OODAcon 2023 brought together leaders, experts, and practitioners to address the challenges and opportunities presented by rapid technological advancements.  OODA CEO Matt Devost’s “Welcome and Scene Setting” opening remarks at OODAcon 2023 focused on the theme of disruptive innovation and the current state of technology – providing a broad overview of the OODAcon 2023 themes and the fast-paced advancements in disruptive technologies. 

OODAcon 2023 – Welcome and Scene Setting: The Thematics of OODAcon

“To ‘hack the future’, you have to operate in an evolving world, adapt to the changes, and confront challenges in various domains with an understanding of the exponential speed change in the next ten years.”

Cyclical Downturn or Cyclical Decline?   Matt discussed the predictions of downturns and declines made by experts like Ray Dalio and the authors of the Fourth Turning.  Additionally, Devost mentioned Neil Howe’s book on generational cycles – which differs from economic cycles – and highlighted the interesting perspectives presented by Howe.  Overall, Matt highlighted that there have been various predictions of downturns and declines in different contexts – but emphasizing optimism despite predictions of downturn or decline – and the importance of disruptive innovation in avoiding negative cycles.   He also mentioned the importance of maintaining societal trust during technological disruption.

Exponential Disruption: The concept of exponential disruption was discussed – emphasizing its significance in terms of AI and adversarial machine learning. He highlights the potential challenges faced when humans become reliant on machines for decision-making, particularly in the context of adversarial scenarios.  Devost also touched upon the manifestation of exponential disruption in various forms, including the disconnection between virtual and real-life experiences.  Again, Matt suggests that disruptive innovation could be the key to avoiding these negative unintended consequences.

“Is the information age about the information that we are coding  – or does the information start coding itself?”

The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century’s Greatest Dilemma by Mustafa Suleyman:  Matt Devost mentioned Suleyman’s recently released book – noting that he found Suleyman’s insights interesting, particularly his ideas about moving from sequencing to synthesis, reading to writing, and leading conversations in the field of AI:  “This was an interesting framing that is useful as we think about what people are talking about on stage today at OODAcon.  Devost also emphasized the importance of including new voices and perspectives on stage at OODAcon 2023 – especially from the next generation of experts.

The Code Era – Moving the Notch from Read-only to Write:  “The Code Era”  involves moving from a read-only approach to a write-enabled one, similar to how a floppy disk had a notch that needed to be moved to switch between read-only and write modes and  the relevance of this shift in various domains, including AI, biology, and cybersecurity.  Overall, the concept of The Code Era signifies a transition towards a more active and participatory role in utilizing technology and knowledge: “I feel like  – for a lot of these technologies – that is the analogy that we are moving into right now.  They are moving from read-only to write – which makes me think maybe we are in the encoding age of the information age. What is the right way to frame it?  Is the information age about the information that we are coding  – or does the information start coding itself?

“We are encountering situations even today where a human being is not able to respond in a timeframe that would allow for an adequate response.”

Robots, Automation, and Autonomy:  Matt drew OODAcon 2023 attendees’ attention to the prevalence of autonomy and robotics in various fields, including the military and electrical systems – emphasizing the importance of coding accuracy and the potential for machines to make decisions faster than humans.  Additionally, he highlighted the geopolitical implications of advancements in autonomy, robotics, and AI – which are reshaping business and government  – with a recognition of the growing prominence and impact of autonomy and robotics in different domains and industrial sectors.

Defend/Compete:  Machine speed defense was pointed out by Matt as a key thematic of the day: “When you have adversaries and competitors that move at machine speed, how do you defend or keep up with that machine speed?   When we talk about machine speed, is it abdicating decision making?  We are encountering situations even today where a human being is not able to respond in a timeframe that would allow for an adequate response.”

“…every piece of our face reaction can be reported and biological data can be reported…your heart rate, the glancing pattern of your eyes…”

Adversarial Machine Learning:  Matt went on to discuss the concept of Adversarial Machine Learning, highlighting its significance in the context of AI and decision-making.  As machines become more integral in decision-making processes, the question arises of how adversaries can manipulate or exploit these systems.  This introduces a complex and strategic dimension – comparable to a multi-level chess game. Matt positioned the topic of Adversarial Machine Learning as strategically interesting and relevant for the next five to ten years.

The Contested Metaverse:  If we are able to move into the next evolution of this technology, where every piece of our face reaction can be reported and biological data can be reported – which we talked about a bit last year:   your heart rate, the glancing pattern of your eyes – you start to worry about the privacy of where your mouse moves on a webpage and the information that the advertisers are capturing related to that data.  We have to imagine the level of detail that will be able to be captured as individuals’ interface in the metaverse.

“…genetic engineering, medical technology innovation… “hacking humans” will be analogous the hacker ethos as applied to computers and global network hacks…these technologies hold great promise in the next five to ten years – and are actually the industry sector to watch.”

Cognitive Infrastructure:  The significance and the potential misinformation component associated with algorithms with an emphasis on cognitive infrastructure’s role in the spread of misinformation and its impact on our interactions.  Additionally, he mentioned the geopolitical and societal aspects to consider when discussing cognitive infrastructure.  While not explicitly stated, Devost’s remarks suggest the need for a comprehensive understanding of the health and strength of the cognitive infrastructure of the U.S and its implications on trust, autonomy, and societal systems.

Targeting Trust:  Matt discussed the concept of “targeting trust” in relation to algorithms and the validity of the information they surface.  He emphasized the need to question the significance and credibility of content that gains popularity, highlighting the potential implications on trust – touching upon the geopolitical aspects and the importance of addressing risks, confronting challenges, and underscoring the vital role of trust in societal systems – and adversaries’ efforts to sow discord to weaken that trust within U.S. society.

Hacking Humans:  Matt explored disruptive technologies in genetic engineering, medical technology innovation, and their impact on health, ethics, and global security – suggesting that  “hacking humans” will be analogous the hacker ethos as applied to computers and global network hacks.  With that, Matt pointed out these technologies hold great promise in the next five to ten years – and are actually the industry sector to watch for the most immediate net positive societal disruptive technology results, especially in the areas of the genome/CRISPR, medical technologies – and the infusion of AI into both of these areas of healthcare and biotech.

Matt closed his remarks setting the stage for the rest of the day at OODAcon 2023 –  on the thematic of  various afternoon sessions at the conference, including the future of the space economy and national security risks, building trust into blockchain, and the geopolitical risks of emerging technologies.

The Future Now  – and Hacking the Future

Matt closed with an emphasis on the geopolitical risks associated with emerging technologies and the concept of gray rhinos and black swans, emphasizing the importance of addressing known risks, but not acting upon  the risks that can be known (and have been, oftentimes, historically ignored or not adequately acknowledged).  Matt reinforced that the targeting of trust will be a constant challenge, particularly for financial institutions, as will the erosion of trust in societal systems. To “hack the future”, you have to operate in an evolving world, adapt to the changes, and confront challenges in various domains with an understanding of the exponential pace of the next ten years.

Finally, Matt  expressed the need to focus on the future  – but not limit discussions to what will happen in five or ten years, as many expected developments have already occurred, but pointing to the overall theme of OODAcon 2023:  Future Now.

The full agenda for OODAcon 2023 can be found here – Welcome to OODAcon 2023: Final Agenda and Event Details – including a full description of each session, expanded speakers bios (with links to current projects and articles about the speakers) and additional OODA Loop resources on the theme of each panel.

OODAcon 2023: Event Summary and Imperatives For Action

Download a summary of OODAcon including useful observations to inform your strategic planning, product roadmap and drive informed customer conversations. This summary, based on the dialog during and after the event, also invites your continued input on these many dynamic trends.  See:  OODAcon 2023: Event Summary and Imperatives For Action.