If you’re looking for tech, science and business events in the North East, look no further than Thinking Digital. The annual event on technology, ideas and the future will be their 14th conference since 2007.
What is Thinking Digital?
Thinking Digital is a two-day conference at the Sage in Gateshead. The conference includes a series of talks and workshops from heavyweights in various industries from technology, to business, to science, and covers a wide range of topics; everything from artificial intelligence to presentation skills.
Thinking Digital was founded by Herb Kim, who moved to the UK from New York in 1997. Kim is also the Curator of TEDxManchester, TEDxLiverpool, TEDxNewcastle and the Liverpool Binary Festival, and was featured in Wired Magazine's Wired 100 list in 2011, and the Guardian Newspaper's Media Guardian 100 list in 2010.
Over the past 16 years it has attracted speakers and delegates from around the world, and established itself as an incredible tech conference. Alongside the talks and workshops, Thinking Digital also runs a number of meals and events where delegates can get to know each other, and even a Start-up competition where attendees can pitch their business idea for the chance to win funding.
Who was at Thinking Digital 2022?
The conference last took place in 2022, where speakers included Jimmy Soni (the author of The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley), Nadia Finer (author of Shy & Mighty and the host of the Shy & Mighty podcast), Professor Hassan Ugail (Director of the Centre for Visual Computing at the University of Bradford) and Francesca Rosella (founder of CuteCircuit, the world’s first wearable-technology fashion brand).
The speakers for 2023 have yet to be announced, but attendees can expect talks to inspire, enlighten and challenge their perspectives on tech, business and what the future holds.
Smartphones in schools, and how AI is changing Facial Recognition
One of the most popular talks from 2022 was by Sugata Mitra, on the subject of Smartphones in Schools. Mitra puts forward the argument that children can learn anything by themselves, with access to the internet.
In the talk, Mitra discusses his 20+ years of experience in this area, and the work that lead him to becoming the first-ever winner of the $1 million TED Prize, to put his educational ideas together to create seven laboratories called ‘Schools in the Cloud’.
Another popular talk from 2022 was by Hassan Ugail, on the subject of AI, and how it is shaping the future of facial recognition. Ugail discusses his experience of using AI to help recognise faces, teaching AI to understand faces with algorithms and data, and machine learning.
How to register for Thinking Digital 2023
You can get tickets for Thinking Digital 2023 directly from their website. The pass to Thinking Digital Newcastle includes optional pre-conference workshops, at various locations across Newcastle, an optional pre-conference dinner, the full days of live talks from world class speakers at The Sage, Gateshead and access to their after party.
