GS02 KEYNOTE: Dawn of the New Everything
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Wednesday, June 27
Imperial Ballroom
Bridging the gap between tech mania and the experience of being inside the human body, Jaron Lanier’s inspiring keynote takes a look at what it means to be human at a moment of unprecedented technological possibility. Through a fascinating look back over his life in technology, Mr. Lanier exposes VR’s ability to illuminate and amplify our understanding of our species, providing a new perspective on how the brain and body connect to the world. Join us as the father of virtual reality explains its dazzling possibilities by reflecting on his own lifelong relationship with technology, and discover how VR can actually make our lives richer and fuller.
Jaron Lanier
VR Pioneer, Scientist, Musician, Artist & Author
Jaron Lanier is a computer scientist, composer, artist, and author who writes on topics including high-technology business, the social impact of technology, the philosophy of consciousness and information, internet politics, and the future of humanism. A pioneer in virtual reality (a term he coined), Mr. Lanier founded VPL Research, the first company to sell VR products. He is currently an interdisciplinary scientist at Microsoft Research, and he was a founder or principal of startups acquired by Google, Adobe, Oracle, and Pfizer. His book Who Owns the Future? was awarded the 2014 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, one of the world’s highest literary honors. Mr. Lanier’s most recent book is Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality. He also writes chamber and orchestral works, composing and performing frequently on film soundtracks, and his paintings and drawings have been exhibited in museums and galleries in the US and Europe.
