Saving Human Ability in the Age of Intelligent Machines with Matt Beane

The Remarkable Leadership Podcast

How can we preserve and enhance human skills in an era dominated by AI and intelligent machines? Matt Beane joins Kevin to discuss how we can continue learning and be productive at the same time. While viewing surgical operating rooms, Matt observed that integrating intelligent technologies affects skill development, particularly the novice-expert dynamic that has been fundamental to human learning for over 160,000 years. He shares his three Cs: Challenge, Complexity, and Connection, which are essential for skill development and are often disrupted by new technologies. Kevin and Matt also explore the implications of remote work on skill building, the potential dangers of relying solely on intelligent technologies, and practical steps leaders and individuals can take to foster a healthy learning environment.

Listen For

00:00 Introduction 01:40 Guest Introduction: Matt Beane 05:19 Initial Fascination with Robotics in Surgery 09:54 Learning Challenges in Robotic Surgery 13:15 Historical Perspective on Learning and Skill Development 16:10 The Three Cs of Skill Development: Challenge, Complexity, Connection 19:11 Impact of Remote Work on Learning and Connection 23:10 Practical Steps for Enhancing Skill Development in the Age of AI 27:15 The Role of Leadership in Skill Development 31:11 Individual Contributions to Skill Enhancement 34:44 Fun Activities and Interests of Matt Beane 36:00 Recommended Science Fiction Reads 37:00 How to Learn More About Matt Beane

Meet Matt

Matt's Story: Matt Beane is the author of The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines. He does field research on work involving robots and AI to uncover systematic positive exceptions that we can use across the broader world of work. His award-winning research has been published in top management journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly and Harvard Business Review, and he has spoken on the TED stage. He also took a two-year hiatus from his PhD at MIT’s Sloan School of Management to help found and fund Humatics, a full-stack IoT startup. In 2012 he was selected as a Human-Robot Interaction Pioneer, and in 2021 was named to the Thinkers50 Radar list. Beane is an assistant professor in the Technology Management department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Digital Fellow with Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab and MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy. When he’s not studying intelligent technologies and learning, he enjoys playing guitar; his morning coffee ritual with his wife, Kristen; and reading science fiction—a lot of science fiction. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Website: https://www.mattbeane.com/book/

Get a free chapter of his book: https://the-skill-code.ck.page/a0cabc1d60

Book Recommendations

• The Skill Code: How to Save Human Ability in an Age of Intelligent Machines by Matt Beane
• Accelerando (Singularity) by Charles Stross

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