The thing I like most about tech conferences is enjoying panels where you just feel someone has put an effort into setting them up, like the panel with the prince and the rapper talking crypto at cube connect earlier this year. When they are prepared well, it can be a theatre-like experience, which is wonderful, especially when – like me – you lost the habit to follow people interacting on a stage unless their interaction is streamed on your computer.

My favorite talks at Berlin Data Natives Conference 2018, the conference for the data driven generation, have been the one of Bart de Witte, whom I already covered in my previous blogpost, the opening and closing remarks of Elena Poughia, founder of Data Natives, and the epic panel of Stewart Rogers and Daniel Knapp .

Whereas Bart de Witte made clear how beautiful data can be for us human beings, and is on a mission to open-source AI in healthcare, Stewart and Daniel had a very sophisticated and dry discussion about how algorithms shape our world.

Stewart Rogers is “Analyst-at-large” at VentureBeat the leading source for the latest technology news. Daniel Knapp is an economist, sociologist and industry analyst. They both have one thing in common: A deep insight into the field of data, based on a wide experience working in this field and the capacity of not taking themselves too serious. This is probably why they have been able to entertain and to scare the audience at the same time, talking about weaponizing data.

Weaponizing algorithms and data in ways which they weren’t intended

They talked about how algorithms shape our society and economy – being seated in an almost dystopian setting in front of a black curtain, no pictures, just words.I heard them talking about weaponizing algorithms and self driving cars and I only could think of one thing: This has to be developed into a format inspired by the BBC show Top Gear – also dealing with cars, when it comes to self driving cars, but mainly focused on the scariness of data and algorithms, trying out new gadgets and discussing them in the most excellent British English. I would name the show

TOP FEAR

I will of course keep you updated on my proceedings and in case you are already driving a Tesla: Please watch out for the stop sign! Why? Check out Stewart and Daniels talk on Data Natives YouTube channel and please also check out my interview: