Brian Martin is very grateful that these conversations are taking place.
As someone who has had a lengthy career working in the technology sector, Martin has seen firsthand the ebbs and flows of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He has seen how the term 鈥淎I鈥� has represented a broad scope of technology and how it has transformed over time. He鈥檚 well aware of the impact that this technology has especially had on college students as they prepare to enter the job field.
It鈥檚 why he believes there鈥檚 no better place for the conversation about the future of AI to happen than on college campuses.
Martin, who serves as the Chief AI Product Owner for a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, presented 鈥淭he Impact of AI and the Future of the Cognitive Enterprise鈥� in 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Carter Hall D on Monday, February 23 in front of a full house of students, faculty, staff and members of the Evansville community. The presentation was the second in the Romain College of Business鈥檚 Market Makers Speaker Series.
鈥淲e can see students aren鈥檛 just thinking about their future job but about the implications of the work they want to do,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淵ou see a change from a pure 鈥減rofit-focused鈥� mindset to an 鈥渋mpact-focused鈥� mindset. Students are seeing the opportunity for their work to not just afford them a quality of life from a cost-of-living perspective but a quality of life from their impact on society.鈥�
In Martin鈥檚 presentation, he discussed his role in the life sciences industry and how he was one of his organization鈥檚 first AI employee in 2018 as well as his 鈥渘on-standard鈥� career path which saw him do everything from running the website for the car brand Saturn from his college dorm room to living in Evansville for a few years handling IT services for the Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity鈥檚 headquarters.
The majority of Martin鈥檚 discussion centered around AI. Working in pharmaceuticals, he discussed the importance of patient privacy and patent privacy when using AI tools. He also highlighted how no matter what discipline you鈥檙e involved in, AI is going to play an important role. While the impact AI has will be different for each domain, he says it鈥檚 important to highlight that 鈥淎I is here.鈥� It鈥檚 why he says students must view it as an essential skill that鈥檚 their to assist them, but not do the learning for them.
鈥淪tudents need to see AI as a tool. The same way they carry around their laptops, they need to be carrying around the AI capabilities within that laptop,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淭hey need to find a way to make that tool part of what they鈥檙e doing every day.鈥�
In addition to the presentation, Martin spoke with a few different classes in the Romain College of Business. He talked to Computer Information Systems students in Josh McWilliams鈥� Business Processes and Information Systems class and also shared insights with seniors in Dr. Nick Rhew鈥檚 Executive Perspectives in Management class.
If there was one takeaway that he hoped students would be able to take away from both his presentation and smaller group lectures, he says to never hesitate to ask questions. Even if they can be complicated.
鈥淧lease ask the hard questions and even get into debates about the hard questions. Learning the technology isn鈥檛 going to be the challenge, it鈥檚 going to be how do you apply it. This is why they should ask the 鈥渟hould we鈥� questions, and not the 鈥渃ould we鈥� questions,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淭he idea that I can go to a classroom and hopefully trigger these conversations, that鈥檚 why I enjoy doing this.鈥�
Martin is a leading expert in artificial intelligence and digital transformation within the life sciences industry. He has led the development and scaling of enterprise-wide AI initiatives that empower scientific teams to leverage machine learning, deep learning, cognitive computing and other cutting-edge technologies to solve complex research problems and improve decision-making. In his work, he focuses on transforming vast and varied data into actionable insights that support breakthroughs in drug discovery and development.
Martin earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer and cognitive science from Alma College and a Master of Science degree in computer science from the University of Chicago.
The Romain College of Business鈥� Romain Market Makers Speaker Series brings to campus innovative leaders and visionaries who have helped to 鈥渕ove the market鈥� by shaping industries, driving growth and redefining the future of business.