The Second Renaissance: How AI Will Transform Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship

Humanity is in a period of dramatic change-the risk of near-time impact from environmental degradation; political and socioeconomic challenges exacerbated by the manipulation of social media; and an interconnected, networked world where Artificial Intelligence and widespread computational science offer both peril and promise. In The Second Renaissance, Robert Hacker argues that for the first time in history, AI’s functionality has surpassed human cognition, and can be used to advance scientific, economic and societal endeavors for humankind. Walking us through the development of modern science from the nineteenth century to the AI of the twenty-first, the author reveals five pillars to reimagine the future; shows how two paradigms are shaping the technology and business models of the 21st century; and presents the wide-ranging benefits and applications of AI that signal the dawn of a new era, the Second Renaissance. He concludes with practical illustrations and real-world examples leaders can use as ’fit-for-the-future’ constructs to innovate and exploit AI entrepreneurially. This is a must read for corporate leaders, researchers in innovation and AI, policymakers, business and entrepreneurship students, and anyone invested in adapting AI for the exciting era that lies ahead.

Robert H. Hacker is the Co-founder and Director of StartUP FIU, where he focuses on commercializing faculty research in emerging technologies and curriculum innovation. He is a professor in the Honors College at FIU and he previously taught at MIT Sloan. He teaches courses in social entrepreneurship, mental frameworks in decision making and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He previously was the COO/CFO of One Laptop per Child, an international social venture started at the MIT Media Lab. He also built a billion dollar publicly-traded company in Indonesia. He is the author of two books on entrepreneurship.