About Danielle: Born and raised in New York, Danielle moved to LA to attend UCLA Anderson School of Management earlier this year. Before starting in the Full-Time MBA Program, Danielle went to Skidmore College where she studied English & Business, enabling her to bring together her love of communication and analysis to develop a unique perspective. This fueled her work as an Account Manager for 5+ years supporting customers with their adoption of B2B SaaS Enterprise platforms across industries. She intends to continue her career as a strategic marketer in the tech industry after business school. In addition to serving as a Director of Events for AAC, she is the President for her Section and a Director in the Tech Business Association.

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Since I chose to attend UCLA Anderson because of the close proximity to tech and innovation, I couldn’t have been more excited to attend the Easton Center’s annual Tech + Society Conference in late October. The Easton Center is Anderson’s dedicated Technology Management Center that supports the Technology Management Specialization, technology curriculum in and out of the classroom, and students interested in pursuing careers in the tech industry. Easton is spearheaded by the incredible Professor Terry Kramer, a seasoned telecoms executive who’s pedagogical approach is famous within the Anderson community.

This year’s theme was AI: Transforming the Future–a theme that could not have been more appropriate for the current climate in the tech industry. The palpable spirit of innovation underpinning the rapid advancement of AI technologies across facets of our lives filled the air of Korn Auditorium as Professor Kramer presented his opening remarks on the transformative nature of AI in this moment in time and what it means for the future. His remarks were followed by an impressive roster of speakers sharing their professional perspectives and insights on novel ways AI is already transforming society as informed by their specific industries and where it will take us next to help some of society’s most pressing issues. 

Sal Khan, the founder of the groundbreaking educational platform Khan Academy, was this year’s Keynote Speaker. Professor Kramer moderated a Q&A with Sal as he discussed the creation and genesis of Khan Academy, highlighted the new AI tutor, Khanmigo, and walked the audience through how AI is a catalyst for driving accessibility in education through the Khan Academy platform. Khan Academy, aided by Khanmigo and other generative AI tools, is in a position to remediate widespread accessibility issues and lower barriers to quality education for students all over the world, addressing significant societal issues rooted in educational disparities. Khan talked about how AI can help personalize learning on an individual basis in a one to many model, expanding the reach of helpful educational content to students in remote areas, and can automate recurring tasks that have contributed to burnout of overburdened teachers, so they can focus on quality engagement with their students. Khan lastly emphasized the responsibility of being a safety-first company as they ramp up their AI use to instill safe and ethical practices across all elements of the educational experience so students can develop the skills they need and remain protected.

The next speaker was Wei Luo, VP Automotive at NVIDIA in a panel moderated by Sagar Pande, MBA student and Co-Founder at Braze Power. NVIDIA has become the world’s most valuable company as its chips and technology are critical for training LLMs and other sophisticated AI models. Luo highlighted the importance of decision-making and safety in autonomous driving and how AI is the key of autonomous driving through ongoing training and testing to reach and surpass human safety standards. She emphasized potential for growth and evolution across employment, urban planning, economic development, logistics (distribution centers and last-mile delivery) industry and consumer behaviors, and many other areas that will change the way we interact with transportation. 

The closing session was a conversation between DeeDee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and Director at the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, and Michael Luskin, Lecturer at UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy and Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge. This riveting conversation was a great way to end an exhilarating day that encapsulated the innovative spirit of UCLA and the state of California. Myers emphasized how the state is supporting new opportunities and talent within the AI sector to spur societal transformation and growth opportunities across key areas, resulting from implementing innovative AI solutions.  

Key takeaways included the emphasis on safety in AI development and utilization and the focus on how AI will allow people to use their time more productively and meaningfully. The Conference was a fantastic event highlighting the pivotal role technology plays in driving innovation and how it can help us tackle large, complex issues in new ways to improve society.

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• Student Blogger: Danielle Ostrove ‘26
• Undergrad: Skidmore College ’17
• Pre-MBA:  Account Manager at GlossGenius (SaaS startup), Customer Success at Darktrace, Inc. (Cybersecurity platform)
• Leadership@Anderson: Director of Events, Admissions Ambassador Corps; Director of Seattle Relations, AnderTech (Tech Business Association); Section A President, ASA; Women’s Business Connection; Marketing Association, Entrepreneurship Association (member)