True Faith HR: #WorkHuman, Artificial Intelligence, and the Voight-Kampff Machine

#WorkHuman, Artificial Intelligence, and the Voight-Kampff Machine

by Matthew Stollak on Friday, May 26, 2017

One of my favorite movies is Blade Runner. Based on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K. Dick, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Blade Runner tells the story of a retired Replicant Hunter (Ford), who is called back to duty to hunt four escaped Replicants who have returned to Earth.

What is a replicant, you ask? They are bioengineered androids who are similar to humans, but are stronger, more agile, and higher intelligence, depending on the model (and even exceed the uncanny valley). The only way to determine whether an organism is human or replicant is through the Voight-Kampff machine. According to the original 1982 Blade Runner presskit, the Voight-Kampff machine is:

A very advanced form of lie detector that measures contractions of the iris muscle and the presence of invisible airborne particles emitted from the body. The bellows were designed for the latter function and give the machine the menacing air of a sinister insect. The VK is used primarily by Blade Runners to determine if a suspect is truly human by measuring the degree of his empathic response through carefully worded questions and statements.

So, what does this have to do with WorkHuman?

With artificial intelligence seemingly all the rage in HR in 2017, understanding the importance of work and employees place in it is more critical than ever. Luckily, next week in Phoenix, the WorkHuman conference will be exploring this relationship in great detail. Take a look at the tracks below:

In addition, there will be keynote speeches from the likes of Chaz Bono, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, and Michelle Obama.

It is still not too late to register, and if you decide to come, use the code WH17INF-MST to get a $500 discount. You don't even need to pass the Voight-Kampff test to attend.

See you in Phoenix.