Profs at the Pub: Human Ability & AI

In today's tech-driven world, skill development is at risk. How? As we strive to optimize productivity with AI and robotics, we are inadvertently distancing junior workers from seasoned experts across various industries. This growing gap is a multi-trillion-dollar problem that has largely been overlooked—until now. Join us at Draughtsmen Aleworks for a fascinating talk from Matt Beane, author and assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara. In his talk, “The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines," Matt will discuss the hidden dynamics that fuel successful skill development and how to navigate and thrive in the evolving landscape of professional growth. 

Friday, November 1st, 2024 from 6:00-7:30pm

Draughtsmen Aleworks, 53 Santa Felicia Drive, Goleta

About the Prof: Matt Beane studies work involving robots and AI to uncover systematic positive exceptions that we can use across the broader world of work. His book The Skill Code was published by HarperCollins in June, and is endorsed by Adam Grant, Amy Edmondson, Ethan Mollick, Jeff Wilke, and others. His award-winning research has been published in top management journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly and Harvard Business Review, and he has spoken on the TED stage. He is also co-founder and CEO of SkillBench, a startup that helps firms deploy AI in ways that upskills their workforce. In 2012, he was selected as a Human-Robot Interaction Pioneer, and in 2021 was named to the Thinkers50 Radar list. Beane is an assistant professor in the Technology Management department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Digital Fellow with Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab and MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy.

UC Santa Barbara Alumni presents Profs at the Pub, an engaging, free speaker series featuring UCSB professors. This program rotates from the virtual space to some of Santa Barbara’s favorite watering holes.

This event is in partnership with Parents & Family Weekend.