Profile

Dr Sandra Peter and Dr Kai Riemer are Co-Directors of Sydney Executive Plus and professors at the University of Sydney Business School. They are renowned experts in business, emerging technology, artificial intelligence, generative AI, and the future of work.

Together, Sandra and Kai form an exciting duo, combining their extensive knowledge and insights with an entertaining and accessible style, to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities of the ever-evolving business landscape. Their uniquely dynamic event offerings span productive engagement with the future and understanding the profound impact of emerging technologies, such as AI, on both business and society.

Dr Sandra Peter has spearheaded strategic initiatives and collaborated on executive programs with high-profile organisations, across business, government, and defence. Her research expertise lies in strategic foresight and the transformative influence of emerging technologies, with a focus on AI. She is a co-host of influential business and technology podcasts and a published author in high impact journals. She regularly contributes commentary and interviews in national and international media.
With a background in AI, collaborative systems, and strategic foresight, Professor Kai Riemer brings a wealth of expertise in disruptive phenomena and envisioning the future of work. He boasts an impressive track record of industry-funded research, high-impact projects, and publications in esteemed journals.

Sandra and Kai are highly sought-after advisors to corporate boards and prolific public speakers, captivating audiences with their insights on the business potential of AI, AI and the future of work, the dark side of AI, the trust economy, digital disruption, strategic foresight and future trends.

Expertise

Talking Points

AI beyond the hype: transforming business and work

Artificial intelligence has moved beyond the hype and is fundamentally transforming how businesses operate and society functions. You will learn how AI is being practically applied across different sectors, unlocking new capabilities and raising new questions. You will gain an informed perspective on AI’s current capabilities and limitations, its profound impacts on jobs and skills demands, and how organizations can responsibly steer emerging technologies to benefit business and society. Get insights from experts who connect cutting-edge research with real-world business and work, and who know that real insights can be deeply entertaining. And see what cats have to do with all of this.

Key Takeaways:
The audience walks away with practical AI knowledge tailored to their business context and a broader cross-industry understanding, realistic expectations of AI capabilities, appreciation of AI impacts on the workforce, and principles for deploying AI responsibly. This can inform their AI adoption strategy and investments.

Generative AI*: Transforming Work & Society

Generative AI is at the top of the hype cycle, promising to fundamentally transform how businesses operate and how society functions. It might not be coming for your job, but it is definitely coming for your job description. You will learn how gen AI is practically applied across different sectors, unlocking new capabilities and raising new questions. Discover the ACE model (assist-create-explore), generative AI’s current abilities and limitations, its profound impacts on jobs and skills demands, and the new ethical challenges it raises. You will understand potential resistance from stakeholders and what’s next. Get insights from experts who connect cutting-edge research with real-world business and work, and who know that real insights can be deeply entertaining. And see what cats have to do with all of this.

Key Takeaways:
The audience will walk away with a nuanced perspective on what generative AI can do today, its potential impacts on work, and key issues around responsible deployment. This can inform their generative AI pilot projects, change management strategies, job redesign, and governance policies. It equips them to be strategic leaders in navigating the opportunities and challenges of this emerging technology.

The Dark Side of AI

AI brings boundless opportunities but also holds the potential to destabilize markets and undermine trust.

This talk unveils the dark side of AI, from bias and discrimination, to deepfakes, synthetic activism, misinformation, disinformation and sustainability concerns. See how AI can be powerful and weird; and that its use can land us in hot water. Threats from AI don’t just imperil society; they endanger the integrity of your organization. If customers can’t trust real from fake, brand reputation evaporates. If ads are indistinguishable from organic content, ad spending becomes fruitless. If AI undermines education and changes what younger generations expect, your workforce strategy is challenged. The audience will be exposed to what the new threats are, what organisations need to prepare for and where to next. Get insights from experts who connect cutting-edge research with real-world business and work, and get to see the weird side of AI in ways that make you both think and laugh.

Key Takeaways:
The audience will walk away with heightened awareness of the range of emerging AI threats, urgency around the business imperative to prepare against those threats, insights around safeguarding trust in their products/services and protecting brand reputation. This equips them to proactively develop risk mitigation plans and governance policies around responsible AI adoption, workforce design and proactive communication. It drives home the message that neglecting the dark side of AI endangers business sustainability.

6 Megatrends for the Future of Business

We are witnessing times of profound change that promise to fundamentally alter the way we do business, work and live. One of the biggest challenges we face is understanding the profound changes that are underway, their range, speed and potential impact on individuals, business and society. You will master the six megatrends that encapsulate the patterns of transformative change underway: impactful technology, accelerating individualisation, demographic change, rapid urbanisation, climate and resource security and economic power shift. Learn about the forces that will shape your business, and take home unexpected facts, like why the world is running out of sand.

Key Take-aways:
The audience will gain a comprehensive view of the major transformative forces shaping the future, clarity on how their business specifically may be impacted, strategic foresight to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate risks, and insight into integrating megatrends into ongoing strategic planning. This equips them for strategy discussions and supports long-term planning.

The 5 Future Trends Shaping Leadership and Business

It’s common for business to focus on narrow technological possibilities without considering wider social, organizational, and societal changes that evolve in parallel. We build on insights from AI, DEI, ESG to take a comprehensive view, analysing five future trends reshaping work, business, and leadership: assistive thinking, synthetic reality, the provenance economy, leading with identity, and authentic belonging. As we navigate emerging futures, it is crucial for individuals, organisations, and communities to understand and adapt to these emerging trends. Doing so enables organisations to be better positioned for success and capitalise on the opportunities that lie ahead. Get insights from experts who connect cutting-edge research with real-world business and work, and who understand the value of memorable storytelling.

Key Takeaways:
The audience learns to think about the forces that are currently shaping the future of their organisation. Seeing existing developments in new and unexpected ways can inform their strategy discussions and support long-term planning.

Unlearn: When the World Changes Faster Than Our Thinking

The way the world works has changed. Things you thought you knew like automation will make our work easier, music is something to listen to, large companies can’t innovate, or data is the new oil are no longer true. Even retirement is bad for you! Unlearn old wisdoms and discover new ones that will make you rethink the way you live and work. Question the way you think about what you knew you knew.

Key Takeaways:
The audience will walk away with heightened ability to recognize outdated models (from the impacts of AI to innovation), enthusiasm for exploring counterintuitive ideas, eagerness to unlearn long-held assumptions that are no longer valid, and a more agile mindset overall. This equips them to see the world with "fresh eyes" and make smarter decisions aligned with emerging realities.

What Executives/ Leaders/ CEOs Need to Know: The New Skills you Need to Master

AVAILABLE FROM JUNE 2024

This talk will be based on brand-new research from Dr Reimer and Dr Peter.
The 2025 Skills Horizon report series for Executives and Leaders offers a graphic representation, in-depth quantitative and qualitative analyses and actionable advice that provides insight into the relevancy, maturity and criticality of skills required in the future of work. It will explore the capabilities and skills that executives and leaders need to know next. This will help decision-makers in aligning their strategies with ongoing trends and inform both product and service, as well as workforce planning.

Topics

Business

Innovation

Media

Video

Generative AI for personal productivity with Dr Sandra Peter & Professor Kai Reimer

Discover how generative AI can transform your productivity with Assistive, Creative, and Exploratory (ACE) capabilities, boosting task efficiency, enhancing content creation, and facilitating innovative discussions.

Generative AI with Dr Sandra Peter & Professor Kai Reimer

ChatGPT has exploded in popularity - but just how does it work? It’s an example of generative AI. Generative AI is a type of machine learning that allows computers to create new content or data. By training models on large datasets, generative AI can produce text, images, and even music. Large language models like ChatGPT allow users to experience firsthand the capabilities of generative AI by interacting with a system that generates human-like responses to their queries. From creative writing to virtual assistants, generative AI is changing the way we interact with technology.