TechSequences

The human-speed defense of small business is being obliterated by the machine-speed offense of AI-driven cybercrime. Today, what large companies treat as a manageable risk is a terminal expense for small enterprises, with 60% of small enterprises shutting down within six months of a major attack. As AI-crafted phishing lures achieve a 54% click-through rate, traditional “awareness” training has become a shallow defense against an automated tide. We are at a strategic crossroads: do we outsource our security to Big Tech, wait for the government to mandate a minimum level of security, or return to the “radical collaboration” that built the Internet itself? Can we bake immunity directly into the Internet’s plumbing before the 400 million small businesses that form our economic backbone become mere collateral damage? Join us for a conversation with Brian Cute, the CEO of the Global Cyber Alliance. A veteran of Internet governance, he has held leadership roles at ICANN and the Public Interest Registry (the .org registry). He now leads The Global Cyber Alliance’s mission to deliver practical and effective tools to those most at risk in a fractured digital landscape. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon 110+ of the Latest Data Breach Statistics to Know for 2026 & Beyond ElectroIQ Small Business Stats 2025 SentinelOne 2026 CVE Forecast GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business Cyber Basics: A free three-week training series for small businesses The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

“The homeland has never been less secure.” This was the testimony of Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery to the United States Congress on the first day of the Committee for Homeland Security in 2025. Why? We are facing a new era of state-sponsored espionage where foreign adversaries l aren’t just stealing data—they are planting “sleeper bots” deep within our networks, waiting for the signal to strike. But even as US federal budgets rise, front-line defenses at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are struggling with massive staffing attrition and the sudden dissolution of critical advisory structures, such as the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB). Is the US equipped to defend against an enemy that is already inside, patiently waiting for the signal to strike? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Nadya Bliss, the Executive Director of the Global Security Initiative at Arizona State University. Formerly, she was the founding group leader of the Computing and Analytics Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and past chair and current steering committee member of DARPA’s Information Science and Technology Study Group. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Unconstrained Actors: Assessing Global Cyber Threats to the Homeland: The Committee on Homeland Security Hearing, Jan 22 2025 State-Sponsored Actors Compromise and Maintain Persistent Access to U.S. Critical Infrastructure CISA faces budget cuts, workforce loss amid cyber threats CSET; Securing Critical Infrastructure in the Age of AI Lawfare; The Cybersecurity Patchwork Quilt Remains Incomplete Computing Research Association; The Post-Quantum Cryptography Transition: Making Progress, But Still a Long Road Ahead National Academies Consensus Study Report; Cyber Hard Problems: Focused Steps Toward a Resilient Digital Future (2025) The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

The fundamental rules of creativity and ownership, established in law since the time of the printing press, are now collapsing under the weight of Generative AI. Its rapid-fire creation is built upon billions of human-authored works, leading to the “Original Sin” of the algorithm: the unauthorized copying of protected content for training. This conflict has ignited high-stakes lawsuits—from the New York Times challenging the AI input phase to the music industry battling against the creation of “almost identical” outputs—forcing the legal system to confront the “Authorship Challenge” and the threat of voice cloning. Join us as we explore the legal and ethical price of convenience with our guest, Dr. Andrés Guadamuz, a Reader in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Sussex and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of World Intellectual Property. Dr. Guadamuz’s groundbreaking research illuminates how centuries-old copyright principles must adapt to find a functional middle way that protects human ingenuity while allowing for technological innovation. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: A Scanner Darkly: Copyright Liability and Exceptions in Artificial Intelligence Inputs and Outputs Do Androids Dream of Electric Copyright? Comparative Analysis of Originality in Artificial Intelligence-Generated Works Record Companies Bring Landmark Cases for Responsible AI Against Suno and Udio in Boston and New York Federal Courts, Respectively IP/ENTERTAINMENT CASE LAW UPDATES: New York Times v. Microsoft Corp. The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

When the disruptive power of Artificial Intelligence is discussed, the fate of the radiologist is often the cautionary tale: a specialist whose job is supposedly obsolete. In fact, the opposite is true. We face a severe global shortage of medical imaging specialists, worsened by a 10% annual increase in studies. Not to mention burnout, as specialists have to interpret more than one image per second just to keep up. AI is emerging not as a threat, but as a critical complement. AI is poised to offer opportunities beyond better diagnosis and access to care.  Join us as we explore the future of diagnostic imaging  with our guest, Dr. Akshay Chaudhari, Assistant Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Data Science at Stanford, and the co-founder of Cognita Imaging, a pioneering clinical AI company. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: The growing demand for imaging services: key trends shaping the future Deep learning in radiology: an overview of the concepts and a survey of the state of the art with focus on MRI Using AI to Catch Aneurysms in Routine, Nonvascular Chest CTs Data-Efficient AI for Accelerating MRI Acquisition Mandating Limits on Workload, Duty, and Speed in Radiology The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

We assume the internet is a resilient, always-on utility. But is it?  Today, the principles that made the Internet an open, unified platform are under threat. Why? Simply put, because of a convergence of policy overreach and technical mandates that threaten to create a slow, expensive, and insecure “splinternet.” This threat is complicated by a push for “digital sovereignty”, as was most recently on display at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), where the core principles of openness, multi-stakeholder governance, and decentralization were challenged. How do we preserve the utility we all rely on from being choked, fragmented, and/or controlled? Join us for a conversation with Sally Wentworth, the President and CEO of the Internet Society (ISOC). Formerly the Assistant Director for Telecommunications and Information Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and a leading voice in bridging the gap between technical experts and global policymakers. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Russia blocks Snapchat and restricts Apple’s FaceTime, state officials say How Pakistan Accidentally Took Down YouTube for the World in 2008 The PRC’s Evolving Cyber Laws and Implications for Southeast Asia’s Digital Economy and Integration The Fight to Overturn FOSTA, an Unconstitutional Internet Censorship Law, Continues Statement on behalf of the Internet Society at WSIS+20 HLM The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

The way we learn and communicate is being fundamentally reshaped by generative AI, a force as significant as the printing press. Traditional definitions of literacy are now insufficient. This shift demands a new “grammar” of literacy that embraces multimodal interaction, algorithmic processes, and AI’s synthetic capabilities. AI both generates and interprets content, raising the question of whether students should still laboriously learn to write when a machine can do it instantly and flawlessly. Join us as we talk with Dr. Mary Kalantzis and Dr. Bill Cope, renowned professors from the University of Illinois. We’ll discuss how their cutting-edge research explores how AI can support literacy by scaffolding human effort. This AI-assisted practice fosters “cyber-social literacy learning,” an approach that merges traditional literacy with the ethical and social competencies needed to navigate the AI landscape. We’ll explore how to harness the transformative potential of AI while preserving human agency and creativity. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Literacy in the time of Artificial Intelligence  Generative AI Comes to School (GPTs and All That Fuss): What Now? Multiliteracies: Life of an idea A multimodal grammar of artificial intelligence: Measuring the gains and losses in generative AI On cyber-social learning: A critique of artificial intelligence in education The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Many of us have witnessed the heart-wrenching journey of relatives or loved ones diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, often long after the disease’s subtle onset. But what if we could detect these conditions much earlier, before precious years of potential intervention are lost? Join us as we delve into the advent of AI driven ambient intelligence, where cameras no larger than a sticky note quietly observe daily life, and algorithms analyze minute changes in gait, sleep patterns, and even facial expressions. We explore the promise of democratizing early detection using everyday devices, but also confront ethical questions on privacy, ensure meaningful consent, and prevent algorithmic bias when AI enters our most intimate spaces. Our guest is  Dr. Ehsan Adeli, the Director of AI/Innovation in Precision Mental Health and a Faculty Affiliate of Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.  Ehsan is also the Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, where he holds appointments in Computer Science and Biomedical Data Science. With a PhD in artificial intelligence and computer vision and postgraduate training in biomedical imaging and computational neuroscience, he unpacks how these “digital biomarkers” could transform healthcare from reactive to proactive. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Illuminating the dark spaces of healthcare with ambient intelligence  Ambient Intelligence, Human Impact A new era of ambient intelligence in healthcare Digital Health Technologies for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Alzheimer’s disease digital biomarkers multidimensional landscape and AI model scoping review The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

Each time you swipe a loyalty card, you’re not just saving on groceries—you’re feeding a powerful data machine known as retail media. What began as a scheme to offer loyalty discounts has morphed into a multibillion-dollar industry where retailers like Kroger, Walmart and Amazon turn consumer behavior into advertising gold, offering brands precision targeting based on detailed shopping habits. This model yields slim profits on groceries but massive margins—up to 90%—on data-driven ads.  Amazon, the dominant player with $56 billion in ad revenue and 77% of U.S. retail ad spend, now sells ad tech to competitors, deepening its surveillance-based advantage. As this power grows, it disrupts journalism by diverting ad dollars away from news and raises alarm about privacy, competition, and fairness in the supply chain. Join us for a conversation with Karina Montoya Guevara of the Center for Journalism & Liberty at the Open Markets Institute in Washington, about the consequences of a model that treats consumers as both audience and product in an increasingly concentrated data economy. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: How the new rules of online advertising helped to drive the Kroger-Albertsons merger The New Gold Rush in Advertising Is Your Shopping List  Policy Brief – Retail Media: The Battle for the Next Advertising Monopoly  Amazon’s Ad Business Enters New Dangerous Territory in 2023  FTC Details How Amazon Aims to Deceive Customers and Harm Sellers  The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

The emergence of AI is generating an unprecedented hunger for electricity, fundamentally reshaping global energy consumption. The International Energy Agency projects that data center electricity consumption will double to 945 terawatt hours by 2030, growing at 15% annually, four times faster than all other sectors combined. As AI models grow exponentially larger, so do their power requirements. This surge in demand is creating stark global inequalities. The United States and China account for nearly 80% of data center electricity growth, while over two-thirds of the world’s population in emerging markets have limited access to the digital infrastructure that AI development requires. Meanwhile, CO2 emissions from data centers could reach 320 million tons by 2030, potentially compromising global climate goals. How can we balance AI’s transformative potential with its massive energy demands? Can we develop AI sustainably while ensuring equitable global access? Join us for a conversation with International Energy Agency lead analysts Siddharth Singh and Thomas Spencer, responsible for the agency’s flagship publication, the World Energy Outlook,  to discuss the energy revolution behind artificial intelligence and what it means for our technological and environmental future. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: International Energy Agency: “AI is set to drive surging electricity demand from data centres while offering the potential to transform how the energy sector works” “Search Engines vs AI: energy consumption compared”, Kanoppi. (2025, February 13).  The U.S. and China drive data center power consumption, 2025, May 31). The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

“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. Further reading: Transcript: Senate Hearing on Social Media and Teen Mental Health with Former Facebook Engineer Arturo Bejar Misinformation on Facebook got six times more clicks than factual news sources Artificial Intelligence in the News How AI Retools, Rationalizes, and Reshapes Journalism and the Public Arena Courtney Radsch: Media Publications Cyberactivism and Citizen Journalism in Egypt: Digital Dissidence and Political Change Artificial Intelligence in the News: How AI Retools, Rationalizes, and Reshapes Journalism and the Public Arena” Columbia Journalism School 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. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Google, Meta pledge to triple nuclear capacity by 2050 as technology sees looming ‘renaissance’ White Paper on Integrating Data Centers with a Microgrid  AI has high data center energy costs — but there are solutions  China’s cheap, open AI model DeepSeek thrills scientists Dominion Energy admits it can’t meet data center power demands in Virginia ​​AI is poised to drive 160% increase in data center power demand 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.  Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Harvard’s Applied Social Media Lab Social media has a responsibility … to make it as easy as possible for people to be their best selves online The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society: Beyond Discourse Dumpster Fires – Jonathan Bellack Keynote The Networked Leviathan – Paul Gowder 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. Further reading: State of Ransomware, 2024 (Sophos) 2023 FBI Internet Crime Report IBM Cost of a Data Breach, 2024 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? Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Has the Tide Turned for TikTok, Telegram and X? The Art and Science of Data-Driven Journalism The Washington Post’s New Mission: Reach ‘All of America’ A Pulitzer winner quits ‘Washington Post’ after a cartoon on Bezos is killed Meta Ditches Fact-Checks For X-Style Community Notes—Zuckerberg Says It Will Restore ‘Free Expression’ Civic Texts 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. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Deloitte’s 14th Annual Pharmaceutical Innovation Report: Pharma R&D Return on Investment Rebounds After Record Low Why Pharma Must Embrace AI and Open Source Accelerating clinical trials to improve biopharma R&D productivity Revolution, interrupted: Why AI has failed to live up to the hype in drug development 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. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Wearable Devices: Implications for Precision Medicine and the Future of Healthcare Transforming Healthcare with Big Data and Wearables with Mike Snyder Disrupting Healthcare Using Deep Data and Remote Monitoring with Michael Snyder Join the Stanford Infectious Disease and COVID-19 Wearables Study 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. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Exploring the Threat of AI to Electoral Integrity Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights Alondra Nelson, architect of the AI Bill of Rights, on the Biden Administration’s AI executive order and efforts to pass an AI bill. AI Chatbots Found Inaccurate in Answering Voter Queries AI Democracy Projects Tracker: State Legislation on Deepfakes in Elections 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. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Blockchain technology lets East African farmers sell globally Exploring the Use of Blockchain Technology to Improve Food Security Through African Indigenous Vegetables in Western Kenya Blockchain for agriculture. Opportunities and challenges How blockchain and AI can reshape agriculture: Interview with Dimitra The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

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. Further reading: Moonshot effort aims to bioprint a human heart and implant it in a pig Gurdon and Yamanaka share Nobel prize for stem cell work ARPA-H bets $26 million that the time has come for 3D printed organs The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

In the race to the future, our cars are becoming supercomputers on wheels. By 2025, it’s estimated that 70% of light-duty vehicles and trucks globally will be connected to the internet. These rolling data centers are set to generate a staggering amount of information – up to 25 gigabytes per hour for automated vehicles. As we transition into an increasingly interconnected automotive ecosystem critical questions emerge. Join us for a conversation with Berkeley law professor James Dempsey and Professor Andrew Grotto of Stanford: who should control the vast amounts of data generated by our vehicles? And how can we balance the benefits of connectivity with the need for robust security, privacy, innovation and competition? Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: McKinsey & Company, “Unlocking the full life-cycle value from connected-car data”  “Intel Predicts Autonomous Driving Will Spur New ‘Passenger Economy’ Worth $7 Trillion” (2017) Hackers Remotely Kill a Jeep on the Highway—With Me in It” (2015) Cybersecurity and the Connected Car, Andrew Grotto and James Dempsey (2024)  Web Hackers vs. The Auto Industry: Critical Vulnerabilities in Ferrari, BMW, Rolls Royce, Porsche, and More Related TechSequences podcast: Connected cars and the privacy debacles The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.