Advisory Board Spotlight: David Espindola
David Espindola's latest book Soulful: You in the Future of Artificial Intelligence examines the coming wave of AI tools, and the promise and perils they will bring to our homes and workplaces. How will this disruptive technology change our society, and how will we adapt to it?
Adaptation to new technology is a topic David has thought a lot about in his role as a leader of two Silicon Valley startups, one of which resulted in an IPO. He went on to work for Oracle's consulting arm, leading large, complex software implementations and business transformation initiatives for Fortune 500 companies. He has since followed a CIO career, first as an apprentice at Zebra technologies, and then as CIO at Flexera Software.
TLI has been lucky to have him on the advisory board for the institute, and he was kind enough to chat with us.
Q: You've worked for both established corporations and scrappy little startups. What are the benefits and hazards of each?
A: In an established corporation, you have more resources at your disposal and can work on large initiatives with broad impact. In a startup, you are trading off higher risks for the potential of higher rewards. It’s a faster-paced environment where you can gain more exposure to many different aspects of the business.
Q: How did you first hear about TLI?
A: I was familiar with the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering and its reputation for being a top-ranked school. I learned about TLI through a business partner who extended an invitation to join the Advisory Board.
Q: What made you decide to accept the invitation?
I believe every business needs to use technology effectively in order to succeed, and universities have a fundamental role in developing leaders that are capable of dealing with technology-driven changes. I hope to contribute to the development of such leaders.
Q: What particular skill set or unique perspective do you bring to the role?
A: I've spent most of my career managing technology. The combination of Silicon Valley tech startup, consulting, and CIO experience has given me a broad perspective on
many aspects of managing technology in a business environment. It's a unique perspective and something I think is important for the advisory board.
Q: Looking out over the next 10 years, what are the biggest challenges you see in the tech industry?
We are experiencing technology-driven transformation at an unprecedented speed. I have written two books in the last two-and-a-half years that address this topic in detail.
The latest book discusses the impact of Artificial Intelligence which I believe will be the most impactful technology we have ever seen. There are many challenges managers will face as AI continues to proliferate, including ethical concerns, managing the regulatory environment, becoming a learning organization, and keeping up with a dynamic business environment that will continuously change at a remarkable pace.
Q: In your latest book Soulful: You in the Future of Artificial Intelligence you talk about both the positive and negative predictions that have been made about emerging AI technology. Are you generally an optimist or a pessimist in this area?
A: I prefer to lean towards an optimistic view of the future. We need to make a realistic assessment of our current reality and deal with the challenges humanity faces in the current state of environmental degradation, financial uncertainty, and social disparities. However, exponential technologies like AI promise to bring many benefits to society, including the cure of many diseases, solutions for climate change, and the potential creation of sustainable abundance so that we can meet the basic material needs of most human beings.
Q: In the book you talk about the potential of a "post-scarcity" economy emerging as more and more jobs that humans do are taken over by machines. What would such an economy look like, and how likely is it to actually happen?
A: The scarcity mindset is embedded in our culture and how our operating models were built. For example, we admire people who can accumulate wealth because accumulation in a scarce environment requires extraordinary skills.
However, suppose we successfully transition to a post-scarcity economy, where material goods can be produced sustainably at will. In that case, accumulation may no longer be a rational behavior that society admires. Instead, we may praise those who use their skills to benefit humanity and help us achieve a higher level of consciousness.
The current technology and its expected growth rate are sufficient to get us to a post-scarcity economy, but we need to get past the transition, which will be quite challenging. Due to the scarcity and extraction mindset, we are reaching the limits of environmental degradation and unsustainable debt levels.
Q: The rapid acceleration of AI has led to predictions that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will arrive much sooner than previously believed. How would AGI systems disrupt our current paradigms?
A: It is debatable if and when we will achieve AGI. Our species has dominated all other species and the environment due to our intelligence and communication ability. It is very difficult to predict what might happen if we find ourselves in a situation where we may co-exist with another “entity” that is just as intelligent if not more than we are. However, there is no evidence that machines will become conscious or develop intrinsic needs or desires, so I believe humans will continue to control and use these intelligent machines for our benefit.