Harnessing AI: Tools for Urban Leaders

November 13 - 15, 2023

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping our world.

It can help efficiently deliver social services, identify workforce trends and necessary skills, and provide localized climate predictions. But without ethical and transparent use, AI can easily exacerbate inequalities, intensify surveillance, and imperil democracy.

Now, it’s incumbent upon leaders at all levels to intentionally leverage AI’s potential for the good of society and the planet. This type of impactful leadership is only possible when great minds are converging to share experiences and build a collaborative future.

Event Video

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks behind a podium
Two people talk while sitting in chairs on-stage
A person wearing a yellow shirt speaks into a microphone on-stag behind a podium

Explore a series of deep-dive conversations among global leaders from government, business, and civil society on the promises and pitfalls of artificial intelligence and its impacts on cities.

From November 13-15 we gathered more than 200 leaders from across the globe in Chicago to examine this year's theme, Harnessing AI: Tools for Urban Leaders, and lay the groundwork for critical multi-sector collaborations on the deployment of artificial intelligence in the urban context.

Watch select video from the 2023 Pritzker Forum on Global Cities, or view all videos from each day below.

View All Videos

Three people sit in chairs while speaking on-stage, while someone joins virtually via TV screen. Play Video
It’s undeniable that AI is changing the labor economy—both in terms of the skills workers need to stay relevant and the ways companies locate qualified workers. In this panel, we explore how AI may present an opportunity for some workers to level-up, the importance of aligning our language around core skills, and how local leaders can prepare for this economic transformation with intentional skill-building infrastructure.
Four people sit in chairs on-stage during conversation Play Video

This panel sets the scene with a global overview of current sustainability efforts involving AI and will then explore two case studies of initiatives to save lives and inform sustainable policies. 

Two people have a discussion on-stage Play Video

In this session, we explore how cities can play a pivotal role as the need for skilled workers continues to rise.

Agenda

The Chicago "L" train on tracks
An aerial view of downtown Chicago skyscrapers
The "Bean" sculpture with skyscrapers behind it

After a digital hiatus, we are delighted to welcome you back to Chicago, November 13 - 15, 2023, for three days of networking, discussions, and workshops on "Harnessing AI: Tools for Urban Leaders."

Day 1: Monday, November 13

Private Mayor's Roundtable

Invitation only | Program starts at 2:00pm | Chicago Council on Global Affairs Board Room, 180 N. Stetson Ave.

Opening Night Program and Welcome Reception

5:30 - 8:30pm, Doors open at 5:00pm | Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave.

Participants will enjoy an evening of conversations on the promises and pitfalls of artificial intelligence and its impacts on cities, as well as the presentation of the inaugural Pattis Family Foundation Global Cities Book Award followed by a networking reception.

Welcome Remarks

  • Ivo Daalder, CEO, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
  • Peter Spiegel, US Managing Editor, Financial Times
  • Margot Pritzker, Chair, The Aspen Institute Board of Trustees
  • Brandon Johnson, Mayor, City of Chicago

Keynote Address: Prioritizing Equity and Inclusion in AI and Quantum
Speaker: Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO, AnitaB.org


The Promise and Stakes of this Moment
How are tech leaders considering the ways in which cities may leverage this unprecedented moment of technological innovation?

Speakers

  • Noelle Russell, Data ad AI Lead, Accenture Federal Services
  • Nick Farina, Co-Founder and CEO, EeroQ Quantum Hardware
  • David Graff, Vice President, Global Policy Standards, Trust and Safety, Google
  • Stephanie Simmons, Founder and Chief Quantum Officer, Photonic Inc.
  • Moderated by Elaine Moore, LEX Deputy Editor, Financial Times

The Pattis Family Foundation Global Cities Book Award Presentation

  • Eugenie Birch, Chair, Global Cities Book Award Judging Committee
  • Winner: John Lorinc, Author, Dream States: Smart Cities, Technology, and the Pursuit of Urban Utopias

Day 2: Tuesday, November 14

Breakfast and Networking

Starts at 8:00am | Rosebud Randolph, 130 E. Randolph St.

The Book Cellar

Starts at 8:00am | Rosebud Randolph, 130 E. Randolph St.
Stop by to explore a collection of impactful books on global cities and urban policy.

Mainstage Programming

Program starts at 9:00am | Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Conference Center, 130 E. Randolph St.

Building a Workforce for the AI Economy | 9:15 - 10:05am
Is there truth behind the common narrative that AI will inevitably lead to job losses for workers across sectors and skill levels?

Speakers

  • Alison Lands, Director of Strategy, SkyHive Technologies
  • Danielle Li, Associate Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
  • Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO, AnitaB.org
  • Moderated by Elaine Moore, LEX Deputy Editor, Financial Times

Flashtalk: Yuriko Koike, Governor, Tokyo | 10:05 - 10:15am


AI for Local Climate Action | 10:15 - 11:05am
How can AI assist in the fight to reduce global warming and save lives from climate disasters?

Speakers

  • Jennifer Angel, CEO, Evergreen
  • Amen Mashariki, Director, Data Strategies, Bezos Earth Fund
  • Anshu Sharma, Co-Founder, SEEDS India
  • Moderated by Hannah Murphy, Tech Reporter, Financial Times

Flashtalk: Penny Abeywardena, Former Commissioner for International Affairs, New York City | 11:05 - 11:15am


Coffee Break | 11:15am - 12:15pm


The Semiconductor Race | 12:15 - 1:00pm
What role will cities play as the need for skilled workers and emerging technology continues to rise?

Speakers

  • Rashid Bashir, Dean, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • Raja Krishnamoorthi, Representative, IL 8th District, US Congress
  • Jenilee Keefe Singer, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Special Competitive Studies Project
  • Moderated by Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO, AnitaB.org

Lunch Break | 1:00 - 2:30pm


Urban Social Service Access | 2:30 - 3:20pm
How can AI revolutionize the way cities deliver social services to their citizens to make the process more ethical and efficient?

Speakers

  • Hairil Rizal Abdullah, Clinical Director, Office of Value Based Healthcare, Singapore General Hospital
  • Santiago Garces, Chief Information Officer, City of Boston
  • Jenn Thom, Director of Experience Insights, Code for America
  • Jamie VanDodick, Director, AI Ethics and Governance, IBM
  • Moderated by Claire Bushey, Chicago Correspondent, Financial Times

Flashtalk: Eric Jones, Deputy County Executive for Public Safety, Sacramento County | 3:20 - 3:30pm


Deploying AI for Safer Communities | 3:30 - 4:20pm
Is there a way to leverage AI technology equitably, to pursue a goal of safety rather than security?

Speakers

  • Carolina Caeiro, Senior Internet Policy Specialist, Oxford Information Labs
  • Ishanu Chattopadhyay, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Data Science, University of Chicago
  • Neal Parikh, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of International & Public Affairs, Columbia University
  • Moderated by Hannah Murphy, Tech Reporter, Financial Times

Tech is Only Part of the Solution | 4:20 - 5:05pm
What do effective human touchpoints for AI deployment look like, and why are they important?

Speakers

  • Celina Bottino, Project Director, Institute for Technology and Society Rio
  • Renee Cummings, Assistant Professor, School of Data Science, University of Virginia
  • Bianca Wylie, Co-Founder and Partner, Digital Public
  • Moderated by Beth Blauer, Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation, Johns Hopkins University

Night Owl

Starts at 8:30pm | Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker Dr.
Join fellow attendees for a casual after-hours networking session at The Living Room Bar and Lounge

Day 3: Wednesday, November 15

Breakfast and Networking

Starts at 8:00am | Rosebud Randolph, 130 E. Randolph St.

The Book Cellar

Starts at 8:00am | Rosebud Randolph, 130 E. Randolph St.
Stop by to explore a collection of impactful books on global cities and urban policy.

Mainstage Programming

Program starts at 9:15am | Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Conference Center, 130 E. Randolph St.

What's Next: City Diplomacy for Urban AI | 9:15 - 9:55am
Global collaboration is essential to ensure AI technology adheres to shared ethical standards and principles. But where does that collaboration start? And who defines the shared principles?

Speakers

  • Michael Donaldson Carbón, Commissioner for Urban Innovation, Barcelona City Council
  • Ian Klaus, Founding Director, Carnegie California
  • In conversation with Penny Abeywardena, Former Commissioner for International Affairs, New York City

Closing Remarks | 9:55 - 10:00am


Deep Dive Workshops

Invitation only | Program is from 10:30am - 12:00pm | Offsite locations

AI to Localize SDGs
This workshop will highlight examples of collaborative partnerships enabling equitable progress toward sustainability goals, and discuss the groundwork cities must lay before embarking on a journey to localize SDGs using AI.

Speakers

  • Micheline Ayoub, Executive Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age
  • Martin Canning, Executive Director, Government Innovation, Evergreen
  • Moderated by Kris Hartley, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, City University of Hong Kong

AI, Disinformation, and the Future of Journalism
This workshop will explore examples of AI being utilized to support free exchange of factual information, and how cities can ensure information shared with citizens is trustworthy.

Speakers

  • Carolina Caeiro, Senior Internet Policy Specialist, Oxford Information Labs
  • Florencia Coelho, Co-founder, La Nación Data
  • Ryan Merkley, Senior Technology Fellow, The Aspen Institute
  • Moderated by Ann Dwyer, Editor, Crain's Chicago Business

Creating an Ecosystem for AI Innovation
This workshop will examine how citizens and communities can be involved in the development of AI strategies, particularly through building knowledge about AI and ethical guidelines for use. It will also discuss what successful multi-sector collaborations look like, and how they are achieved.

Speakers

  • Christine Keung, General Partner, J2 Ventures
  • Hashim Mteuzi, Senior Program Director, Local Initiatives, Code for America
  • Satya Pandey, Chief Technology Officer – Investment Banking, William Blair
  • Neal Parikh, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of International & Public Affairs, Columbia University
  • Jenilee Keefe Singer, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Special Competitive Studies Project
  • Moderated by Michael Koh, Executive Fellow, Centre for Liveable Cities

Cities, Safety, and AI Ethics
In collaboration with Peace in our Cities, this workshop will examine the impact of AI-powered public safety and surveillance tools and explore how ethics can inform the design and use of AI tools to build peace in our cities. We'll discuss the important role of new technology in enhancing urban safety while respecting the rights of all residents.

Speakers

  • Celina Bottino, Project Director, Institute for Technology and Society Rio
  • Morgan Hitzig, Head of Operations and Growth Strategy, Peregrine
  • Max Isaacs, Senior Staff Attorney, Policing Project
  • Eric Jones, Deputy County Executive for Public Safety, Sacramento County
  • Stephen Lamoreaux, Director, Crime Data Analytics, Detroit Police Department
  • Moderated by Rachel Locke, Director, Violence, Inequality and Power Lab, University of San Diego

Closing Lunch

Starts at 12:00pm | Rosebud Randolph, 130 E. Randolph St.

Speakers

Ivo Daalder speaking on stage
Two people sit in chairs, talking on stage
People sit in chairs on stage

Our speakers represent a diverse cross-section of local and global leaders who come together to explore our world’s most pressing urban challenges from policymakers and scholars to business and civic leaders.

About the 2023 Speakers
Penny Abeywardena
Former Commissioner for International Affairs, New York City
Headshot for Penny Abeywardena
Penny Abeywardena has held leadership roles in philanthropy, government, and multilateral institutions for more than 20 years. She is a contributing columnist at Forbes on leadership strategies. Her contributions have been recognized and celebrated by the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, among others. She was recently appointed to the rank of Knight in France’s National Order of Merit.
Headshot for Penny Abeywardena
CEO, Evergreen
Headshot for Jen Angel
Jen Angel is a builder of community, momentum, and places people love. As CEO of Evergreen, Angel leads the creation of inclusive, regenerative public spaces that bring people together with nature and each other. Headquartered at Evergreen Brick Works, and supporting communities across Canada to steward better places, Evergreen is helping to build better cities for people and the planet.
Headshot for Jen Angel
Micheline Ayoub
Executive Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age
Headshot for Micheline Ayoub
Micheline Ayoub, PhD, is the executive director of sustainability at the Digital Age and the Future Earth Canada Hub. Her expertise ranges from data management to multi-stakeholder partnership development to the use of AI for multi-omic data analysis in sustainable agriculture. She has 20 years of experience promoting science-based evidence and cutting-edge technology.
Headshot for Micheline Ayoub
Rashid Bashir
Dean, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
A headshot of Rashid Bashir.
Rashid Bashir is dean of the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. He previously held positions at National Semiconductor, Harvard Medical School, and Purdue University. He has authored and co-authored over 300 journal papers, has 55 patents, and co-founded startups Prenosis, Inc. and VedaBio, Inc. He is a member of National Academy of Medicine and National Academy of Inventors.
A headshot of Rashid Bashir.
Beth Blauer
Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation, Johns Hopkins University
Headshot for Beth Blauer
Beth Blauer is the associate vice provost for public sector innovation at Johns Hopkins University, where she oversees the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence and the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation. Under her leadership, the centers hosted, led, and supported the Coronavirus Resource Center. In 2022 Blauer was inducted into the National Academy of Public Administration.
Headshot for Beth Blauer
Celina Bottino
Project Director, Institute of Technology and Society Rio
Headshot for Celina Bottino
Celina Bottino is an expert on human rights and technology, affiliated with Harvard's Berkman Klein Center, and project director at ITS. She holds a master’s degree in human rights from Harvard University and formerly was a researcher at Human Rights Watch in New York and a supervisor at the Human Rights Clinic in Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV Rio).
Headshot for Celina Bottino
Chicago Correspondent, Financial Times
Claire Bushey headshot
Claire Bushey is the FT's Chicago correspondent. She reports on Boeing, Ford, General Motors, and all US airlines. She has covered the 737 Max crisis, the Miami condo collapse, the troubles of EV maker Nikola, and the trial of the police officer who murdered George Floyd. Before joining the FT, she wrote for Crain's Chicago Business.
Claire Bushey headshot
Carolina Caeiro
Senior Internet Policy Specialist, Oxford Information Labs
Carolina Caeiro headshot
Outside of Oxford Information Labs, Carolina Caeiro is also an academy fellow at Chatham House. She specializes in technology governance, with a focus on perspectives from the Global South. From Argentina, she worked for Latin America's first fact-checking organization and the Internet Registry, LACNIC. She's committed to building frameworks to ensure technology has a positive impact on society.
Carolina Caeiro headshot
Martin Canning
Executive Director, Government Innovation, Evergreen
Headshot for Martin Canning
At Evergreen Canada, Martin Canning helps develop the organization’s next generation programs and finds the partners and investments to support them. Prior to Evergreen, he was a senior advisor to the government of Ontario on capital planning and procurement policy; and co-designed innovative infrastructure programs across numerous strategic policy domains.
Headshot for Martin Canning
Michael Donaldson Carbón
Commissioner for Urban Innovation, Barcelona City Council
Headshot for Michael Donaldson Carbón
Michael Donaldson Carbón is the commissioner for urban innovation with the Barcelona city council and previously was commissioner for innovation, electronic administration, and good government. Donaldson Carbón has worked as director of strategic planning and central services in Rubí and Gavà, Spain. He is a trainer in open government and transparency and has published several pieces on public management.
Headshot for Michael Donaldson Carbón
Ishanu Chattopadhyay
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Data Science, University of Chicago
Ishanu Chattopadhyay headshot
Ishanu Chattopadhyay is an assistant professor of medicine and data science at the University of Chicago. An expert in AI and machine learning, he designs algorithms to predict trajectories of complex systems including pathogen mutations, human diseases, and social systems. He was the recipient of DARPA's Young Faculty Award in 2020 for studying cognitive dissonance and opinion dynamics.
Ishanu Chattopadhyay headshot
Florencia Coelho
Co-Founder, La Nación Data
Florencia Coelho headshot
Florencia Coelho is co-founder of La Nación Data, having joined in 2006 as part of the Nueva Redacción project to familiarize journalists and managers with the potential of digital. She's a JSK Stanford Journalism Fellow, researching AI challenges and opportunities for journalism. She is focused on data journalism, open data, transparency, crowdsourcing, AI, climate change, and biodiversity crisis.
Florencia Coelho headshot
Renée Cummings
Professor of Practice in Data Science, University of Virginia
Headshot for Renee Cummings
Renée Cummings, a 2023 VentureBeat AI Innovator Award winner, is an artificial intelligence, data, and tech ethicist, and the first data activist-in-residence at the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science, where she was named professor of practice in data science. She is committed to using AI to empower and transform, helping governments and organizations navigate the AI landscape.
Headshot for Renee Cummings
CEO, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Headshot of Ivo H. Daalder
Ivo H. Daalder served as the US ambassador to NATO from 2009 to 2013. He joined the Council as president in 2013 and took on the new role of CEO in 2023. Previously, he was a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution and served as director for European affairs on President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council. He is the author or editor of 10 books.
Headshot of Ivo H. Daalder
Ann Dwyer
Editor, Crain’s Chicago Business
Headshot for Ann Dwyer
Ann Dwyer is the editor of Crain’s Chicago Business, overseeing all aspects of its news operation. She took on the position in 2019, becoming the first woman to do so since the publication's founding in 1978.
Headshot for Ann Dwyer
Nick Farina
Co-founder and CEO, EeroQ
Headshot for Nick Farina
Nick Farina is co-founder and CEO of EeroQ, a Chicago-based company building a highly differentiated quantum computer (QC) using trapped electrons above the surface of liquid helium. He's a fixture on the QC scene. Farina has served as an advisor to multiple Fortune 500 companies, venture capital firms, and top-tier consultancies on the development of quantum computing for business.
Headshot for Nick Farina
David Graff
Vice President, Global Policy & Standards, Trust & Safety, Google
David Graff's headshot
David Graff is vice president of Google's Global Policy and Standards team, within Trust & Safety. He is responsible for leading an internationally based group of policy experts and legal professionals that develop policies to improve user experiences across a wide variety of Google products. Before joining Google, Graff spent over 25 years in high-profile roles with public and private companies.
David Graff's headshot
Kris Hartley
Nonresident Fellow, Global Cities
Headshot for Kris Hartley
Kris Hartley is assistant professor of public policy at City University of Hong Kong and a nonresident fellow at the Council since 2015. He researches power and knowledge in the policymaking process, focusing on technology and the environment. Hartley has served as a Fulbright Scholar in Thailand and has published three books, including one with Cambridge University Press.
Headshot for Kris Hartley
Morgan Hitzig
Head of Operations and Growth Strategy, Peregrine
Morgan Hitzig headshot
Morgan Hitzig leads strategy and operations for Peregrine, a data analytics platform that helps public safety agencies solve problems by making data more accessible and actionable. She previously served as senior director of strategic partnerships at Dataminr, a leading AI business focused on event and risk detection. Previously, Hitzig was also an analyst with the NYPD's Counterterrorism Bureau.
Morgan Hitzig headshot
Max Isaacs
Senior Staff Attorney, Policing Project
Headshot for Max Isaacs
Max Isaacs is a senior staff attorney with the Policing Project. His work focuses on emerging policing technologies and their implications for civil rights, civil liberties, and racial justice.
Headshot for Max Isaacs
Brandon Johnson
Mayor, City of Chicago
Headshot for Brandon Johnson
Mayor Johnson began his career as a public school teacher before becoming an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, where he led multi-racial coalitions to defend neighborhood schools from privatization. He was elected Cook County Commissioner for the first district in 2018 and led the effort to pass the Just Housing Ordinance. In 2023, Johnson was elected mayor of Chicago.
Headshot for Brandon Johnson
Deputy County Executive, Sacramento County
A headshot of Eric Jones.
Eric Jones is a nationally recognized advocate for principled policing, evidence-based practices, and strengthening relationships between law enforcement and communities. He has served as Sacramento County’s deputy county executive for the Public Safety and Justice Agency since February 2022, where he oversees the departments of Coroner, Probation, Public Defender, and Conflict Criminal Defender.
A headshot of Eric Jones.
General Partner, J2 Ventures
A headshot of Christine Keung.
Christine Keung's career spans the public and private sector, having worked in all levels of government, served in leadership roles at high-growth companies like Dropbox and Figma, and held investment roles at Bridgewater Associates and Atomic VC. Keung is a State Department Fulbright Scholar, Tech Policy fellow at the Aspen Institute, and a member of Schmidt Futures' International Strategy Forum.
A headshot of Christine Keung.
Ian Klaus
Founding Director, Carnegie California
Council expert Ian Klaus
Ian Klaus is a leading scholar on the nexus of urbanization, geopolitics, and global challenges, with extensive experience as a practitioner of subnational diplomacy. Klaus co-led and served as the series editor for the Summary for Urban Policymakers, a landmark report that distilled over 8,000 pages of IPCC science into 80 pages of accessible, policy-relevant material for urban policymakers.
Council expert Ian Klaus
Michael Koh
Executive Fellow, Centre for Liveable Cities
Headshot for Michael Koh
Michael Koh is an executive fellow with the Centre for Liveable Cities at Singapore's Ministry of National Development. He has 25 years of experience in public service including appointments as CEO of the National Heritage Board and the National Art Gallery. He has also worked in the private sector with real estate firms such as Mapletree Holdings and SC Global.
Headshot for Michael Koh
Governor, Tokyo
Yuriko Koike headshot
Yuriko Koike is the Governor of Tokyo. Re-elected for a second term in 2020, she’s Tokyo’s first female governor. Koike has previously served as a member of the House of Representatives of Japan and has held several cabinet positions, including Minister of the Environment and Minister of Defense.
Yuriko Koike headshot
United States Congressman for Illinois’ 8th District
Black and white headshot of Raja Krishnamoorthi
Raja Krishnamoorthi represents the 8th District of Illinois, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs. He is the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party and is also a member of the Emerging Leaders Class of 2010.
Black and white headshot of Raja Krishnamoorthi
Stephen Lamoreaux
Director, Crime Data Analytics, Detroit Police Department
Headshot for Stephen Lamoreaux
Stephen Lamoreaux currently serves as the director of Crime Data Analytics for the Detroit Police Department where he has worked in a variety of roles. His focus with DPD has been on developing new analyses, improving data collection and automation, building capacity, and implementing technology in support of crime reduction strategies.
Headshot for Stephen Lamoreaux
Alison Lands
Head of Strategy, SkyHive Technologies
Headshot for Alison Lands
Alison Lands leads strategy at SkyHive Technologies, a global innovator in AI skills intelligence. As SkyHive’s resident “skills evangelist,” she partners with stakeholders across the workforce ecosystem to create strategies for skills resilience and economic mobility, including Fortune 500 employers, postsecondary institutions, national, state, and local governments, and nonprofit organizations.
Headshot for Alison Lands
Danielle Li
Associate Professor, Technical Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management, MIT Sloane School of Management
Danielle Li headshot
Danielle Li is an associate professor of technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategy at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her research uses data analytics to study how organizations evaluate people and ideas and the economic consequences of those decisions. Her work has been published in leading academic journals and has been covered in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Danielle Li headshot
Rachel Locke
Director, Violence, Inequality and Power Lab, University of San Diego
Headshot for Rachel Locke
Rachel Locke is director of the Violence, Inequality and Power (VIP) Lab at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, University of San Diego. In previous roles, Locke served as head of research for violence prevention with the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies at New York University and Senior Policy Advisor for Conflict Mitigation at USAID.
Headshot for Rachel Locke
John Lorinc
Journalist and Editor
JL Headshot
John Lorinc is a Toronto journalist and editor who writes about cities, climate, and business. He contributes to publications such as The Globe and Mail, Corporate Knights, and Spacing Magazine, where he is senior editor. He's the author of three other books and is the Toronto non-fiction editor for Coach House Books. He has edited or co-edited seven anthologies in Coach House's uTOpia series.
JL Headshot
Amen Ra Mashariki
Director of Data Strategies and AI lead, Bezos Earth Fund
Amen Ra Mashariki headshot
Amen Ra Mashariki is the director of data strategies and the AI lead at the Bezos Earth Fund, where he works to identify strategies and solutions that will help environmental justice organizations use AI to solve complex issues. He was previously a senior principal scientist at NVIDIA, where he led their global Urban AI initiatives, and was the first chief analytics officer for New York City.
Amen Ra Mashariki headshot
Ryan Merkley
Senior Technology Fellow, Aspen Institute
Ryan Merkley headshot
Ryan Merkley works across many topics including AI, open source, intellectual property, data and privacy, and information integrity. He is also the CEO of an emerging biotech non-profit, as well as an affiliate of the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, the founding Chair of the Flickr Foundation, and a board member at VotingWorks.
Ryan Merkley headshot
Elaine Moore
Deputy Editor of LEX, Financial Times
A headshot of Elaine Moore.
Elaine Moore is deputy editor of the FT’s Lex column and writes commentary on the technology industry from the San Francisco bureau. Prior to this she covered global government debt from London, with a particular focus on the debt crisis in Greece, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
A headshot of Elaine Moore.
Hashim Mteuzi
Senior Program Director, Local Initiatives, Code for America
Hashim Mteuzi headshot
In his position at Code for America, Hashim Mteuzi champions race equity and poverty alleviation. His work improves local government service delivery for marginalized communities. He created the Community Fellowship Program and has partnered with 15 governments to elevate essential services to underserved people. Mteuzi advocates collective well-being and self-determination.
Hashim Mteuzi headshot
Hannah Murphy
Tech Reporter, Financial Times
Hannah Murphy headshot
Hannah Murphy is a tech reporter at the Financial Times on the social media beat writing about Meta, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube, based out of San Francisco. She has previously covered crypto and cybersecurity. In addition, she regularly moderates panels for FT Live and at other conferences and c-suite events, and won the MHP 30 under 30 To Watch: Young Journalists of the Year award in 2018.
Hannah Murphy headshot
CTO - Investment Banking, William Blair
Headshot for Satya Pandey
Satya Pandey is the CTO of Investment Banking at William Blair, specializing in implementing AI and advanced software solutions to drive transformation. He previously founded a start-up that developed an AI-powered app for home sellers. His 20+ years of experience spans the technology space, and his AI expertise is underpinned by a comprehensive understanding of the technology's impact potential.
Headshot for Satya Pandey
Adjunct Associate Professor, School of International & Public Affairs, Columbia University
Headshot for Neal Parikh
Neal Parikh is a computer scientist who most recently served as the first director of artificial intelligence for New York City and is currently adjunct associate professor at Columbia. Previously, he co-founded a technology startup, SevenFifty, which was acquired after 10 years in operation, and was a fellow at the Aspen Institute. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford.
Headshot for Neal Parikh
Chair, Aspen Institute Board of Trustees
Headshot for Margot Pritzker
Margot Pritzker is chair of the Aspen Institute board of trustees and a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She is the co-founder and executive chair of the Community Food Navigator, as well as a board member for Urban Growers Collective, Grow Greater Englewood, and the Israel Now Education Foundation.
Headshot for Margot Pritzker
Clinical Director, Office of Value Based Healthcare, Singapore General Hospital
Headshot for Hairil Rizal Abdullah
Hairil Rizal is a senior consultant anesthesiologist and the clinical director for the Office of Value Based Healthcare (OVBH) in Singapore General Hospital. His passion for lifelong learning has led him to be awarded the National Medical Research Council of Singapore Research Training Fellowship in 2020 and the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship by the Public Service Commission, Singapore in 2022.
Headshot for Hairil Rizal Abdullah
Noelle Russell
Data and AI Lead, Accenture Federal Services
Noelle Russel's headshot
Noelle Russell is an award-winning technologist with an entrepreneurial spirit who specializes in helping companies with data, cloud, conversational AI, Generative AI, and LLMs. She has led teams at NPR, Microsoft, IBM, AWS and Amazon Alexa, and is a consistent champion for data and AI literacy. She is a recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for Artificial Intelligence.
Noelle Russel's headshot
Anshu Sharma
Co-Founder, SEEDS
Headshot for Anshu Sharma
Dr. Anshu Sharma is a co-founder of SEEDS, a humanitarian organization that received the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2022. Sharma has pioneered technologies for hyper-local risk assessments to help build climate and disaster resilience. He co-founded STS in 2009 as a techno-environment enterprise that enables end-to-end humanitarian interventions at scale.
Headshot for Anshu Sharma
Stephanie Simmons
Founder and Chief Quantum Officer, Photonic Inc.
Stephanie Simmons headshot
Dr. Stephanie Simmons is the founder and chief quantum officer at Photonic Inc., co-chair of the advisory board to Canada’s National Quantum Strategy, and a research chair in Quantum Nanoelectronics, among other titles. She is a leading expert in quantum technologies, condensed matter spin dynamics and control, and silicon spin-photon interfaces.
Stephanie Simmons headshot
Jenilee Keefe Singer
Senior Director of Government Affairs, Special Competitive Studies Project
Jenilee Singer headshot
Prior to her work at SCSP, Jenilee Keefe Singer served in federal government for 16 years, including at the US Commerce Department’s General Counsel Office, Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs Office, and NIST; National Security Commission on AI, and House Appropriations and Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committees.
Jenilee Singer headshot
US Managing Editor, Financial Times
Headshot for Peter Spiegel
Peter Spiegel is currently the US managing editor of the Financial Times. Prior to that, he worked at the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Headshot for Peter Spiegel
Jenn Thom
Director of Experience Insights, Code for America
Headshot for Jennifer Thom
Jenn Thom leads a research team at Code for America focused on understanding the beliefs, needs, and values of people to create a foundation for life-changing products and services for a human-centered government. Previously, she led a team at Spotify in prototyping machine learning experiences and built language understanding models for Amazon Alexa.
Headshot for Jennifer Thom
Jamie VanDodick
Director, AI Ethics and Governance, IBM
Headshot for Jamie VanDodick
Jamie VanDodick is director, AI ethics and governance for IBM's AI Ethics Board, a multi-disciplinary team responsible for the governance and decision-making process for AI ethics policies and practices. She has held leadership roles at IBM in cybersecurity, GDPR vendor management, supply chain, and CIO. VanDodick holds a JD, MBA, PMP and is a certified Agile Coach.
Headshot for Jamie VanDodick
President and CEO, AnitaB.org
Headshot for Brenda Darden Wilkerson
Brenda Darden Wilkerson is an advocate for access, opportunity, and social justice for historically excluded communities in technology. She currently serves as the president and CEO of AnitaB.org, a global nonprofit organization that connects, inspires, and strives for greater equality for women and non-binary technologists in business, academia, and government.
Headshot for Brenda Darden Wilkerson
Bianca Wylie
Co-Founder and Partner, Digital Public
Bianca Wylie headshot
Bianca Wylie is a writer with a dual technology and public engagement background. She is a partner at Digital Public, founded the Open Data Institute Toronto, and co-founded Civic Tech Toronto. Wylie is on the advisory boards of the Electronic Privacy Information Centre and The Computational Democracy Project and is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.
Bianca Wylie headshot

About

Four women speak while sitting in chairs on-stage
People in the audience laughing during a program
Two people talk while sitting at a table during an event

Since 2015, the Pritzker Forum on Global Cities, cohosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Financial Times, has elevated the role cities play in addressing critical global challenges through its high-level convenings.

The 2023 in-person Pritzker Forum is invitation-only. Watch videos and see the speakers from past events.

About the Chicago Council on Global Affairs

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is an independent, nonpartisan organization that provides insight on critical global issues, advances policy solutions, and fosters dialogue about what is happening in the world and why it matters to people in Chicago, the United States, and around the globe.

About the Financial Times

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organizations, recognized internationally for its authority, integrity, and accuracy. The FT has a record paying readership of one million, three-quarters of which are digital subscriptions. It is part of Nikkei Inc., which provides a broad range of information, news, and services for the global business community.

Three people stand in front of a dinosaur skeleton
Guests attend the opening night reception and dinner for the 2016 Chicago Forum on Global Cities at the Field Museum.
Five people sit in chairs on stage during an event
Gillian Tett, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Abha Joshi Ghani, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees, and Aromar Revi lead a panel discussion at the 2019 Pritzker Forum on Global Cities.
A smartphone with the Global Cities Insights newsletter on the screen.
Want more? Subscribe to "Global Cities Insights," our monthly newsletter, to receive email updates on the Pritzker Forum on Global Cities. Be the first to hear about registration, speaker announcements, and more.

For questions, contact:

Vanessa Vardon

Director, Pritzker Forum on Global Cities