 January 2019 Here’s what Happened at the Austin Forum in January Thank you to everyone who attended our event at the Central Austin Library and to our terrific speakers, Jay WIlliams and our very own Jay Boisseau. And thank you to Houli for her leadership and expertise in the past year and a half as the managing director of the Austin Forum! We wish you good luck in your new endeavors!
 Congrats to Kevin Reilly for the question that won him a SXSW Interactive 2019 badge: “With the rise of IoT – specifically with connected home devices, what changes do you expect to see as our homes become more and more observed by other companies?" Missed the event? Catch up here.  Top 5 Takeaways 1. Tech continues to advance, and many products avdance steadily, like microprocessors and Moore's Law. But some things emerge, disrupt, and explode in innovation, development, and adoption. 2. The top tech trends that we predict will see explosive growth (and Austin will have opportunities for leadership in) are, in order of hot now to hot in 2019 and beyond: - AI and blockchain have been hot for the last few years, with AI still exploding, - 5G will become real and take off for the next several years, - better cybersecurity tools for consumers and businesses will begin to get hot in 2019, with much increased focus on it due the increasing value of data and thus the increasing number of hacking and cyber theft attempts, - IoT will become more pervasive in 2019 and beyond, due to AI advances in edge devices, 5G, and better cybersecurity tools, - AR/VR will go mainstream (and not just for entertainment) across many industries and domains, -quantum computing will increase in only a few years from now. 3. Meta trends of “electronification” (phones, computers, Alexa, etc), autonomy (self driving vehicles, etc), and infrastructure changes (IoT devices, cybersecurity, etc) are intensifying and will continue to utterly change our work and home living habits. These trends enable us to meet the needs and desires of an increasingly digital population and world. 4. All this innovation & disruption can exacerbate some issues: • Tech and freedom, privacy • Tech industry and economy • Tech companies and nationalization • Tech ubiquity and public perception • Tech solutions and jobs, workforce development • Tech and equity, education, opportunity 5. However, Austin is still the best place for experimentation, adoption, and adaptation in tech. Austin is now growing four times faster than most of Silicon Valley--drawing talent and startups from all over the country. “Over 1,800 companies came to Austin last year, and this number will double this year.” ----Jay Williams Bonus: “We will debut our AI workshop to the international audience at SXSW this year, then we will bring it to Austin Forum.” -Jay Boisseau  We hope you enjoyed the pre-event cold drinks, light snacks, and cash bar, thanks to our generous sponsors! Be sure to arrive early for future events to get your adult beverages - self-serve soft drinks and popcorn are available all evening, but the bar closes at 6:15 sharp as a courtesy to our presenters and attendees. Special thanks to Trifecta on 3rd for another great after-party! Our attendees have shared they enjoy keeping the conversations going after our presentations and networking receptions, so keep an eye on our website for info on future after-parties with food, drinks, and connection. Join us on February 8, 2019 for Technology to Sustainably Grow More and Better Food with Robin Metcalfe of Food+City- The University of Texas. Tuesday, February 14, 2019 Austin Central Library 710 West Cesar Chavez Street Austin, TX 78701 5:15pm — Check-in and refreshments 5:45 pm – Doors open for seating 6:15 pm – Presentation 7:30 pm – Networking 8:15pm - Post-event networking at Trifecta on 3rd  The population of the world has surpassed 7.5 billion and continues to climb, while weather & climate changes are creating more stress to agriculture, arable land is decreasing, and finite water supplies are under increasing strain. Agriculture enabled humanity to thrive thousands of years ago; can technology help us grow more food, more sustainably? Can it help us feed the growing world population, and even make it healthier?
Robyn Metcalfe and other leading food experts share how several advances in food technology can help us achieve all the goals, and thus take care of our people and planet. We welcome your participation! Please send us your questions, answers, and prognostications in advance at info@austinforum.org. Admission to the Austin Forum is always free. HELP US CLOSE AUSTIN’S DIGITAL DIVIDE The Austin Forum accepts donations of used smart phones and tablets at all our events. Donated devices get a factory reset and are set up as new by the team at Austin Pathways’ nationally-recognized “Unlocking the Connection” initiative, which connects every public housing resident with a digital device, digital literacy, and a free or very low-cost internet connection. Your donated smart phone can change lives and help close Austin’s digital divide, thanks to Austin Pathways.
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