIM Foundation Reception where we blend exquisite flavors and meaningful connections. Led by the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Tequila Goddesses, guests will learn the difference between Tequila, Mezcal, Sotol, the difference between tequila and 100% agave tequila and the difference in Blanco, Reposado, Anejo and Extra Anejo. The Tequila Goddesses will discuss where tequila is made, what the process is, and how it's regulated. Don't miss this one of a kind opportunity to network with fellow attendees and contribute to a good cause! Your participation not only promises a memorable evening but also supports the mission of the SIM Foundation.

Participation can be added during registration for an additional fee: $200/person

Opening Keynote

Leveling Up: Empowering Leadership for Personal and Professional Growth

Presented by Ryan Leak - Best Selling Author, Executive Coach

Unleash your leadership potential with insights from Ryan Leak's bestselling book Leveling Up. This keynote is crafted for those aiming to excel as leaders in their careers and personal lives. Ryan outlines a transformative roadmap centered on mindset, discipline, and perseverance, specifically designed to empower leaders to inspire and drive their teams to success.

Attendees will gain practical tools to set ambitious goals and lead with clarity and purpose, making this session essential for leadership development, high-performance teams, and organizational success. Ryan's proven approach has been sought after by Fortune 500 companies and professional sports franchises, offering a wealth of experience in cultivating leadership excellence.

With humor, wisdom, and actionable insights, this keynote will inspire attendees to become dynamic, self-aware leaders who can elevate their teams and organizations to new heights.

SIM General Session

Exploring the Power of Generative AI: What the future may hold

Presented by Kristian Hammond, Ph.D. - Professor, Northwestern University

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping numerous industries, and one of the most impactful developments in this landscape has been the rise of generative AI systems such as ChatGPT. Powered by a unique blend of machine learning and natural language processing capabilities, Generative AI has emerged as a transformative technology that has redefined the realm of human-computer interaction.

We will navigate what these systems are and how Generative AI can be deployed, demonstrating its potential across sectors such as customer service, education, healthcare, and content creation. And we will look at what comes next. What will our world will look like as we enter the era of Artificial General Intelligence?

All of this against the backdrop of considering what we need to keep in mind as we integrate these systems into our workflows, products and lives. We will address ethical considerations and how to construct a world that now includes machines that are becoming more intelligent every day.

SIM General Session

America's New Map: Where Cyber Fits in the Emerging Superpower Competition

Presented by Thomas P.M. Barnett, Ph.D. - Author & Senior Business Strategist, Throughline

Barnett’s highly visual presentation is based on his book, “America’s New Map.” It explores how US-style globalization has led to three world-reshaping developments that will affect every major institution (climate change, demographic aging, rise of majority global middle class) and that, in combination, compel North-South integration over the next half-century. This profound impulse dovetails with globalization’s current bout of re-regionalization of supply chains (reflecting Asia’s successful “rise”) and an emerging “superpower brand competition” over the hearts and minds of that global middle class – increasingly centered in the Global South. This geo-political security lens on the future empowers CIOs to think about business imperatives in new and important ways.

Barnett explains China’s cyber-driven “quantum grand strategy” to dominate the Global South’s rising connectivity with the Global North, and argues – in detail – why the Western Hemisphere is far better suited to lead for this North-South integration dynamic than the Eastern Hemisphere. Barnett’s call for an Americas-First grand strategy focused on integrating North, Central, and South America – before China does – speaks to the hot-button political issues of our day (e.g., America’s ongoing racial makeover, immigration crisis, political polarization). Barnett believes this is a unique historical opportunity for corporate leaders to play a bigger role in securing our future by leading such North-South integration, which will greatly depend on their enterprise platforms to lead the way.

Thomas P.M. Barnett is a leading security geopolitical strategist and bestselling author, who has worked in U.S. national security circles since the end of the Cold War. He is known for his work at the Naval War College and at the Office of Force Transformation in the Department of Defense under the direction of the late Vice Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski (U.S. Navy, Ret.) – the father of “network-centric warfare.” Barnett’s vision of a post-human battlespace, first articulated two decades ago in the Pentagon, is coming to rapid fruition as evidenced by the increasingly drone-on-drone fight that is the Russia-Ukraine conflict. That looming reality pushes cyberwarfare to the forefront of the superpower competition.

SIM General Session

Unleashing Human Potential: Robotics as the Architects of Our Future

Presented by Chad Wright - CIO, Boston Dynamics

In the era of accelerating technological advancement, we stand on the cusp of a new paradigm – a world where humans and robots collaborate not as master and servant, but as partners in innovation. Robotics is poised to transcend its industrial roots, becoming an integral part of our workplaces, our homes, and even our daily lives.

This presentation will illuminate the extraordinary possibilities of this human-robot partnership. Imagine robots not as mere tools, but as co-creators, capable of amplifying human ingenuity and liberating us from mundane tasks. We'll delve into the groundbreaking advancements that are enabling robots to unleash human creativity by automating repetitive and dangerous work, freeing our minds to focus on strategic thinking, innovation, and the pursuit of passions.

We'll explore how robots are revolutionizing industries from manufacturing and logistics to security and safety, reshaping them with unprecedented efficiency and precision. We will not only showcase the current transformative nature of robotics but also paint a vivid picture of how these advancements will empower us to solve complex global challenges such as aging populations, rising labor costs and changing work preferences. This is not just a vision of the future, it's a reality unfolding before our eyes. Robots are not only transforming our industries but also enriching our lives, empowering us to create a brighter, bolder future for all.

General Session

The Indefinite Talent Crisis: How Technology, AI and Automation Can Save Us

Presented by Dr. Tassu Shervani - Associate Professor, Cox School of Business, SMU, & Leadership Consultant

While the accuracy of macroeconomists even three months out is often not much better than a coin flip, demographers---those who study the vital statistics of the human population---can predict with near certainty the size of the workforce 10, 20 or 30 years hence. What do they say? Despite common fear that technology in general and AI in particular will cause widespread job losses, advancements in AI and automation will in fact save us from the devastating effects of the decline in the working age population and shrinking talent pool.

In his compelling keynote, Dr. Tassu Shervani, Associate Professor of Business and Leadership Consultant to top executives of major U.S. companies, will share his striking insights on these transformative trends that will reshape the economy, employment and technology for decades to come, along with the significant implications for the internal and external IT teams that support businesses.

SIM General Session

Broad Framing

Presented by Thomas P.M. Barnett, Ph.D. - Author & Senior Business Strategist, Throughline

In this crowdsourced session, Dr. Barnett will lead attendees in a scenario-building drill that posits a 2040 landscape in which (a) AI is either comprehensively integrated throughout society, the economy, politics, and national security or it is restricted by law and popular demand to certain areas of activity; and (b) cybersecurity keeps pace with AI’s development or falls hopelessly behind. With those two questions yielding four outcomes, attendees will have the opportunity to populate this quartet of scenario pathways during the session using their smart phones, with instantaneous reactions and discussion moderated by Barnett. Here’s your chance to pen some headlines from the future!

SIM & TechServe Joint Panel Discussion

The Future of Work & Talent

Moderators: Mark Roberts, Tech Serve Alliance & Mark Taylor, SIM

SIM Panelists: Max Chan, Avnet & Robert Vaughn, NPower

How will IT work get done in the future? While the much-hyped AI revolution will certainly play an important role, it is but one aspect of a multi-dimensional inquiry. From what skill sets will be in demand, the state of the U.S. IT workforce, immigration policy, the role of offshore and nearshore, to the evolution of the wide-ranging modalities in which work is performed including reliance on internal resources, staff augmentation, managed services to fully outsourcing projects, these trends and market forces will converge to create a future very different from the present. By bringing together thought leaders from different vantage points, the panel will offer insight on what the future holds for businesses, their internal IT organizations and service partners.

Closing General Session

Economic Disruption and Geopolitical Turbulence: Forces that Will Shape the New World Order for Businesses

Presented by Dr. Tassu Shervani - Associate Professor at the Cox School of Business at SMU & Leadership Consultant

Building on his earlier keynote addressing the transformational effects of demographics and technological innovation, Dr. Shervani explores two additional forces that will define the future: economic disruption and geopolitical turbulence. Beginning with how we’ve arrived at this critical inflection point, he will unpack the historical developments that have created the highly prosperous global economic landscape from which U.S. businesses have particularly benefited. He will then address how decades of stability that once fueled business success are giving way to escalating geopolitical risks including rising nationalism, the fraying of democratic norms and the rule of law, and emboldened adversaries more willing to engage in conflict, marking a future far more uncertain than the past. Not to mention the need to redesign supply chains as a major consequence of the economic and geopolitical shifts. While economic disruption and geopolitical turbulence bring heightened risks, they also offer opportunities for those better prepared to navigate the evolving landscape.

SIM TechExec 2024 Agenda

SIM TechExec 2024

SIM TechExec 2024

SIM TechExec 2024