The Catalyst Impact Lecture Series Kicks Off with Entrepreneur Edo Segal

The first session of the Catalyst Impact Lecture Series kicked off with the CEO and founder of Touchcast, Edo Segal, jumping from an ordinary Zoom video that showed his home office to an authentic-looking class environment built in the metaverse.

Ikhlaq Sidhu, Dean of the IE School of Science & Technology, and Victoria Howell from UC Berkeley's Sutardja Center, opened the series as co-hosts of this initiative, which aims to contribute to the conversation on the impact of technology and a reminder of the limitless potential of innovation. The event is the first to fall under the auspice of the new strategic agreement signed between IE and Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

Segal, who Sidhu introduced as “a serial entrepreneur” has over twenty years of experience at the forefront of AI and Communications Technologies as founder of seven ventures, some failures and others very successful, that utilise these tools.

Segal predicted that the internet experience is on the verge of a major evolution, one that will be characterized by a rich and connected experience aided by simulated presence with AI, all possible from the screens and devices we already have.

"The metaverse enhances communication."
Edo Segal, CEO and founder of Touchcast

"And this is where the value in these technologies is found."

From a metaverse-built cardiologist's office and a digital twin of a beating heart, Segal discussed and demonstrated the potential AI has to elevate the ability to communicate. He argued that AI-aided communication could bring people together and create a more connected world through a simulated presence.

He maintained that technology holds the key to solving the many global challenges the world faces and that it is better to embrace AI tools rather than to try to limit them.

Segal's insights on the evolving internet experience and the role of AI were well-received by the audience. They sparked a rich discussion on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

"The reason why I joined these lectures is to immerse myself in the upcoming technologies and gain insights about how we can implement these new technologies and learn more about them," said an undergraduate of the IE School of Science & Technology. 

The first Catalyst Impact Lecture was a valuable contribution to the conversation on the impact of technology on our world and a reminder of the limitless potential of innovation.

Watch it here