💻 Who Builds What's Next: Closing the AI Skills Gap Before It Closes the Door on a Generation

AI is reshaping technical work faster than the workforce and education systems can adapt, and the stakes are highest for the women and underrepresented technologists who were already fighting for a seat at the table.

Drawing on a decade of building applied learning infrastructure with employers and universities, Dr. Judith Spitz – former CIO of Verizon and founder and CEO of Break Through Tech – will unpack how the AI talent pipeline is being rapidly redefined, how traditional classroom education is structurally insufficient to prepare the next generation of technology professionals and how we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a workforce development infrastructure that works for everyone.

Judith will discuss why ‘who is in the room’ matters more than ever, why access to applied, work-based learning opportunities is now a prerequisite to entry-level employment, and why these experiences are so hard to deliver at the scale needed to support widespread access to the AI economy.

Attendees will leave with a concrete model of what applied learning can look like, and why building these learning opportunities at scale is one of the most critical things tech leaders can advocate for now.