Abstract

Karl Gouverneur, Vice President Digital Workplace and Corporate Solutions at Northwestern Mutual has been exploring emerging tech trends for over a dozen years. Before looking at the future, this keynote will look back a few years and examine the hot trends from "back in the day". Which ones seemed crazy back then but are commonplace today? Which ones fizzled before launch? Then look forward and examine three current day issues:

• Bias in Artificial Intelligence: Will AIs adopt the biases of their creators?
• TechLash: Is it time to go back to dumb phones and get off the grid?
• 5G: What new capabilities will result from network speeds 30 times greater than 4G LTE?

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Bio

Karl Gouverneur (pronounced "Governor") is vice president digital workplace, corporate solutions and head of digital innovation for Northwestern Mutual. In this role, Gouverneur leads a team focused on NM's digital workplace and our corporate systems including finance, human resources, investments, compliance and others.

Gouverneur focuses on providing a digital core to enable efficiency and flexibility that enriches the experience of the company's employees including an award- winning digital innovation program. He partners with business areas across the enterprise to integrate digital solutions with the company's business strategies and objectives.

Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual in 2006, Gouverneur was the vice president and chief technology officer at Seattle-based Safeco Insurance, where he built an IT architecture practice and identified over $110 million in business value. Before his role at Safeco, he was the chief architect at Chicago-based CNA Financial, where he focused on business alignment, IT strategy and IT standards, and strategic and innovative IT solutions including a claims transformation program, service-oriented architecture, voice over IP, strategic sourcing and enterprise content management. He started his career at Ernst & Young, where he progressed through the ranks to become a senior manager.

Gouverneur is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration – computer science. He is currently a member of the CIO Research Board and the ALPFA National Corporate Advisory Board. In the Milwaukee community, Gouverneur serves as the head of the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute and is a member of the Discovery World Board. He is also a board member of Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures and Cream City Venture Capital Investment Committees, and an advisor to the Northwestern Mutual Hispanic Employee Resource Group.