The U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao, will deliver a keynote address at CES 2019 on the future of drones and self-driving technology.
It will be a return engagement for the former Labor Dept. secretary, who spoke at CES 2018 about the positive impact of technology and disruptive innovation on transportation.
This time, Chao is slated to speak on Wed., Jan. 9, at 11:00 a.m. in Room N257 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Following her address, a panel of experts will discuss the importance of establishing public trust to ensure consumers understand the benefits of self-driving vehicles and that deployment of the technology is safe. The panel will include National Safety Council president/CEO Deborah Hersman, Volkswagen’s mobility services executive VP Johann Jungwirth, and Amnon Shashua, CEO/CTO of Intel’s Mobileye subsidiary.
Related: Waymo CEO John Krafcik To Talk Self-Driving Innovations At CES LIT Dinner
“As America’s highest-ranking transportation official, Secretary Chao is leading the Administration’s efforts to realize the promise of transportation technology and innovation — including self-driving vehicles, piloted and unmanned drones — while ensuring public safety,” said Gary Shapiro, president/CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the show’s producer. “The future of transportation will be on display at CES. And Secretary Chao’s discussion of the DOT’s [Department of Transportation’s] latest initiatives will provide a roadmap for industry, domestic and international government officials at CES and across the globe.”
Chao, the first Asian-American woman to be appointed to a president’s cabinet in U.S. history, is the fifth and latest keynoter announced for CES proper, joining the ranks of Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, AMD’s Dr. Lisa Su, IBM’s Ginni Rometty and LG’s Dr. I.P. Park.
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