Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work: Headspring Hosts Launch Event in Madrid
“One of the best line-ups of speakers that we’ve ever seen in Madrid.” It was with this kind of feedback that Headspring closed its first round of official launch events on 26 June in Madrid. Following a successful event in London’s Tower Bridge two weeks earlier, the event in Madrid gathered over 200 guests who had the opportunity to listen to insightful talks by world class speakers such as ex-Google [X] Chief Business Officer Mo Gawdat, Financial Times Associated Editor Rana Foroohar, and IE University’s Chief Learning Officer Nick van Dam. Following opening remarks but Headspring’s Head of Learning Innovation Liz-Ann Gayle, the event started with IE University’s Executive President Santiago Iñiguez and Gustaf Nordbäck, CEO of Headspring.
Hosted at the impressive Francisco Giner de Los Ríos Foundation, the event attracted HR, Learning & Development, as well as innovation and business leaders from some of the largest organisations in Spain. One of the key focuses of the evening was the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on the workforce and how organisations can empower their teams to embrace change and transformation.
“Being human is the only thing that cannot be commoditised”, said Rana Foroohar in an interview after her speech. “Technology is wonderful, but it keeps getting cheaper and more ubiquitous. Being human, being creative and being caring is something that is going to have more and more value.”
Mo Gawdat delivered an inspiring speech, reflecting upon the importance of prioritising the right things, such as compassion, happiness and collaboration and also how organisations can be a place to nurture and drive these values and set people in their own transformation journey.
“Even in today’s world, people remain the biggest asset of an organisation. The best businesses are built by motivated, talented people who have a purpose that aligns to the purpose of the organisation they work for.”
“People are naturally creative. By nature, we are innovative. Innovation can only be hindered by rules that stop people from being innovative. So the best way to encourage innovation is to empower people with the tools they need to be innovate and just come out of their way.”
The event also included a wide range of learning technology experiences, including the Financial Times Uber Game, IE Business School’s Innovation Island, as well as Headspring’s own Earth-to-Mars Virtual Reality programme.
