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 “AI” has represented a broad scope of technology and how it has transformed over time. He’s well aware of the impact that this technology has especially had on college students as they prepare to enter the job field.
It’s why he believes there’s 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 “The Impact of AI and the Future of the Cognitive Enterprise” in USI’s 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’s Market Makers Speaker Series.
“We can see students aren’t just thinking about their future job but about the implications of the work they want to do,” Martin said. “You see a change from a pure “profit-focused” mindset to an “impact-focused” 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.”
In Martin’s presentation, he discussed his role in the life sciences industry and how he was one of his organization’s first AI employee in 2018 as well as his “non-standard” 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’s headquarters.
The majority of Martin’s 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’re involved in, AI is going to play an important role. While the impact AI has will be different for each domain, he says it’s important to highlight that “AI is here.” It’s why he says students must view it as an essential skill that’s their to assist them, but not do the learning for them.
“Students 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,” Martin said. “They need to find a way to make that tool part of what they’re doing every day.”
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’ Business Processes and Information Systems class and also shared insights with seniors in Dr. Nick Rhew’s 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.
“Please ask the hard questions and even get into debates about the hard questions. Learning the technology isn’t going to be the challenge, it’s going to be how do you apply it. This is why they should ask the “should we” questions, and not the “could we” questions,” Martin said. “The idea that I can go to a classroom and hopefully trigger these conversations, that’s why I enjoy doing this.”
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’s 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’ Romain Market Makers Speaker Series brings to campus innovative leaders and visionaries who have helped to “move the market” by shaping industries, driving growth and redefining the future of business.