The critical importance of tech skills across industries sends a clear signal: In order to meet the expectations of future administrators and employers, elementary to high school students will need to learn expertise unavailable to their parents' generation. Today's leading innovation technology is machine learning, and to address the need for this vital skill set, the latest offering from the longtime partnership of Microsoft and code.org is a new course in artificial intelligence (AI) and its societal and ethical implications designed for students in elementary and high school. AI's relevance cannot be understated, as it is the very basis for self-driving cars, but it also powers devices we've already become accustomed to, such as Amazon Alexa, interactive programming, telemed appointments, and online learning. Those are some very big responsibilities to be tackled by Gen Z. As code.org points out,despite the great benefits to society, the ethical impact can't be ignored: "How does algorithmic bias impact social justice or deep fakes impact democracy? How does society cope with rapid job automation? By learning how to consider the ethical issues that AI raises, these future computer scientists will be better able to envision the appropriate safeguards that help to maximize the benefits of AI technologies and reduce their risks."

Mention smart robots or artificial intelligence and what comes to mind? Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have all expressed their concerns publicly. In this alternative future, humanlike robots with greater-than-human wisdom develop deep, trusted relationships with people and co-invent the future of life. Our presenters help us understand the emerging scientific and technological innovations, as well as the societal and ethical implications of a future world shared with robots that possess super-human abilities and intelligence. GeekWire's science editor, Alan Boyle, kicks the evening off with a brief introduction. Renowned roboticist, artist, entrepreneur and founder of Hanson Robotics, Dr. David Hanson presents his cutting-edge work in robotics.