Aaron Frank
Aaron Frank has a diverse background in executive education, business development, research, writing, and advisory work. He possesses deep knowledge of the augmented and virtual reality landscape, particularly in the development of virtual environments, often referred to as ‘the metaverse,’ and has built VR applications for remote and online learning at Singularity University. His articles have been published in Vice, Wired UK, Venturebeat, and Forbes, reflecting his passion for interdisciplinary learning and connecting big ideas to help others understand complex topics.
Aaron Frank's videos
Available for
Languages:Â
- English
Aaron Frank's 2024 biography
About Aaron Frank
The rapid development of digital technologies like AI, computing and networks, and many others are radically transforming the world around us. In order to understand where human civilization is headed, leaders today must develop a ‘big picture’ understanding of where distinct trends are converging.
Aaron Frank is deeply passionate about this type of interdisciplinary thinking, connecting the dots between big ideas, and helping others do the same.
As a researcher, writer, and consultant Aaron Frank has spent his career immersed in a landscape of accelerating change. Through his research he’s able to develop well-formed understandings of emerging technology, and through his writing and lectures, help audiences make sense of a variety of complex topics.
Aaron has spent over a decade in Silicon Valley, where he most recently served as Principal Faculty at Singularity University. In his work there, his research explores the business, governance, and cultural impacts of a broad set of emerging technologies. Currently, Aaron serves as a co-facilitator and host of Singularity’s flagship Executive Program focused on the impact of exponential technologies where he works closely with senior leaders from organizations like the United States Marine Corps, GE, The Economist Group, and many others.
Over the past ten years, he has built, deployed, researched, and written about technologies related to augmented and virtual reality and virtual environment technologies; his core area of focus. In this domain, he routinely advises large companies, startups, and government organizations with clients including Ernst & Young, FC Barcelona, The Central Bank of Denmark, and many others.
As a writer, his articles have appeared in Vice, Wired UK, Forbes, and VentureBeat.
He is routinely invited as a guest lecturer to programs at institutions including Santa Clara University, EY Tech University, and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School (his alma mater).
Aaron also serves on the board of Saint Francis Living Room, a community kitchen for homeless and low-income seniors in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.
Originally from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, Aaron has a degree in Communications and Philosophy from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the University of Oxford. He is currently based in San Francisco.
Aaron Frank's 2024 talks & topics
Theme 1: Emerging Technology, Exponential Thinking, and Innovation
Exponential Thinking: An Era of Radical Change
Humanity has seen more progress in one generation of science and technology than in all the rest of human history. Today, we are discovering the role that exponential feedback loops play in driving the pace of technology development. In this session participants will cut to the core of the mechanisms driving much of the radical change felt across civilization. We’re making exponential improvements in areas like computing technologies, artificial intelligence, communications systems and more. This means that tools that were only available to the wealthiest research labs are being democratized such that small teams the world over, can now accomplish what only governments and corporations could do only a short time ago. This has radically changed the business and social landscape that companies and governments are now forced to navigate. This presentation unpacks the key features of this new world to help make sense of the way exponential growth in technology will accelerate human progress towards the edge of what’s possible….
Theme 2: Mixed Reality, Spatial Computing, and Virtual Environments
Life in the 3D Revolution: Exploring Mixed Realities, Digital Twins and a Shift Toward Spatial Computing
In recent years, the world of computing has undergone a remarkable set of changes transitioning from conventional 2D interfaces toward 3D, immersive, and spatial environments. This is one of the most significant developments in all of digital technology and companies like Apple, Meta, NVIDIA and many others are now reorienting their entire business toward this world of ’spatial computing’. Technologies like augmented and virtual reality, digital twins, game engines, and simulation tools are reshaping everything from training and development, design and manufacturing, and immersive consumer experiences. The impact of these technologies are already impacting industries like healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, retail, energy, and many others.
Underneath a term like ‘the metaverse’, certainly an overused buzzword in recent years, is a deeper principle that our life online will also be transformed by these spatial environments. We’ll see a dramatic shift in the way we work, play, shop, and connect with friends. In this session we’ll explore the broader context and impact of spatial computing and explore its real world applications. This session offers an understanding of both the consumer and enterprise opportunities of these developments and the related business, social, and ethical implications.
Mixed Realities and the Enterprise: Integrating Spatial Computing in Your Business
Over the past decade, technology companies have been developing an entirely new paradigm of computing, often described using terms like augmented and virtual reality or spatial computing. While the terms vary, they broadly refer to a shift in computer interfaces that make use of three-dimensional space. Companies like Meta and Apple are now reorienting their entire enterprise strategies toward these new technologies.
In this session, participants will get a foundational understanding of the development of this new class of hardware including augmented reality, virtual reality, and other mixed reality devices. Situated within this context, we’ll also explore the specific use cases relevant for enterprise. This includes topics like training and development, assisted reality for manufacturing, maintenance, and repair, as well as industrial uses of digital twin technology. Participants will come away with a clear understanding of implementation and deployment best practices and the organizational barriers that can often hold companies back. Finally, participants will get a clear-eyed sense of what these technologies are and are not useful for and so will cut through the hype that surrounds these topics today. We’ll explore this paradigm shift which promises to reshape the relationship between humans and machines. This session was originally conceived and delivered as a program module within the Digital Transformation Course at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.
Aaron Frank's 2024 speaking fees
- United States
Specific fees fall within the ranges shown. These are presented as a guide only and are subject to change without notice.
To get an exact quote for your event, click the button below.