When: October 13, 2023, 8:30am – 10:00am
We are in a transformative technological era, reshaping everything around us. Generative AI’s rapid progress over the past nine months, fueled by advancements in deep learning, data accessibility, and computational power, has ushered in a new era. The pressing question is: How extensively and swiftly will AI impact every facet of business operations?
A noticeable divide is emerging between entities that have integrated new toolsets into their processes and those still grappling with the evolving landscape. Entire industries are wrestling with uncertainty, striving to discern what strategies prove effective. Ethical, equitable, and legal considerations loom large in these discussions.
In this session, we’ll cover core concepts, historical context, valuable resources, and practical real-world examples. Our focus is on exploring AI’s strategic and tactical implications for small and medium-sized businesses, tailored to various stages of readiness.
René Smith has broad management and operational experience with P&L responsibility in technology-driven companies, including Fortune 500 and non-profit companies, and has led projects of various sizes in healthcare, higher education, life sciences, manufacturing, and media industries globally. In her entrepreneurial roles, she is a disruptive force who has problem-solved and profitably managed in adverse circumstances, significant change, difficult decisions, and rapid growth.
Currently, as CTO at the Council for Aid to Education (CAE), she spearheads tech initiatives, enhancing assessment experiences, delivery, and analytics focused on maximizing the value of insights for educators and students.
With a career spanning 25+ years, René has served as an independent board director and advisor, where she works to increase understanding of technology’s impact on governance duties and strategy. Most recently, she led the multi-year transformation of WYBE public television to Independence Media Foundation as board chair. She received her BS degree from Drexel University, MBA from Saint Joseph’s University, and MS in Systems Engineering from the Université de Lausanne as a Rotary Scholar, where her specialization happened to be Artificial intelligence – in 1992.