While much talk about what the future could look like focuses on emerging and rapidly advancing technologies, speakers at the TIME Trailblazers Dinner in Las Vegas on Monday urged focusing on people. Aicha Evans, the chief executive officer of autonomous vehicle company Zoox and a 2026 TIME Trailblazers honoree, talked about how the design of her company’s robotaxis—or “toasters,” as she jokingly called them, in apparent reference to how boxy they look—prioritizes the rider experience and tries to eliminate the thought of driving altogether. To some people, that’s hanging out. … To some people, like me, it’s probably the only time when I feel alone in a good way.” Evans added that Zoox also takes its responsibility to keep riders safe seriously, given how there are nearly 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year related to motor vehicle crashes.
Fellow panelist and 2026 TIME Trailblazers honoree, entrepreneur Jason Ballard, whose construction-technology firm ICON specializes in 3D-printed housing, discussed how his own experiences with hurricanes in the Texas Gulf Coast made him think deeply about what decent human shelter looks like. He added that the way houses are built today is still “inhuman,” “sterile,” and “repetitive,” and that he envisions a world where housing can be both “affordable” and “beautiful.” Ballard argued that technology can reconcile values that otherwise appear to conflict. But wouldn’t the purpose of technology be that we can have all of our values?” Steve Blum, executive vice president and chief operating officer of software company Autodesk, which is a presenting partner for the event, also participated in the panel and touched on current concerns about artificial intelligence and automation replacing humans.
Blum said that at his company, “AI is here to augment the human, not replace the human,” adding that it gives people more time to do activities they love and to hone their expertise.
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