Yes, there were discussions of artificial intelligence, and mitigating some of the threats and unintended consequences it may bring.
But the tech sector is also thinking about ambitious “moonshots” that might truly usher in a new era of Massachusetts competitiveness, post-COVID. Here are 10 big ideas that emerged in discussions led by Tim Rowe, founder of the CIC, a network of shared workspaces, Jim Daniell, a tech exec who now consults to nonprofits, and Russ Wilcox, an investor at the Boston firm Pillar VC.
Housing: Let’s create an ecosystem around building modular housing in Massachusetts, rather than so-called “stick built” homes, to bring housing costs down. This could be done in a way that’s labor-friendly, creates new jobs, and sources products locally.
Talent retention: There’s little available data about how many students who come to Massachusetts for college decide to stay afterward. If we could get schools to share that data, could we aim to double today’s number? Following the pandemic, we should focus on rebuilding the connectivity between campuses and the tech sector, with speakers and recruiting events on campus, opportunities to visit local companies, and off-campus, citywide events that any student from any college could participate in to better understand the job opportunities skills they require. (MassTLC organizes one such event, Boston TechJam; the next one is scheduled for Sept. 13.)
Microlending: Let’s create the “Microlending Bank of Boston,” offering low-interest loans for hundreds of people seeking to start new businesses in the city. It would be a way to access startup capital for non-tech businesses that would create jobs and potentially re-fill empty retail and office space. Wealthy investors who want to back businesses in their community would provide the capital. (Salem-based Mainvest has a similar model, largely helping breweries and restaurants raise capital.)
Free childcare: Massachusetts should become the first state to offer universal free childcare as an option to residents. (Who pays? That part wasn’t solved last week.)
Eco-friendly transportation: Boston should aspire to boast that we have the most eco-friendly and healthy transit culture. Let’s promote bikes, walking, the T — and perhaps new modes of transportation like electric water taxis — as the primary way people get around town, rather than riding in Ubers or driving in single-occupancy cars.
Fact-finding trips for normals: Why should it only be politicians, or muckety-mucks on the boards of big business groups who travel to other cities to gather good ideas for improving Massachusetts? Let’s fund trips for small business owners, hospital employees, and other non-elites, and have them report back on civic ideas we should borrow or adapt.
Create autonomous vehicle lanes: Yes, there was some talk about the need to build high-speed rail between Boston and pick-your-favorite-other-city in Massachusetts. But a more interesting (and less costly) moonshot idea was proposed: What if we dedicated a lane on all of our major highways to autonomous vehicles — private cars, private shuttles, and MBTA buses? They already have built-in collision avoidance, and you’d get one lane that was nearly always moving at 65 miles per hour, making travel around the state faster and more predictable. That could also make it more realistic for people to live further outside of Greater Boston, but still access meetings, sporting, and cultural events in the city. A second phase of this project might entail paving commuter rail tracks for use by autonomous vans and buses. One benefit would be environmental, shifting from diesel trains to electric vehicles. Another would be increasing the frequency of service by using smaller — more full — vehicles that would only stop at a station when someone needed to get on or off.
Self-sufficiency: Massachusetts should set a goal to produce all of its own energy and food, to better endure natural disasters, climate change, and man-made conflicts.
Health data: Create the deepest public health database of any state, with anonymized medical records and DNA info. Use that to attract health care startups, and foster innovation around using AI and other techniques to better predict and treat disease; extend human lifespan; and understand health disparities across different populations.
Cutting-edge training: Massachusetts loves to boast about its top-notch higher ed. What if we decided to supplement that with cutting-edge training, delivered in workplaces? Many companies already offer upskilling programs for their own employees. But what if you could apply to participate, even if you didn’t work there? You might attend a month-long after-work course on augmented reality software at PTC, medical device manufacturing at Boston Scientific, or the latest in robotic navigation at iRobot. The courses would be free. They’d help keep our state’s workforce sharp. And they’d potentially serve as a recruiting tool for the companies that hosted them. Imagine a statewide catalog of day-long, week-long, or months-long courses that anyone could apply to take. (I like the idea of saying that I graduated from FU. Fidelity University, that is.)
After the event, Wilcox, one of the people who led a session on workforce development, noted that this is “a time of flux and transition all around the world.” We need to play offense and defense, he said. On defense, we need to solve our “crippling transportation problems, which will, in turn, relieve some of the housing problems.” On offense, we should build on our strength in biotech and education, and also “try to lift another sector into global prominence.” Climate-related technology? Robotics?
“The decisions we make today will determine our position for decades to come,” Wilcox said. “Can Massachusetts rise to the moment?”
The Massachusetts Biotech Council likes to use the “State of Possible” slogan. I’d love to see us chasing some seemingly impossible ideas that would benefit all of us, move past analysis paralysis, and make just a few of them possible.
Scott Kirsner can be reached at kirsner@pobox.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottKirsner.
