Machines + Media 2021: Facing the Future

NYC Media Lab & Bloomberg present the 5th annual gathering of technologists, media professionals, and academic thought leaders for „Machines + Media 2021: Facing the Future.“

With Big Tech under fire and innovation moving rapidly,  expert panelists will discuss how we can both embrace and manage the impact of technology on our increasingly essential media ecosystem. Livestreamed panel discussions include:

10-11am EDT: The Future of Tech in NYC

• Panel Description: Is the post-pandemic future bleak or bright for NYC’s tech sector? Panelists will discuss what’s driving their predictions.
• Speakers: Steven Rosenbaum (Moderator), Executive Director at NYC Media Lab; Julie Samuels, Executive Director at Tech:NYC; Ben Sun, Co-Founder of Primary Venture Partners; Karen Bhatia, Senior Vice President of Tech at NYCEDC

11-11:45am EDT: AI & Local News

• Panel Description: Panelists from the Associated Press, Big Local News, and RadarAI join a discussion with Bloomberg News to examine the role of AI in local news production, explore its effects on the industry, and share illustrative examples of their work.
• Speakers: Shreya Vaidyanathan (Moderator), AI Product Manager at Bloomberg; Andrew Milligan, News Applications Architect at the Associated Press; Cheryl Phillips, Founder of Big Local News; Gary Rogers, Editor-in-Chief of RadarAI

12-1pm EDT: Break

1-1:45pm EDT: Surveillance Tech and Transparent & Fair AI Systems

• Panel Description: A conversation about surveillance tech today, and the balance between keeping communities safe and protecting civil rights and liberties.
• Speakers: Riley Jones IV (Moderator), Co-Founder of Sector Software; Karina Alexanyan, Founder of Humanication; Dr. Savannah Thais, Postdoctoral Researcher at Princeton University; Albert Fox Cahn, Founder of Surveillance Technology Oversight Project

2-2:45pm EDT: Living With Disinformation

• Panel Description: A look at what’s next with technology, regulation, and how we can stay vigilant against new and emerging ways bad actors are trying to influence the media and the public.
• Speakers: Sarah Kopit (Moderator), Social Media Czar at Bloomberg; Karen Kornbluh, Director of Digital Innovation & Democracy Initiative at the German Marshall Fund; Krishna Gade, Co-Founder of Fiddler.ai; Mary McCord, Executive Director of Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection at Georgetown Law