Innovating the Future: SRI's Curt Carlson and Bill Mark in Conversation with John Markoff of The New York Times

SRI International’s pioneering contributions to computing are legendary, from the invention of the computer mouse and interactive computing in the 1960s, to the first internetworked and wireless connections in the 1970s. Fast-forward to 2010, when SRI created the first-generation virtual personal assistant and sold Siri to Apple.

Over 66 years, SRI has conducted billions of dollars of R&D and has created enormous value through spin-off ventures such as Nuance and Intuitive Surgical. Other innovations include new cancer drugs, digital math curriculum to help students break through algebra and move on to higher math, and much more. How does SRI do it, while many powerhouse corporate research labs have disappeared?

John Markoff of The New York Times will explore SRI, beginning with a conversation with William Mark, Vice President of Information and Computing Sciences. Hear what Mark and his researchers are imagining and turning into reality: from virtual personal assistants capable of human-like dialogue, to next-generation textbooks that use artificial intelligence, and human-machine interfaces that anticipate your moves.

To learn how SRI moves its research from the laboratory into the marketplace, they will be joined on stage by SRI’s President and CEO Curt Carlson. Carlson will offer a unique definition of innovation and discuss its importance in government policy, education, and U.S. competitiveness.

We hope you’ll join us for another compelling conversation led by John Markoff, who is our moderator-in-chief for this track examining and celebrating innovation at research labs.

This event is part of the Museum’s acclaimed Revolutionaries speaker series, featuring renowned innovators, business and technology leaders, and authors in enthralling conversations often with leading journalists. Our audiences learn about the process of innovation, its risks and rewards, and failure that led to ultimate success.

We are very pleased that KQED FM will be onsite taping this event for broadcast Wednesday, April 24 at 8pm.

And, we are also pleased that CSPAN will be onsite taping this event for future broadcast.