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At the TIME Trailblazers Dinner in Las Vegas on Monday, industry leaders discussed designing technology with human needs at the forefront. Aicha Evans from Zoox emphasized creating autonomous vehicles that prioritize rider comfort by eliminating thoughts of driving. Jason Ballard from ICON highlighted his work in 3D-printed housing aimed at making affordable and aesthetically pleasing homes accessible to everyone, arguing that technology can resolve conflicting values like affordability versus beauty or speed versus sustainability. Steve Blum from Autodesk underscored the role of AI in enhancing human capabilities rather than replacing them.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 14, at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, professional climber Alex Honnold celebrated his achievements as a TIME Trailblazer alongside other notable figures. Though proud of his climbing career spanning nearly two decades, he emphasized that his work with The Honnold Foundation, which has committed over $11 million to 75 solar projects this year alone, holds significant impact for human lives. Honnold sees access to reliable energy as a fundamental necessity akin to food and shelter.
Meanwhile, at the same event, Aicha Evans, CEO of autonomous vehicle company Zoox, discussed how her firm prioritizes rider experience by eliminating any thought of driving within their vehicles, aiming to provide a sense of solitude in a positive context. Jason Ballard, another TIME Trailblazer, echoed the importance of focusing on people rather than just technology, highlighting the need for capacity and resources to pursue more projects globally. The event underscored the intersection between technological innovation and human-centric design in shaping a sustainable future.
Written for “TIME Trailblazers Honors Influencers” on 2026-09-15,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 9741 · logged 2026-09-15
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.
uncertain
speakers → look → 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.
asserted
they → talk → thought
“We have a very simple view: when you are in our purpose-built robotaxi, if you thought about driving, we actually failed,” Evans told moderator Kelly Conniff, TIME’s deputy editor and head of creative at TIME Studios.
asserted
Evans → build → Studios
“We want you to be you.
asserted
you → want → ?
To some people, that’s hanging out. …
asserted
that → hang → people
To some people, like me, it’s probably the only time when I feel alone in a good way.
asserted
I → ’ → 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.
asserted
Zoox → add → 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.
asserted
shelter → specialize → what
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.”
asserted
housing → add → world
Ballard argued that technology can reconcile values that otherwise appear to conflict.
asserted
that → argue → values
“What advanced technology is supposed to do is maybe bring our values out of conflict,” he says.
asserted
he → suppose → conflict
“Right now you have to choose between affordability and beauty, or you have to choose between speed of construction and sustainability.
asserted
you → have → construction
But wouldn’t the purpose of technology be that we can have all of our values?”
asserted
we → have → 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.
asserted
intelligence → present → 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.
“Everywhere around the world I travel, folks are saying they can’t go after all the projects they want to go after because they do not have the capacity and people,” Blum said.
asserted
Blum → say → capacity
“AI will help by getting more out of each of the humans and allow them to do more work.”
asserted
them → help → work
Ballard wrapped up the panel discussion with a vision for this people-focused future, and presented an optimistic view of technology’s role in bringing dignity to people’s lives.
asserted
Ballard → wrap → lives
“There’s a lot of maybe scary, fearful things in the air right now around advanced technologies and AI,” he said.
asserted
he → ’ → technologies
“But I think when you look at the things that are actually being done with the tools today… it’s a very cool time to be alive.”
asserted
it → think → tools
The TIME Trailblazers Dinner: Designing and Making the Future was presented by Autodesk.
asserted
Dinner → design → Autodesk
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