The newly appointed head of MIT's Media Lab envisions a time soon when millions will play a stronger role in societal advances, thanks to technology. And MIT is helping to plant the seeds
Launched in 1985, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab has engaged in the innovations that helped drive the digital revolution of the late 20th century. Such breakthroughs as digital ink, wearable computers, and advanced prosthetics got their start there.
The Media Lab, with an annual budget that exceeds $30 million, also helped spawn such companies as Squid Labs, an innovation and design outfit that has developed technologies from printed electronics to high-performance kites.
Frank Moss, an entrepreneur and former CEO of Tivoli Systems, was named head of MIT's Media Lab in February. Moss, also the co-founder of Stellar Computer and Infinity Pharmaceuticals, has some big shoes to fill. He succeeds Nicholas Negroponte, who will focus on One Laptop per Child, the nonprofit organization that he helped launch while at Media Lab. One Laptop provides $100 computers to children in developing countries (see BW Online, 10/04/05, "Help for Info Age Have-Nots").
Moss, who earned a PhD in aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, recently spoke with BusinessWeek Online staff writer Stacy Perman about his vision for the Media Lab as it enters its third decade. He offers advice for would-be entrepreneurs and explains why more companies are likely to pursue what he calls a "societal business model." Edited excerpts follow:
How do you view your role as head of the Media Lab? I think my role is to understand where the world is going to be 20 years from today. I call it living in the future. (Also,) to work with the team here to create the technology that will help shape that future.
How do you view the nexus between technology and entrepreneurialism? It is hugely important. In fact, entrepreneurs are really the primary vehicle for innovation in our society. They've played an incredible role. Thirty years ago, the primary source for innovation was large corporate labs. That is where all of the money went. Then, 20 to 25 years ago, the source of ideas and creativity shifted to venture funds and startups.
Over the past 20 years, we've seen the economy and society change due to innovation from small independent efforts outside of corporate labs. Technology has enabled startups to have a big influence, and consequently they have had a tremendous effect in the technology scene today.
What role will startups play in the future? I see tremendous economic growth from startups from 10 years ago. Entrepreneurs will go from the 1,000 startup ventures funded in the last 10 to 20 years to ideas coming from people working together in network-based environments, using computers to dream up innovations in a way they never did before. It could be people in developing countries with low-cost computers.
The Media Lab has given a start to many entrepreneurs. What would be your advice to would-be entrepreneurs in today's environment? Resist the current temptation to make incremental changes to attract funding. It might get you off the ground, but I don't think it will get you very far. Today, the funding climate has changed. The successful (entrepreneurs) will look for fundamental disruptive change. I encourage them to take risks, rather than just polish the faucets. There will always be an appetite for game-changing technology.
Moving forward, what are the major areas in technology where academic institutions and venture capitalists will be channeling resources and investments? The societal business model. Companies are now paying attention to some of the major socioeconomic problems in the First and the Third World. We have a billion people using computers in the First World. It is still limited to wealthier societies.
In the next 20 years we will see the adoption (increase) to 5 billion to 6 billion. And the kinds of killer apps that are important in that world are not those necessarily centered on communication and commerce.
I think as we experience the problem of aging populations we will need to supply different ways to educate, and traditional schools are not the way to go. We will see technology dramatically change the way kids learn. We will see health care without hospitals. That is where the action will be. Just another tweak to a telephone or a handheld device will happen, but it will not be a major source of growth. That is becoming a commodity.
What new directions will you pursue as head of the Media Lab? The Media Lab has done a lot to shape the world of technology. We will continue to develop and find brand-new areas. One is between humans and computers, and how the computer relates to people and expresses itself in ways it never has before. For instance, (this means) giving computers common sense and reasoning like people, not just crunching numbers, but having an emotional intelligence as well.
We will (help) to break barriers between a much broader adoption of technology and solutions to the problems facing society today.
We talk about how to make life more pleasant and fulfilling for the aging. We have drugs now that can increase people's lives until their 90s and 100. This is an untapped resource –- the incredible wisdom and knowledge that resides in seniors' brains. We will develop ways to extend their capabilities with technology.
We will improve mental and cognitive abilities. It is esoteric, but think about the problem of aging. People tend to weaken physically as they age, but if we can expand their minds to contribute to society, it will greatly enhance the experience of aging.
You talk about education and the bottom-up effect that millions more people will play in societal advances. How do you see this unfolding?
We will undergo another revolution when we give 100 million kids a smart cell phone or a low-cost laptop, and bootstrap the way they learn outside of school. We think of games as a way to kill time, but in the future I think it will be a major vehicle for learning.
Creative expression (is another area). No longer will just a few write or create music. We will see 100 million people creating the content and art shared among them. Easy-to-use programs allow kids to compose everything form ringtones to full-fledged operas. It will change the meaning of creative art in our society.
We are already seeing early signs of it in blogs. The source of creative content is coming from the world. That revolution will go well outside of the written word to all forms of visual and performing arts.
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