Interview CON-X 2022 | BILL O’CONNOR, CEO Agents of Innovation

Bill is a Founding Partner of AOi (Agents of Innovation), an innovation consultancy based in San Francisco/Silicon Valley; he is also a faculty member at Singularity University, and an Advisor to the leading AI/Digital People company Soul Machines. The organizers of CON-X 2022 have chosen him to keynote the conference on May 31 in front of 250 of the world's top travel leaders. In this interview, Bill gives us some insights into his experience regarding the impact of innovation, expectations for CON-X attendees, and some interesting predictions for the world of travel.

• What would you say is the definition of "spirit of innovation"?

There are at least two ways to answer that question. The first is with our essential definition of the word innovation, which is the art of establishing something out in the real world that is new or different and that has a significant impact. One of the most critical parts of that definition is the idea that if you don't bring it out to the real world and establish it, it's not really an innovation. Many people and companies define innovation as mere activity rather than achievement, so I would say that a big part of the Spirit of Innovation is the desire, the passion, to actually have a positive impact out in the world.

Another way to answer that question is when we think about the Spirit of Innovation as the Spirit of Silicon Valley, which is the unique approach to innovation that has characterized the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 60 years. As we know, that part of the world has been the innovation mecca for the planet, and one of the key characteristics of that place that we have identified as essential to all of the innovation that it produces is this attitude towards new ideas where they are considered good, first, unless and until they are proven bad. This is the opposite of initially considering an idea as "bad" until it can be proven "good." This "yes before no" approach seems subtle to outsiders, and they are often distracted by all of the technology, money, IPOs venture capital, etc. out in the Bay Area. But it's important to remember that all of that stuff that we identify as Silicon Valley has come directly from that yes before no idea positive attitude.

• What kind of emerging technologies are driving innovation in tourism companies or in general?

Right now we are facing the greatest set of revolutionary technologies that human beings have ever encountered. I say this in the context of our Innovation Genome Project, where we have studied Innovation going back three and a half million years. So we don't make that claim lightly, but it is true.

Right now, the list of emerging technologies is super long, and if I had to pick a top set of technologies driving Innovation today I would certainly include artificial intelligence, the Metaverse, Web3, quantum computing, space and climate technologies, the internet of things, bio/health, and  mind machine interfaces.

• How do great innovations happen?

Obviously that's a very complex question, but there are a few deep patterns that we have observed in innovations throughout the ages.

The first thing to know about great innovations is that they don't usually come from necessity which means that that famous phrase invention is the mother of necessity is not usually true.

Great innovations usually come from the mind of one person, initially, anyway, who has a vision for how something can or should or could be better. For example, when the printing press was being developed by Gutenberg and others there wasn't any kind of necessity to improve beyond using ink and paper for written language. Nobody was begging Gutenberg, to quote unquote solve this problem of ink and paper. He simply saw a better way to do something; and he, like most great innovators also had at least some clear glimpses of the second order ramifications that would come from the Innovation itself. For example, Gutenberg's printing press caused an explosion of literacy in Europe and eventually around the world, starting with the printing of the Gutenberg Bible. And, in turn, that explosion of literacy, of course, had incalculable effects on the modern world. I think that's a great example because, again, Innovation usually does not come from solving a problem or some stark necessity -- and this is good news for would-be innovators because it's not like you have to be working in a company that is in terrible shape to be an innovator. In fact, I would say that anyone, anywhere, who has the capacity to look at things and imagine how they could be better, could be an innovator.

And actually, we like the term "Innovationist" better than innovator, because that word, innovator, word has so much negative baggage. And I think that Innovationist also feels like artist, or anthropologist, or physicist, or guitarist -- it feels more like a respectable discipline that should be studied and evolved with care.

• What are the methods for true innovation?

• • • Innovation Landscape: the development of a company’s innovation map and challenges at large; focusing on four core parameters: the company, its customers, its competition, and its context in relation to technology;
    • Innovation Targets: generation of a set of innovation targets or ambitious goals to help focus the innovation efforts;
    • Innovation Ideas: creation of a wide range of innovation ideas using the “Seven Essential Questions”/LUMIAMI technique;
    • Innovation Priorities: prioritization of these innovation ideas on a Wild/World Matrix;
    • Innovation Projects: finally, the development of actual innovation projects that the company can start working on right away

• In TravelgateX we always say that we are in a paradise similar to Silicon Valley, because of the innovation in our islands, what are the ideas that you can transfer to us from Silicon Valley?

• What do you think about participating in CON-X 2022, what are your expectations, what can you propose to the attendees?

Well, I'm very excited to participate in this conference. I think that the folks at TravelgateX are real visionaries. And I don't use that word lightly. Believe me, who really wants to look ahead into the future of the world and the future of travel. And to use that vision, that new perspective to change the way they work and change the travel industry for the better. I also love that they are what we love to call in Silicon Valley conveners people who are gathering all kinds of other smart people to address these issues. I know in this crowd there will be some of the best minds in travel in Europe. And it's exciting to bring them all together because I know some great things will come from it

My expectation is that I will meet all kinds of cool interesting people and that I will learn a lot from them about their work and their perspectives in the travel industry and in general. And I also hope that my perspectives on Innovation from the Silicon Valley point of view will be fun for them to experience and even more important, hopefully easy for them to apply, even while we're still at the conference.

• What can we learn from this "rebound of the century", in the travel sector?

• What attracts you most to Mallorca and to TravelgateX?

• What do you hope to share with CON-X participants and speakers?

• Why is the figure of the MC so important in the events? How will your participation in CON-X be innovative?