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Vivien Puppa Kocsis    

Award-winning AI scientist for Harvard & NASA; Keynote speaker for TEDx, United Nations, SXSW

Vivien Puppa Kocsis is an award-winning artificial intelligence scientist, conducting research for Harvard University, NASA, and other institutions. Her primary research area is “AI for Good” use cases, particularly for mitigating climate change through space technology and better understanding the human brain and behavior especially when it comes to inducing creativity and motivation. In addition, she talks about AI’s impact on the World economy and businesses.

Her keynote speeches are very engaging with a high educational factor, making the audience laugh, think hard, work through thought-provoking questions, interact with the topic, and eventually walk away with clear insights and achievable action items. Kocsis’ key strength is storytelling, according to a senior business leader: “I really like how Kocsis develops a story and shares insights which continue to challenge the audience's preconceived perceptions.” Kocsis is very invested in the audience’s experience and emotional journey which allowed her to entertain and educate various groups, including the general public, politicians, business professionals, and scientists both through live events and on television. Her speaking engagements include United Nations, TEDx, SXSW South by Southwest, NASA, Harvard, VidCon, and more.

Kocsis is a data scientist and business strategist by training: she has a master's in data science from Harvard and an MBA from Wharton. She has previously worked as a consultant at McKinsey, as a strategist for Google, and as a global venture developer for Rocket Internet. She conducted research for NASA and the United Nations. She visited close to 80 countries and holds a Guinness World Record in long-distance cycling.

Speech Topics

AI and space tech for fire monitoring

Were the Los Angeles fires predictable? Are these fires an outlying event or part of the standard pattern of Mother Nature? Are city fires the new normal? Wildfires move with terrifying speed – some LA fires spread at 6 football fields per minute, outpacing even Usain Bolt - and thus fire response has to be even faster. While the LA fires paint a grim picture, the powerful synergy of cutting-edge AI and space technology can offer a lifeline. For example, NASA’s MODIS satellite has been collecting fire trends data for 26 years and in a few months Google’s research team will help orbit a new satellite that will allow fire monitoring with the unprecedented accuracy of 5x5 meters and at a reduced processing time: computation that takes 1 minute now will take 30 milliseconds. Vivien is an award-winning scientist, trained by the FDNY New York City Fire Department, a former Googler, and a current researcher for NASA - join her in exploring the transformative potential of AI’s and space tech’s synergy in fire management and UN Sustainable Development Goals impact.

Key takeaways:

  • Wildfires are not bad per se, wildfires are part of nature’s normal cycle.
  • Major fires are typically predictable.
  • The synergy between cutting-edge AI and space technology transforms fire monitory and management

The cost of AI - for businesses and for the environment

Everyone knows the benefits of AI: it can help humanity in unprecedented ways. For example, thanks to AI, Harvard and NASA scientists can now see an invisible organism all the way from space! However, few discuss the costs of AI - and it has many. For instance, processing complicated algorithms requires a lot of energy and is expected to triple in the next few years, leading to a data center building "frenzy". AI in the wrong hands might actually fool animals. Come discover these AI costs through the lens of a natural sciences study!

There are 3 key takeaways:

  • AI has the potential to help humanity in unprecedented ways, including tackling climate change.
  • AI has a hidden cost that few talk about: most algorithms - especially GenAI models - are incredibly energy-consuming, taxing the environment.
  • Due to AI’s energy consumption electricity prices are expected to increase, negatively impacting businesses globally but also creating an opportunity.

From Stuck to Start - The Science of Motivation

What happens in our brain when we procrastinate versus when we can’t wait to launch into action? What happens when we are so consumed in action that we don’t realize the passing of time? What is the famous “flow” state? And most importantly: how can we help our brain to become more motivated and action-oriented? Join the conversation with an award-winning Harvard and NASA scientist who combines cutting-edge neuroscience and AI to explore our brain on motivation! Take a look inside her brain, real time, as she performs various tasks on stage. This session will demystify motivation and leave the audience with practical takeaways on how to tap into the brain’s “action zone”.

There are 3 key takeaways:

  • The brain goes through a specific neuroscience process during procrastination versus launching into action: it has been observed and documented on several occasions.
  • The power of habit and actions to induce our motivation is not to be understated: the most highly active and effective people of history went through similar actions to induce motivation.
  • You can induce your own motivation by following a few simple steps that are available to everyone, everywhere.

Your Eureka Engine: Your Brain - The Science of Creativity

What happens in our brain when we have a creative burst? What happens when we have an Eureka moment? What happens when we are so consumed in creating that we don’t realize the passing of time? What is the famous “flow” state? And most importantly: how can we help our brain to become more creative? How to get out of a creative block? Join the conversation with an award-winning Harvard and NASA scientist who combines cutting-edge neuroscience and AI to explore our brain on creativity! Take a look inside her brain, real time, as she performs various tasks on stage. This session will demystify creativity and leave the audience with practical takeaways on how to tap into the brain’s “genius zone”.

There are 3 key takeaways:

  • The brain goes through a specific neuroscience process during a creative burst and Eureka moment: it has been observed and documented on several occasions.
  • The power of habit and actions to induce our creativity is not to be understated: the most creative people of history went through similar actions to induce creative bursts.
  • You can induce your own creativity by following a few simple steps that are available to everyone everywhere.

Earth's Key Creature is Invisible - but Seen from Space?!

What is the most critical creature on Earth? Hint: it is invisible to the naked eye, 99% of the people never heard about it, 200 years ago we didn't even know it existed, yet it produces over 50% of the Earth's oxygen. BUT: despite being invisible, it can be seen from space! For this reason, NASA just put into orbit a new satellite specifically dedicated to this creature: phytoplankton. Join the conversation with award-winning NASA and Harvard scientists on how we can see the invisible by leveraging the newest break-through space technology and AI. You might also get to touch and TASTE this creature!

There are 3 key takeaways:

  • It is only "plant-a-tree" marketing campaigns that over-inflated the perceived importance of trees for oxygen production and climate change.
  • This creature is all around us, and some versions of it are toxic: it can make humans and pets really sick, impacting our everyday life.
  • As an "AI for Good" use case, it shows we can foster 4 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with the use of next-gen technologies.

Your Brain on Viral Videos

How do viral videos stimulate our brain? What makes our brain want more? What keeps us scrolling? Why do we smile at our computer screens? Join the conversation with an award-winning Harvard data scientist who analyzed thousands of hours of viral and non-viral videos from major creators (e.g., MrBeast, Dude Perfect) from a neuroscience perspective: brain waves, facial expression, and eye movement. Certain neuroscience signals are present across most viral videos - and largely missing in non-viral videos. This makes "virality" scientific and partially predictable!

There are 3 key takeaways:

  • Most viral videos stimulate the brain in similar ways: similar brain waves are in similar regions of the brain while participants watch viral videos.
  • Even though we are looking at a computer screen and not another human, we still have facial expressions. These are less pronounced, but measurable.
  • "Virality" is scientific and largely predictable: major content creators learned through trial and error how to "hack into" their audiences' brains.

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