Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are behind almost everything we do at Amazon. Some of this work is highly visible, such as autonomous Prime Air delivery drones, eliminating checkout lines at Amazon Go, and making everyday life more convenient for customers with Alexa. But much of what we do with AI and ML happens beneath the surface – from the speed in which we deliver packages, to the broad selection and low prices we’re able to offer customers, to automatic extraction of characters and places from books and videos with X-Ray. This is in addition to the unrivaled breadth and depth of AI and ML services that AWS offers businesses of all sizes. And it’s still day one for AI at Amazon.

Today we are excited to announce we are bringing together some of the brightest leaders across science, academia, and business to explore innovation, scientific advancements, and practical applications of AI and ML. re:MARS, Amazon’s new AI event focused on Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space, will take place June 4-7, 2019 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Business leaders and technical builders will learn, share, and further imagine how these four fields of study will shape the future of AI.

“We’re at the beginning of a golden age of AI. Recent advancements have already led to invention that previously lived in the realm of science fiction—and we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible,” said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon. “AI is an enabling technology that can improve products and services across all industries. We’re excited to create re:MARS, bringing together leaders and builders from diverse areas to share learnings and spark new ideas for future innovation.”

re:MARS is an extension of MARS, the intimate, invite-only event hosted by Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos that embraces an optimistic vision for scientific discovery to advance a golden age of innovation. Embodying the same spirit of MARS, re:MARS combines the latest in forward-looking science with practical applications that will initiate change in organisations today. Attendees will learn how AI can improve the customer experience, drive business efficiency, streamline operations, improve automation, reach customers through new services and interfaces, and more.

Attendees will hear from thought leaders across fields, learn about proven best practices to apply AI in their organisations today, meet with Amazon technology experts, and be immersed in breakthrough technology – from robotics demos, to the Blue Origin New Shepard crew capsule, to AI hackathons. We want participants to have fun, foster new friendships and collaborations, and find unexpected inspiration.

Speakers will include Jeff Wilke, CEO Worldwide Consumer at Amazon; Andrew Lo, the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Director of the MIT Laboratory for Financial Engineering; Ken Goldberg, William S. Floyd Jr. Distinguished Chair in Engineering, UC Berkeley; Tom Soderstrom, IT Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Kate Darling, Research Specialist at the MIT Media Lab and Affiliate at the Harvard Berkman Center; and many more. Additional speakers will host sessions, hands-on workshops, and technical deep dives to demonstrate the practical applications of AI behind Alexa, AWS services, Amazon Go, Prime Air, Lab 126, Robotics, and more.

“AI has great potential to help diverse groups of people work together in new ways. This requires experts from academia, technology, research, and business to learn from each other, which MARS pioneered for a small group of innovative thinkers,” said Ken Goldberg, William S. Floyd Jr. Distinguished Chair in Engineering, UC Berkeley. “I’m excited to engage with a much broader group of leaders and builders at re:MARS to accelerate AI innovation across industries.”

Stay tuned for speaker updates, logistical and pricing information, and agenda details when re:MARS registration opens in March. Learn more about re:MARS.

P.S. Astronauts attend for free.

FAQs

What is the goal of re:MARS?

re:MARS attendees will explore the future of AI innovation across machine learning, automation, robotics, and space. The event combines the latest in forward-looking science with practical applications that translate customer problems into real-world technical solutions. Attendees will hear from thought leaders across fields, learn about proven AI best practices, and be immersed in breakthrough technology. Amazon’s goal is to help attendees disrupt and innovate faster by arming you with business best practices and technical skills to adopt AI technologies for your business.

Who should attend re:MARS?

re:MARS brings together innovative minds with diverse skill sets. The event is designed for business leaders and technical builders (including developers, engineers, data scientists, ML experts, and roboticists) who want to learn, share, and use AI to initiate change in organizations today.

Why the name re:MARS?

re:MARS is inspired by MARS, the annual invite-only conference for Machine learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space that embraces an optimistic vision for scientific discovery to advance a golden age of innovation. re:MARS will embody the spirit of MARS, expand the discussion to business leaders and technical builders, and showcase practical applications of AI technologies to help drive real business impact today.

What is the difference between re:MARS and re:Invent?

AWS re:Invent is an education conference where customers learn, build and innovate with AWS products and services including compute, storage, AI/ML, databases, analytics, networking, security, and more. At re:Invent customers get hands-on with the tools and content they need to develop cloud solutions and architectures. re:Invent is for anyone who is using or interested in using AWS services and solutions. re:MARS focuses on AI across the fields of machine learning, automation, robotics, and space, and combines the latest in forward-looking science and research with practical applications that will drive impact in your organization today.