The integration of advanced intelligence and technology into retail and consumer-facing experiences is revolutionizing the way we shop, interact with brands and their online support, and make purchasing decisions. As virtual humans and AI-powered systems become more sophisticated, they’re transforming customer service, product recommendations, and even in-store navigation. This panel will explore the current state of the art in virtual human technology and its impact on the retail and complex online interaction, as well as examine future trends and challenges in this rapidly evolving field.
Speakers:
Natalie Monbiot, Head of Strategy, Hour One
Guy Gadney, Co-founder & CEO, Charisma.ai
Shara Senderoff, Co-Founder, Futureverse
John Gauntt, Host, The Culture and Code Podcast, Moderator
Shara Senderoff is a well-respected technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Senderoff’s reputation for visionary strategy and foresight both technically and creatively has commanded both attention and praise throughout the entertainment industry. Senderoff has been named one of Forbes’ “30 under 30,” Rolling Stone’s “Future 25,” Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business,” Billboard’s “40 Under 40” and esteemed “Women in Music.” As Co-Founder of open metaverse ecosystem, Futureverse, Senderoff leads a team of futurists shaping the next version of the internet. Alongside Futureverse, Shara also founded Born Ready, a venture fund and studio focused on investing in and incubating technology ventures shaping the future of the internet. A prolific early adopter, Senderoff founded blockchain venture fund and studio, Raised In Space in 2018 alongside music industry titan, Scooter Braun and crypto leader, Ripple. Focused on Web3 in its earliest days, Senderoff constructed a portfolio of compelling metaverse infrastructure and leading NFT ventures and became a thought-leader for the technical possibilities of the future. Senderoff also produces film and digital content and manages/advises music, creative and entertainment talent and ventures under her Something Gold banner. A leading voice in the tech and entertainment communities, Senderoff facilitates strategic collaborations, growth and conversation in Web3, blockchain, the metaverse, NFTs/digital collectibles, crypto, gaming, virtual entertainment, royalties/copyrights, creator monetization, data science and AdTech—all of which are vital to the growth and sustainability of the entertainment ecosystem. Senderoff is the former Vice President of Film and Digital at The Mark Gordon Company. After beginning her career as an intern in the film and television industry with legendary producers Scott Rudin (The Social Network) and Kevin Bright (“Friends”), she went on to produce content properties alongside mega-producer Mark Gordon (Grey’s Anatomy, 2012), developing feature films with all of the major film studios. Shara paved innovation by creating and architecting Mark Gordon’s initial digital department to leverage technology, the social dynamics of the web and the company’s expertise in storytelling to develop new properties with cross platform capabilities.
John Gauntt is host of the Culture & Code podcast and newsletter out of Seattle. Culture & Code explores Creativity and Artificial Intelligence. What is it? What does it mean? Who benefits? Who pays? Aimed at creative professionals in media & entertainment, marketing, and communications; Culture and Code spotlights innovation happening across storytelling, AI technology, and audiences. John’s analysis of the impacts of advanced technology on media and marketing have been featured in The Economist and eMarketer while his speaking credits include South by Southwest, Infinity Festival Hollywood, Podcast Movement and the Monaco Media Forum. John holds degrees in Computer Information Systems and English Literature. In 2019, he earned an executive certificate in technology leadership from the MIT Sloan School in partnership with the MIT Computer Science & AI Laboratory (CSAIL).
Guy Gadney runs Charisma Entertainment (https://charisma.ai/), whose vision is to power every NPC and character in the Metaverse, using advanced Machine Learning and creative Artificial Intelligence. He has worked on award-winning interactive entertainment products and technologies for global media organizations and has produced Emmy and BAFTA nominated products for drama and factual television series, producing MMOs, narrative games and immersive experiences in virtual worlds. Guy is on the UK5G Creative Industries Working Group, is Board Chair of the Arts at the Old Fire Station venue in Oxford, on the Board of Blast Theory, and a co-founder of The Collaborative AI Consortium, exploring the impact of new technologies on the Creative Industries. With Charisma, Guy is transforming interactive entertainment through the use of advanced technology, producing projects for Warner Bros, Sky, the BBC and inspiring a new generation of game designers and developers to pioneer new forms of entertainment using Artificial Intelligence.
Natalie Monbiot, Head of Strategy, Hour One: Natalie is a leader in the field of generative video and AI avatar technology. She is Head of Strategy at Hour One, where she is pioneering the commercialization of synthetic media, and the new “virtual human economy,” in which real people create and profit from their digital selves. Previously, Natalie was Head of Futures at Publicis Groupe, focused on emerging tech and product development for Samsung. Previously she spent 10+ years at Interpublic Group, where she was Head of Digital at Universal McCann, and key to winning and growing business with the likes of Coca-Cola, BMW, Microsoft, and Sony. Natalie is an award-winning innovator, global keynote speaker, and regular commentator for publications including MIT Tech Review, TechCrunch and The Information.
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