Building in the Cognitive Industrial Revolution with Jonathan Reichental

Every so often, a technology arrives that rewrites the rules for entire industries. We saw this with steam engines. We saw this with electricity. And we saw it, within living memory, with the internet. Dr Jonathan Reichental argues that AI is doing it again, and even faster, and he has a name for this moment: the Cognitive Industrial Revolution.

For the first time in history, machines are not just taking over physical work. They are taking on cognitive work, whether it’s analysing, deciding, or creating. It changes what enterprises do, where the next opportunities lie, which roles emerge, and which disappear. Every industry is affected. And the question now is: what should you build while it’s happening?

Dr Reichental has spent his career at the forefront of such shifts. A former Silicon Valley CIO, regular technology writer for Forbes, and bestselling author of books on data, smart cities, and the future of work, he is among the few clear voices sharing what AI changes in practice. No hype, no doom. QUT Centre for Future Enterprise is proud to host the Brisbane stop of his 2026 speaking tour.

In his session, Dr Reichental will explore:

·         Why AI is an industrial revolution, not just another software cycle.

·         How careers and entire job categories shift when machines can do the cognitive work.

·         Which industries move first, and how those inside them are affected.

·         Where the genuine opportunities sit, and how to tell them from the noise.

·         A practical framework for building what will last through the transition.

The keynote will be preceded by a networking session and followed by a moderated Q&A.

Who should attend:
Executives and senior leaders working out what AI means for their organisation; founders and innovators building (with) AI; researchers and policy analysts; and QUT students and alumni who want a crisp, clear read on where the economy is heading.

If you would rather make sense of the AI era than just react to it, this event is for you.

When and where

17/8/2026, 5:30pm-7:00pm

VENUE — QUT Gardens Point Z Block Level 10- Gibson Room

Registration is free

Those attending will be able to validate their QUT parking tickets. It’s on us!

Run of show

5:30pm Doors open and networking

6:00pm Welcome (Prof. Marek Kowalkiewicz, QUT Centre for Future Enterprise)

6:05pm Keynote: Dr Jonathan Reichental

6:45pm Audience Q&A

7:10pm Networking and refreshments

7:30pm Close

About the speaker:

Dr Jonathan Reichental is a multiple-award-winning technology leader and educator, whose career spans the private, public, and academic sectors. He’s been a senior software engineering manager, a director of technology innovation, and has served as chief information officer (CIO) at both O’Reilly Media and the City of Palo Alto, California. Reichental is currently the founder of advisory, investment, and education firm, Human Future, and also creates online education for LinkedIn Learning and Coursera. In academia he is a professor at the University of San Francisco and several other universities and colleges. He has a regular column in Forbes and has written many books including Smart Cities for Dummies, Exploring Smart Cities Activity Book for Kids, and Data Governance for Dummies.

About the host:
QUT’s Centre for Future Enterprise (CFE) leads global research to progress economic and social well-being now and into the future. Our research brings together world-leading academics with CEOs, founders, policymakers and industry leaders to help current and future leaders navigate a fast-emerging new world and to differentiate requirements from distracting noise.

Places are limited: register now to secure your seat.