Technology has reached a critical juncture in American society. The unfettered optimism of recent decades is now tempered through rising concerns over privacy and security, the impact of disinformation campaigns, and increasing calls for digital accountability. It is clear that the 116th Congress will face pressure to shape technological innovation through policies that protect and serve the best interests of their constituents.

The Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center together with the Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project at HKS’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is hosting a workshop on Capitol Hill for Congressional staffers focused on identifying and discussing policy approaches to the dilemmas of big tech platforms.

Join us for a discussion on “Responsible AI: A Guide to the Future” with Joi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab and a panel of distinguished speakers working on innovative and emerging AI-based technologies. This event is sponsored by the Harvard Belfer Center's Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project. 
 

A Forum event with

Ash Carter
Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Belfer Professor of Technology and Global Affairs, HKS
Former United States Secretary of Defense (2015-2017)

Vanita Gupta
President and CEO, The Leadership Conference

Reid Hoffman
Partner, Greylock Partners
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, LinkedIn

Latanya Sweeney
Professor of Government and Technology in Residence, Department of Government
Director, Data Privacy Lab, Harvard University
Former Chief Technologist, Federal Trade Commission

David Eaves (Moderator)
Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

This two hour exploration on the unintended impacts of technology on society will feature a keynote address by Ash Carter, former US Secretary of Defense and now the Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Secretary Carter will be followed by a panel discussion of business, government, and academic leaders on how we can work together to ensure the next generation of technologies serve overall human good. Confirmed panelists include David Eaves, Lecturer at HKS and Director of Digital HKS, and Chris Lynch, Founding Director of the Defense Digital Service at the U.S. Department of Defense, Steve Strassmann, Senior Architect at Kyruus and former Chief Technology Officer of Massachusetts, and Laura Manley, Director of the Technology and Public Purpose Project at Harvard's Belfer Center.

In the fifteenth talk of the series, Secretary Ash Carter, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Belfer Professor of Technology and Global Affairs, will give a talk titled: Human Rights and International Security - Some Perspectives from the Pentagon.

Join Ash Carter, Tzipi Livni, Nicholas Burns (moderator) and Udi Dekel as they examine the challenges and opportunities for the United States and Israel in a changing and volatile Middle East. RSVP required. Harvard affiliates only. Closed to public.

A conversation with Ash Carter, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; Belfer Professor of Technology and Global Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; United States Secretary of Defense (2015-2017). Moderated by David Gergen, Public Service Professor of Public Leadership & Director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School

Co-Sponsors: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Center for Public Leadership, and the Institute of Politics

JFK Jr. Forum with Ash Carter, Rachel Maddow, Jeh Johnson, Ernest Moniz, and Samantha Power. This forum event is at full capacity, but we invite you to watch a live stream of the conversation here at the event time.

Join us for the second installment of the HKS Gender and Security Seminar Series. We will hear from Belfer Center Director and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter about his decision to open up all military positions to women. Light breakfast to be served.

A Public Address by Ashton B. Carter, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense