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Ray Kurzweil

Ray Kurzweil

Keynote Speaker: Chairman of Kurzweil Technologies, Inventor & Futurist; Author of "How to Create a Mind"

Ray Kurzweil Biography

Ray Kurzweil is one of the world’s leading inventors, thinkers, and futurists, with a thirty-year track record of accurate predictions. Called "the restless genius" by The Wall Street Journal and "the ultimate thinking machine" by Forbes magazine, he was selected as one of the top entrepreneurs by Inc. magazine, which described him as the "rightful heir to Thomas Edison." PBS selected him as one of the "sixteen revolutionaries who made America."

Kurzweil was the principal inventor of the first CCD flat-bed scanner, the first omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition.

Among Kurzweil’s many honors, he received a Grammy Award for outstanding achievements in music technology; he is the recipient of the National Medal of Technology, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, holds twenty-one honorary Doctorates, and honors from three U.S. presidents.

Kurzweil has written five national best-selling books, including New York Times best sellers "The Singularity Is Near" (2005) and "How To Create A Mind" (2012). He is a Director of Engineering at Google heading up a team developing machine intelligence and natural language understanding.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Ray Kurzweil and other top speakers and celebrities.

Ray Kurzweil Speaking Topics

The Future of Intelligence, Artificial and Natural

At the onset of the 21st century, it will be an era in which the very nature of what it means to be human will be both enriched and challenged, as our species breaks the shackles of its genetic legacy, and achieves inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, and longevity. The paradigm shift rate is now doubling every decade, so the twenty-first century will see 20,000 years of progress at today’s rate. Computation, communication, biological technologies (for example, DNA sequencing), brain scanning, knowledge of the human brain, and human knowledge in general are all accelerating at an even faster pace, generally doubling price-performance, capacity, and bandwidth every year. Three-dimensional molecular computing will provide the hardware for human-level "strong" AI well before 2030. The more important software insights will be gained in part from the reverse-engineering of the human brain, a process well under way. While the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes will be profound, and the threats they pose considerable, we will ultimately merge with our machines, live indefinitely, and be a billion times more intelligent...all within the next three to four decades.

The Acceleration of Technology in the 21st Century: the Impact on Healthcare and Medicine

We are now at a pivotal time in health technologies. With the collection of the genome in 2003 and the advent of techniques such as RNA interference that can actually turn off the genes that promote disease and aging, medicine has transformed itself into an information technology. As such, medicine is now subject to the “law of accelerating returns,” meaning that these technologies will be a thousand times more powerful than today in ten years, and a million times more powerful in 20 years. Up until recently, health interventions were hit or miss. We'd find something that seemed to work with only crude models of how they worked. Drug development was called "drug discovery," basically finding things that worked rather than designing them. Today it is within our grasp to slow the aging process and take full advantage of advances in bio- and nanotechnology that have already begun and will be occurring at an accelerating pace in the years ahead. Ultimately, we will merge with our machines, vastly extending human health and longevity, and greatly increasing our intelligence.

Science, Technology, and Invention: Strategies to Create the Future

The democratization of innovation is a turbulent process with rapid creation, violent destruction, many winners and many losers. Despite the apparent chaos, we can discern predictable patterns. The pace of innovation itself is doubling every decade. The overall price-performance and capacity of every form of information technology grows exponentially, generally doubling in a year or less. As information technology achieves each new level of price-performance and capacity, new applications become feasible and existing business models lose their viability. Another implication is that the tools of disruptive change have been democratized. A couple of students created Google on their thousand dollar laptops. A few years later, a couple of undergraduates created Facebook with tools that everyone has. The rate of change is now so rapid that even three to five year business plans need to consider that every level of an industry will undergo major changes during that period. It’s not just the devices we carry around that are influenced by these exponential changes. Health and medicine is now an information technology with the collection of the human genome, the means of changing genes in a mature individual, and the ability to design interventions on computers and to test them on biological simulators. Even energy will be transformed as we apply nanotechnology to the design of solar panels and energy storage devices. The means to change the world are in everyone’s hands.

The Acceleration of Technology in the 21st Century: the Impact on Business, the Economy, and Society

At the onset of the 21st century, it will be an era in which the very nature of what it means to be human will be both enriched and challenged, as our species breaks the shackles of its genetic legacy, and achieves inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, and longevity. The paradigm shift rate is now doubling every decade, so the twenty-first century will see 20,000 years of progress at today’s rate. Computation, communication, biological technologies (for example, DNA sequencing), brain scanning, knowledge of the human brain, and human knowledge in general are all accelerating at an even faster pace, generally doubling price-performance, capacity, and bandwidth every year. Three-dimensional molecular computing will provide the hardware for human-level "strong" AI well before 2030. The more important software insights will be gained in part from the reverse-engineering of the human brain, a process well under way. While the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes will be profound, and the threats they pose considerable, celebrated futurist Ray Kurzweil presents an inspiring vision of our ultimate destiny in which we will merge with our machines, can live forever, and are a billion times more intelligent...all within the next three to four decades.

Ray Kurzweil Videos

Ray Kurzweil: Future of Intelligence | MIT 6.S099: Artificial General ...
Ray Kurzweil, Featured Speaker
Ray Kurzweil: Get ready for hybrid thinking

How do I book Ray Kurzweil to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Ray Kurzweil for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Ray Kurzweil, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Ray Kurzweil or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Ray Kurzweil for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Ray Kurzweil, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. For the most current speaking fee to hire Ray Kurzweil, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Ray Kurzweil speak about?

Ray Kurzweil is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Business, Sales, Health, Futurism, Creativity, Technology, Authors, Music, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Sustainability, Economy, Healthcare, Business Leadership, Biology, Ethics & Integrity, Innovation, Inspirational, Nutrition, Generational Issues, Social Media, Marketing, News & Media, Engineering, Cancer, Television & Film, World Affairs, College, Big Think, Philosophy, Faith & Religion, Science, Aging, Relationships, Editing, Inventors, Literary, Poetry, Artificial Intelligence, Culture, Leadership, Finance, Internet, Physics and Robotics.

Where does Ray Kurzweil travel from?

Ray Kurzweil generally travels from Boston, MA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Ray Kurzweil?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Ray Kurzweil for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Ray Kurzweil for your next private or corporate function.

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AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Ray Kurzweil or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

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Ray Kurzweil is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Business, Sales and Health. Please contact us for live or virtual event fee details. Ray Kurzweil generally travels from Boston, MA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Peter Diamandis, Dr. Michio Kaku and Daymond John. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Ray Kurzweil for an upcoming event.

Ray Kurzweil Speaking Topics

  • The Future of Intelligence, Artificial and Natural

    At the onset of the 21st century, it will be an era in which the very nature of what it means to be human will be both enriched and challenged, as our species breaks the shackles of its genetic legacy, and achieves inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, and longevity. The paradigm shift rate is now doubling every decade, so the twenty-first century will see 20,000 years of progress at today’s rate. Computation, communication, biological technologies (for example, DNA sequencing), brain scanning, knowledge of the human brain, and human knowledge in general are all accelerating at an even faster pace, generally doubling price-performance, capacity, and bandwidth every year. Three-dimensional molecular computing will provide the hardware for human-level "strong" AI well before 2030. The more important software insights will be gained in part from the reverse-engineering of the human brain, a process well under way. While the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes will be profound, and the threats they pose considerable, we will ultimately merge with our machines, live indefinitely, and be a billion times more intelligent...all within the next three to four decades.

  • The Acceleration of Technology in the 21st Century: the Impact on Healthcare and Medicine

    We are now at a pivotal time in health technologies. With the collection of the genome in 2003 and the advent of techniques such as RNA interference that can actually turn off the genes that promote disease and aging, medicine has transformed itself into an information technology. As such, medicine is now subject to the “law of accelerating returns,” meaning that these technologies will be a thousand times more powerful than today in ten years, and a million times more powerful in 20 years. Up until recently, health interventions were hit or miss. We'd find something that seemed to work with only crude models of how they worked. Drug development was called "drug discovery," basically finding things that worked rather than designing them. Today it is within our grasp to slow the aging process and take full advantage of advances in bio- and nanotechnology that have already begun and will be occurring at an accelerating pace in the years ahead. Ultimately, we will merge with our machines, vastly extending human health and longevity, and greatly increasing our intelligence.

  • Science, Technology, and Invention: Strategies to Create the Future

    The democratization of innovation is a turbulent process with rapid creation, violent destruction, many winners and many losers. Despite the apparent chaos, we can discern predictable patterns. The pace of innovation itself is doubling every decade. The overall price-performance and capacity of every form of information technology grows exponentially, generally doubling in a year or less. As information technology achieves each new level of price-performance and capacity, new applications become feasible and existing business models lose their viability. Another implication is that the tools of disruptive change have been democratized. A couple of students created Google on their thousand dollar laptops. A few years later, a couple of undergraduates created Facebook with tools that everyone has. The rate of change is now so rapid that even three to five year business plans need to consider that every level of an industry will undergo major changes during that period. It’s not just the devices we carry around that are influenced by these exponential changes. Health and medicine is now an information technology with the collection of the human genome, the means of changing genes in a mature individual, and the ability to design interventions on computers and to test them on biological simulators. Even energy will be transformed as we apply nanotechnology to the design of solar panels and energy storage devices. The means to change the world are in everyone’s hands.

  • The Acceleration of Technology in the 21st Century: the Impact on Business, the Economy, and Society

    At the onset of the 21st century, it will be an era in which the very nature of what it means to be human will be both enriched and challenged, as our species breaks the shackles of its genetic legacy, and achieves inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, and longevity. The paradigm shift rate is now doubling every decade, so the twenty-first century will see 20,000 years of progress at today’s rate. Computation, communication, biological technologies (for example, DNA sequencing), brain scanning, knowledge of the human brain, and human knowledge in general are all accelerating at an even faster pace, generally doubling price-performance, capacity, and bandwidth every year. Three-dimensional molecular computing will provide the hardware for human-level "strong" AI well before 2030. The more important software insights will be gained in part from the reverse-engineering of the human brain, a process well under way. While the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes will be profound, and the threats they pose considerable, celebrated futurist Ray Kurzweil presents an inspiring vision of our ultimate destiny in which we will merge with our machines, can live forever, and are a billion times more intelligent...all within the next three to four decades.

Ray Kurzweil Videos

Ray Kurzweil: Future of Intelligence | MIT 6.S099: Artificial General ...
Ray Kurzweil, Featured Speaker
Ray Kurzweil: Get ready for hybrid thinking
Ray Kurzweil: Bad Memory? Not a Problem Unless You're a Robot.
Ray Kurzweil: Your Brain in the Cloud

Ray Kurzweil Reviews

  • Lake Nona Institute - Feb 20 2017

  • “Everything with Ray went perfect and we were very, very happy. It was a delight meeting Ray, his keynote was as outstanding as we had expected. It was followed by a stimulating discussion and I hope that we were able to accommodate Ray according to his wishes as well.”
    Merck - Dec 09 2015

  • His speech was great, a the trove of fascinating content. We wanted someone who would educate the audience about what's ahead, think strategically about the future and inspire them to be innovative. He nailed it. We are deeply appreciative.
    Northwestern Mutual - Jun 23 2015

  • "Ray came in and really inspired our employees. His presentation was extremely well received, and many people in the audience expressed their gratitude for being in the presence of one of their true heroes. My inbox has been filled with thanks and expressions of how their perspective on their job has really changed. I don’t think we could have asked for much more than that!”
    Dolby - Nov 13 2014

Ray Kurzweil News

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