How do we decide who and what to trust in an era characterized by information overload, disinformation, and synthetic content? What does it take to earn trust? As we look to the future, building human-AI partnerships is essential to advance quality of life for everyone. However, to get there, we must deeply understand the nature of trust and learn how to foster trust among diverse stakeholder groups. Experts in academia, industry, government, and nonprofit sectors come together to explore how we might co-create a bright future, powered by human-centered AI systems, through stakeholder-centered research, transparent design practices and communications, and cross-sector collaboration.
This roundtable discussion explores objectives laid out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) AI Safety Institute Consortium.
Parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in the San Jacinto parking garage.
Kenneth R. Fleischmann is a Professor in the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the Founding Chair of the Executive Team for Good Systems, a UT Grand Challenge, and the Founding Director of Undergraduate Studies for the iSchool's B.A./B.S. in Informatics. His research and teaching focus on the ethics of AI and more broadly on the role of human values in the design and use of information technologies. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), Microsoft Research, Cisco Research Center, Micron Foundation, and the Public Interest Technology University Network. His research has been recognized by the iConference Best Paper Award, the ASIS&T SIG-USE Best Information Behavior Conference Paper Award, the ALA Library Instruction Round Table Top Twenty Articles, the ASIS&T SIG-SI Social Informatics Best Paper Award, the Civic Futures Award for Designing for the 100%, and the MetroLab Innovation of the Month Award.
District 2 Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes has been a champion for health equity, affordability, and technology innovation since taking office in 2021. She successfully led initiatives like the City’s largest-ever wage increase for City Employees and expanding childcare access across Austin. Vanessa is also at the forefront of integrating ethical AI into city operations, having passed a budget amendment for AI training and spearheading an initiative to establish citywide AI guidelines. Her work reflects a commitment to building a more equitable, resilient, and innovative Austin for all.
ASSISTANT DEAN FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT; PROFRESSOR OF PRACTICE,
LBJ SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Sherri R. Greenberg is a professor of practice and fellow of the Max Sherman Chair in State and Local Government at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and she is a professor of practice at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Additionally, she is the LBJ School Assistant Dean for State and Local Government Engagement. She is a primary researcher for, and is Chairperson elect of, Good Systems, The University of Texas Grand Challenge regarding ethical AI. Greenberg is a member of the Board of the Austin Convention Center Enterprise. She also serves on the Austin Smart City Alliance Board of Directors, and the Austin Forum on Technology & Society Advisory Board. Previously, she was a member of the Central Health Board of Managers, and a member of the City of Austin Housing Investment Review Committee.
Greenberg has served as a senior advisor to Austin Mayor Steve Adler. She was a Texas state representative from 1991 to 2001, and she chaired the House Pensions and Investments Committee and the Select Committee on Teacher Health Insurance. She also served on the House Appropriations, Economic Development, Elections, and Science and Technology Committees. Previously, Greenberg was the City of Austin capital finance manager, and a public finance officer at Standard & Poor’s.
Her teaching and research interests include: technology policy, state and local government, housing, homelessness, transportation, healthcare, public finance, and campaigns and elections. Recently, she has had funding from the National Science Foundation, the City of Austin, UT Good Systems, the IBM Center for the Business of Government, the Cisco Foundation, Microsoft, MITRE, and the State of Texas.
Dr. Steve Kramer, Chief Scientist of KUNGFU.AI, is a computational physicist and data science entrepreneur with 31 years of post-Ph.D. experience in AI, data science, research, software, and business management. He earned a Ph.D. in physics in the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics at The University of Texas at Austin. He has acted as the Principal Investigator on multiple subcontracts for DARPA's Information Innovation Office and on multiple contracts for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and for CDAO. He is proud to serve on the Board of the Austin Forum on Technology and Society and as a member of Board of Technical Advisors for data.world.
Karen is a leading global expert in practical governance strategies for AI and other frontier technologies. She advises Fortune 50 companies, startups, consortia, and the public sector on how to manage AI and other cutting-edge technologies in rapidly changing technology and policy environments. Karen was a managing partner at Latham & Watkins, LLP for over 20 years, where she advised global businesses on complex antitrust matters, M&A, governance, and crisis management. Karen serves on the ABA Task Force on the Law and Artificial Intelligence, was a World Economic Forum Global Innovator and a member of their Experts Network, SME to the Business Roundtable, on the Fast Company Impact Council and serves on the board of AIEDU and Not For Sale and sits on the Advisory Board of Legal Momentum. She is a frequent speaker and author on technology and corporate governance issues.
Kay Firth-Butterfield is the CEO of Good Tech Advisory and a 2024 TIME 100 Impact Awardee. She is the former Head of Artificial Intelligence and member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum and is one of the foremost experts in the world on the governance of AI. She is a Barrister, former Judge and Professor, technologist and entrepreneur who has an abiding interest in how humanity can equitably benefit from new technologies, especially AI. She was the world’s first Chief AI Ethics officer. Kay is author of books on Human Rights, AI and Modern Slavery and is a board member of many renowned organizations like The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in AI and Autonomous Systems, the Polaris Council for the Government Accountability Office (USA), the Advisory Board for UNESCO International Research Centre on AI, the Advisory Board for international company ADI, EarthSpecies and AI4All. She has been consistently recognized as a leading woman in AI.