Dr. Cori Lathan: Benevolent Cyborgs and a Techno-Optimist's View on Technology

The Empathy Edge

Benevolent cyborgs. Not a phrase you hear often these days. With all the hand-wringing and media fear-mongering about AI and new technologies, we seem to have lost the bigger vision of how technology can improve our lives. That's why today, I'm speaking with Dr. Cori Lathan, a techno-optimist who believes technology can be used to build empathy and connection.

Today we discuss how Star Wars and a very creative 2nd grade teacher sparked her journey into innovation and invention, how technology is being used to build empathy and connection, why empathy makes a better design team, and the future of human-machine interaction.

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

• Technology can be a tool to help children achieve developmental milestones and build empathy.
• The media will give the negative side of AI and technology because it gets better views and clicks. But great things are happening with technology that is helping to create a beautiful future.
• Designing tech is about more than what happens behind the computer screen. It is about understanding the user experience and what it means for your end user.

"We are creating the future, someone isn’t doing it for us. We can create the future we want to see. We can choose the direction it goes." — Dr. Cori Lathan

Episode References:

• Dr. Cori Lathan's Book: Inventing the Future, Stories from a Techno-Optimist: https://inventthefuture.tech/
• Dr. Cori Lathan's TEDx Talk: Innovation, Empathy, and the Future of Human-Machine Interaction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnV6QDhwvhk
• The Empathy Edge Podcast: Ron Gura: How Technology Helps People Navigate Grief

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About Corinna Lathan + Founder and Former Board Chair and CEO

Dr. Corinna Lathan is a technology entrepreneur who has developed robots for kids with disabilities, virtual reality technology for the space station, and wearable sensors for training surgeons and soldiers. She is a global thought leader in the relationship between technology and human performance and believes in a future of benevolent cyborgs! Dr. Lathan is Co-Founder of AnthroTronix, Inc., a biomedical engineering company focused on brain health, which she led for 23 years as Board Chair. and CEO. She developed one of the first FDA-cleared digital health platforms winning a prestigious Gold Edison Award. She was named a Woman to Watch by Disruptive Women in Health Care, a Technology Pioneer, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She also Chaired the Forum’s Councils on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, and Human Enhancement and Longevity. Dr. Lathan has been featured in Forbes, Time, and the New Yorker magazines and her work has led to such distinctions as MIT Technology Review Magazine’s “Top 100 World Innovators,” and one of Fast Company Magazines “Most Creative People in Business.” Dr. Lathan received her B.A. in Biopsychology and Mathematics from Swarthmore College, an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from M.I.T.

Connect with Dr. Cori Lathan:

AnthroTronix: www.atinc.com

Twitter: twitter.com/clathan

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clathan

Instagram: instagram.com/drcoril

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