A technology pioneer and thought leader who takes audiences on an incredible journey into the future of humankind, Tan Le is the founder and CEO of EMOTIV, the leader in EEG – Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology. Her company’s cutting-edge “brainwear,” or wearable neurotechnology, allows humans to interface with computers in almost miraculous ways. It has already enabled a quadriplegic to drive a race car with his mind and powered bionic limbs, created the technology to optimize work environments, and given ordinary people the tools to understand and harness their brains’ limitless potential.
A three-time TED speaker who has spoken to audiences around the world, Ms. Le has been named as one of Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Technology and Forbes’ 50 Names You Need to Know. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Council on the Future of Neurotechnologies and Brain Science and the Forbes Technology Council, where she is a contributing writer on business and workplace-related subjects. Ms. Le is the author of The NeuroGeneration: The New Era in Brain Enhancement That Is Revolutionizing How We Think, Work & Heal, in which she explores exciting advances in brain science and neurotechnology, including emerging technologies that do everything from help us learn faster to enabling the colorblind to “hear” colors. Ms. Le is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) Achievement Award, the G’Day USA Global Innovation Award, the Advance Global Australian Award for ICT, and the AutoVision Innovation Award.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ms. Le brings the inspiring life story of a Vietnamese refugee and “boat person” who arrived in Australia at the age of four with her mother and sister. Her remarkable journey from a squalid refugee camp to being named “Young Australian of the Year” for her community work and having her portrait added to the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, is told in her 1.4 M+ views TED Talk, “My Immigration Story.” Now based in San Francisco, Ms. Le continues to champion causes close to her heart, including STEM education, women in technology, and technology for mental health. She was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Technology for Mental Health and a director of Plan International Australia, one of the world’s largest community development organizations focused on ending childhood poverty. She has been an Ambassador for the Status of Women since 2001.
Keynote Programs-
Embracing Your Inner Outsider
How do successful entrepreneurs come up with ideas that change the world? Tan Le, chosen by Fast Company as one of the Most Influential Women in Technology in 2010, credits her success in innovation to her early struggles growing up as a Vietnamese refugee and Australian immigrant. In this moving presentation, Le talks about the moment she realized her outsider status provided the freedom to think differently and helped her succeed as a woman working in biotechnology and engineering—where the challenge is to constantly push the boundaries of what is possible. Le will show audiences how to free themselves from the norms that get people stuck, to look at things with a fresh perspective, and to never stop asking questions.
The Neurogeneration: How The New Era In Brain Augmentation And AI Is Revolutionizing The Way You Think, Work, And Lead
Due to rapid technological innovations in automation, AI, and brain augmentation, there will be a dramatic disruption in social systems, political norms, and popular expectations. Society will be forced to rethink the nature of work, the way we interact with each other, and the principles on which we organize our societies. Advances in integrating humans and machines that combine the analytical processing powers of computers with the creativity that is uniquely human will change how we think and lead. In this talk, Tan Le will show automation and AI are not the threats they appear to be but rather our allies as they become part of the new, extended, augmented human organism.
