Laurene Powell Jobs has outlined a bold outlook for humanity’s future amid groundbreaking technological innovation in her annual letter her philanthropic organization the Emerson Collective.
In the piece, written to mark the end of the year, it is clear that she shares some of her late husband’s vision as she paints a picture of progress shaped by human ingenuity and relentless creativity.
At the top of the list is artificial intelligence (AI), which along with all the tradeoffs also requires an enormous amount of power.
But Powell Jobs believes she has identified the technology pioneers who may have a role in navigating the journey.
“Our ability to recognize connections is being revolutionized by technologies like artificial intelligence, which are poised to shape the next era of human history,” she wrote.
“These forces will transform industries, societies and everyday life in profound ways, but to reap their benefits we must also find new, sustainable methods of powering our world.”
Powell Jobs highlighted the rapidly growing demand for energy that comes with artificial intelligence, highlighting that current infrastructure could struggle to keep up.
Data centers essential for AI training already consume enormous amounts of electricity. Experts predict that demand will more than double by 2030, potentially accounting for nearly 10 percent of the total electricity used in the US.
Laurene Powell Jobs, the founder and president of the Emerson Collective, appears to share some of her late husband’s vision for the future in her year-end letter
Laurene Powell Jobs pictured next to her late husband and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The couple married in 1991. Jobs died of pancreatic cancer in 2011 at the age of 56
“As national and global economies fuel explosive demand for abundant, affordable and clean energy, it is essential to look beyond current electricity generation options,” she stressed.
Without sustainable energy solutions, AI’s transformative potential could be hampered by energy shortages, which would threaten progress in several industries.
Powell Jobs pointed to innovators like Bob Mumgaard of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, whose quest for scalable fusion energy could solve such a looming crisis.
She called fusion “the last energy source we will ever need,” underscoring the urgency of breakthroughs in sustainable energy.
Similarly, Nicolaas Vlaanderen van Twaalf was recognized for converting carbon dioxide into essential products, including synthetic jet fuel.
His work represents an important step toward reducing carbon emissions and transforming industries that have long relied on fossil fuels.
Powell Jobs stated that “people have never stopped proving, in good times and bad, that we have the capabilities and the skills to move the world forward,” and urged people to listen beyond the “plenty of noise” and recognize the creativity and invention that takes place. worldwide.
“There is an abundance of noise in our country, but if we listen carefully, we can hear the hum and hum of all the original work that is always happening in our midst,” she wrote.
Powell Jobs, who made her fortune with her late Apple co-founder husband, founded the collective in 2011 for philanthropic work and investments.
Powell Jobs’ letter ultimately celebrated humanity’s ability to reinvent itself
Bob Mumgaard of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, left, is looking for scalable fusion energy that could solve the looming energy crisis. Nicholas Flanders of Twaalf, right, was recognized for converting carbon dioxide into essential products including synthetic jet fuel
CJ Grimes’ WorkMoney nonprofit, left, has helped 8 million members save more than $1 billion through practical, life-changing programs. Midi Health’s Joanna Strober (right) was recognized for addressing the critical shortage of women’s health services through a hybrid model that combines virtual and on-site care
Her message seemed to underline hope in the power of entrepreneurship, in science, education and the arts.
On the education front, Powell Jobs praised the Purdue Polytechnic High Schools (PPHS) in Indiana and Ashesi University in Ghana as models of transformational learning.
PPHS, a partnership with Purdue University, has doubled the number of underrepresented students pursuing STEM careers, while Ashesi’s collaborative network now impacts more than 320,000 students across Africa.
“These institutions prepare students not just for a job, but for a life of innovation,” Powell Jobs affirmed.
In health care, she recognized Joanna Strober of Midi Health, who is addressing the critical shortage of women’s health care through a hybrid model that combines virtual and on-site care.
In the realm of financial empowerment, CJ Grimes’ nonprofit WorkMoney has already helped its 8 million members save more than $1 billion through practical, life-changing programs.
Powell Jobs’ letter ultimately celebrated humanity’s ability to reinvent itself. ‘What is innovation anyway, if not creativity?’ she wrote. ‘And what is creativity other than the refusal to surrender to boundaries?’
Powell Jobs, who made her fortune with her late Apple co-founder husband, founded the collective in 2011 for philanthropic work and investments.
Emerson Collective is not a foundation and says little about its grants, which focus on education, immigration, the environment and health equity.