January 8, 2020 | 12:45pm – 1:50pm

Kohei M. Itoh
Professor, Department of Applied Physics, Keio University

Title: Software Development for Quantum Computers: Applications in Financial and Chemical Engineering Sectors

Abstract: In May 2018, Keio University in Japan has established an IBM Q Network Hub for the first time in Asia. From the Hub, researchers can access directly via cloud the world’s best quantum computer, IBM Q, being developed at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in the US. In order to utilize this unique opportunity, four companies have joined our Hub as Members; Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Mizuho Financial Group, Inc., JSR Corporation, and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. These member companies provide not only research funding but also their best researchers to work fulltime at the Hub to develop quantum-computing software together with Keio faculty members, research scientists, and students. The first half of this Keynote talk will provide a general introduction to quantum computers and an overview of state-of-the-art in quantum computer hardware and software developments. In the second half, I will introduce a variety of outcome of research at the IBM Q Network Hub @ Keio University in the area of software developments for the financial and chemical engineering sectors. I will also introduce our efforts in connecting quantum computers to today’s advanced AI technologies at the Hub.

Bio: Kohei M. Itoh graduated from Keio University and received his M. S. and Ph. D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He joined Keio University as a faculty member in 1995 and became full professor in 2007. His main focus of research has been on physics of semiconductors, quantum computing, and quantum sensing, which led to more than 300 journal publications. He has served on a variety of executive boards including the Physical Society of Japan and the Japan Society of Applied Physics. Currently he is a Member of Science Council of Japan representing a large body of scientists in Japan. He is a recipient of the Japan IBM Prize (2006) and the JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) Prize (2009). He is also the founder of the IBM Q Hub @ Keio University.

January 9, 2020 | 12:45pm – 1:50pm

Jevin West
Associate Professor, iSchool, University of Washington

Title: Calling BS in an Age of Misinformation

Abstract: Over the last decade, we have seen the birth of data science as a field of study and the re-emergence of artificial intelligence as a topic researchers actually associate with. We have experienced blockchain euphoria, the cloud cover of computing, self-driving cars, and virtual assistants. My reasons for techno-optimism are plenty. But they are becoming overshadowed by the darker sides of technology. The rise of misinformation, deep fakes, bot armies, predatory journals, conspiracy-laden recommendations, addictive social media platforms, unfettered facial recognition, algorithmic bias, and the extinction of privacy have deepened my techno-pessimism. The rise of misinformation, in particular, is one of the biggest threats to democracy, human health, and global stability. It has become the focus of my research, teaching and service efforts. In this talk, I will survey a set of projects aimed at combating and better understanding the spread of misinformation in our digital environments, in science and broadly within society.

Bio: Jevin West is an Associate Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington. He is the co-founder of the DataLab and the Director of the new Center for an Informed Public at UW. He holds an Adjunct Faculty position in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. He is also a Data Science Fellow at the eScience Institute and Affiliate Faculty for the Center for Statistics & Social Sciences. His research and teaching focus on misinformation in and about science. He develops methods for mining the scientific literature in order to study the origins of disciplines, the social and economic biases that drive these disciplines, and the impact the current publication system has on the health of science, to include the massive HICSS data base. He co-developed a course, Calling BS, that teaches students how to combat misinformation wrapped in data, figures, and statistics. The course is now being taught at universities around the globe. More information can be found at jevinwest.org.

January 10, 2020 | 12:45pm – 1:50pm

Ajit Pai
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

Title: Enabling a Broadband Future, One Community at a Time

Abstract: Recent advances in broadband and communications-based technologies are ushering in an era of global innovation in a variety of sectors. From agriculture to manufacturing, retail, and commerce, to education, entertainment, and healthcare, we are closing the digital divide and leveraging the transformative power of broadband to give historically underserved communities a seat at the table. The Federal Communications Commission has sought to implement policies that benefit consumers and enable innovators and entrepreneurs to solve some of society’s greatest challenges through the development and deployment of advanced communications services.

This keynote highlights a signature policy priority of mine that is to close the digital divide. The benefits of closing that divide are nowhere more apparent than in the area of health care and telemedicine. Today, whether it’s through remote patient monitoring or mobile health applications, broadband is fundamentally transforming the way we deliver and consume health care, yielding better health outcomes and reducing costs. The Commission is focusing on new, more effective ways to ensure that everyone has access to what I call “digital opportunity,” and with it, connected care services.  I will also discuss how some of the important work underway at the Commission, including its investment in rural broadband and 5G, will help level the playing field for rural Americans.

Bio: Ajit Pai is the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Earlier in his career, he served in various positions of increasing responsibility at the FCC, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Senate. Before becoming a Commissioner, he worked as a Partner at the law firm of Jenner & Block and served as in-house counsel at a telecommunications company. Since taking the helm at the FCC, Chairman Pai has championed regulatory modernization, updating rules to match marketplace realities and aiming to deliver consumer value through market-based solutions instead of preemptive regulation. He also has made the FCC more transparent, nimble, and accessible. Chairman Pai graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1994 and from the University of Chicago Law School in 1997, where he was an editor of the University of Chicago Law Review and won the Thomas R. Mulroy Prize. In 2010, Pai was one of 55 individuals nationwide chosen for the 2011 Marshall Memorial Fellowship, a leadership development initiative of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Plenary Speakers from Past Conferences

In the past, HICSS has had the privilege to have an incredible number of distinguished plenary speakers from academic and industry.