“Careless People,” the recent memoir by Meta’s former Global Public Policy Director, Sarah Wynn-Williams, has caused a furor. Not only did it share revelations that Meta prioritized growth and engagement over safety and democracy, but it also provided confirmation of what many critics have long argued—that Meta was not merely negligent but strategically indifferent to the harm its platforms enabled. The myth of “neutral platforms” has been thoroughly debunked. Research seems to highlight that the business model underpinning these platforms – surveillance-based advertising that maximizes engagement – fundamentally conflicts with human well-being and democratic values. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is reshaping journalism itself – the very institution meant to hold these platforms accountable. 

How can we address the structural problems at the heart of today’s social media platforms rather than merely applying “fixes around the edges”? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Courtney Radsch, Director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute, a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a senior fellow at the Center for Global Governance Innovation, for a conversation on how we should govern platforms that have become essential infrastructure for public discourse.

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

AI is forcing a seismic shift in our energy landscape. News that China’s DeepSeek AI operates with up to 40 times less power than American competitors has already rattled markets and put its American counterparts on the defensive.  Why? Currently, data centers devour 3% of US electricity—with projections showing this could more than double to 8% by 2030, driven mainly by AI power needs. As tech giants pledge to triple nuclear capacity and researchers explore innovative energy solutions, fundamental questions arise about balancing technological progress with infrastructure realities.

Join us for a conversation with Braham Singh, a pioneer in data center development focusing on sustainable digital infrastructure and Executive Chairman of Verdana.io.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Today’s social media platforms have transformed human communication into algorithm-friendly “content” units that can be efficiently processed, ranked, and moderated. While this approach has powered extraordinary growth, it has also created an online environments that often bring out the worst in humanity, by stripping away context, rewarding sensationalism, and replacing trust with surveillance.

Is this a technical issue or a fundamental design one? How can we move beyond the “promote and police” model that dominates today’s platforms? And what practical steps can create digital spaces that bring the best rather than the worst of us? Join us for a conversation with Jonathan Bellack, Advisory Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center, and former Director of its Applied Social Media Lab. 

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Ransomware has emerged as a critical global cybersecurity threat, with attacks costing organizations $2 million on average and causing $4.54 million in total damages per incident. From paralyzing critical infrastructure like the US Colonial Pipeline to disrupting healthcare systems, these sophisticated cyberattacks have transformed into a $20 billion criminal enterprise that threatens entire industries.

Join us for a conversation with Allan Liska, Senior Security Architect and Ransomware Specialist at Recorded Future, and one the world’s foremost experts on ransomware and cyber intelligence. We will explore the evolution of ransomware, how modern ransomware attacks take place, and perhaps most crucially, how do we balance the immediate pressure to restore operations with the broader imperative to discourage future attacks?

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Today’s journalists use sophisticated tools to scrape, analyze, and visualize complex datasets, transforming investigative reporting across fields like political corruption and climate change. Yet this technological evolution comes at a critical moment when major tech platforms are scaling back fact-checking, making data-driven journalism even more crucial to maintaining public trust. From “Democracy Dies in Darkness” to “Riveting storytelling for all of America,” the recent shift in Washington Post’s mission indicates that journalism may be at a critical crossroad.

Join us for a conversation with Alexander Howard, digital governance expert, democracy advocate at Demand Progress, and deputy director at the Sunlight Foundation. How can we ensure rigorous reporting in an era of rapid content production? What standards should govern AI journalism? And can journalistic integrity survive as tech platforms retreat from fact-checking?

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Despite a $145.5 billion investment in pharmaceutical R&D in 2023, US Federal Drug Administration novel drug approvals remain stagnant at around 43 annually, according to recent findings from Deloitte’s 14th Annual Pharmaceutical Innovation Report. The complexity of modern diseases, combined with rising development costs and regulatory requirements, demands a fundamental transformation in how we approach pharmaceutical R&D. 

Join us for a discussion with Dr. Brendan Frey, Professor at the University of Toronto, Deep Genomics founder, and Vector Institute co-founder, to explore how AI and tech-sector approaches like open source collaboration and shared data platforms can reverse this productivity paradox.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

In recent years, Internet-enabled wearable devices have emerged as powerful tools for monitoring and managing personal health, promising to revolutionize healthcare delivery. As these technologies have become more affordable and user-friendly, their adoption has skyrocketed – in 2022 alone, over 492 million wearable devices were shipped globally. This proliferation of wearables is poised to shift the paradigm from reactive treatment to proactive health management and precision medicine. As we stand on the brink of this wearable revolution, how can we understand the potential impact of these devices on medicine and healthcare? 

Join us for a conversation with Michael Snyder — the Stanford W. Ascherman Professor, chair of genetics, and director of genomics and personalized medicine at Stanford University.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

As Americans reflect on our own recent presidential election, the rest of the world faces a critical challenge: navigating elections in an era of increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence. From chatbots providing misleading voting information to deep fake videos of candidates, AI is transforming the landscape of electoral integrity in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

Please join us for a conversation with Dr. Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, and a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress on the role of AI in election information and integrity.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

While industrial and vertical farming have become commonplace in many parts of the world, these advanced techniques are not widely implemented in Africa, where the largest food deficit is expected. This even though Africa has the land and the climate that is suited to growing virtually anything. There is now a growing chorus of academics, technologists, companies as well as charitable organizations who are extolling the virtues of cutting edge technology such as blockchain to revolutionize agriculture.

Join us for a conversation with Professor Forouzan Golshani, Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a Lifetime Fellow of IEEE, as we discuss how leveraging technologies such as blockchain can serve as a powerful tool for farmers to barter goods and services, secure certifications, obtain loans, and even access additional income through carbon credit programs.

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In the quest to revolutionize medicine, our bodies are becoming living laboratories. By 2030, it’s estimated that bioprinting could address up to 20% of the organ transplant waiting list globally. These groundbreaking technologies are set to generate custom, patient-specific organs – potentially saving thousands of lives each year. As we transition into an era of on-demand, tailored organ creation, critical questions emerge.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Mark Skylar-Scott, a pioneering researcher in bioprinting technology, and Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, on how bioprinting could transform the landscape of organ transplantation and potential consequences for healthcare and equitable access.

Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.