On Genius

As the prospect of mass implementation of artificial intelligence begins to alter realistic expectations of its impacts (large and small, positive and negative), the consequences for the business community are only just beginning to be imagined. Unlike the internet, AI is not a new industry — yet its application will radically alter industry.

From election meddling and economic espionage to financial fraud and personal identity theft, it’s becoming clear that cybersecurity is increasingly central to every aspect of the way we live. Both state-sponsored cyber-spies and transnational organized crime groups pose urgent threats online to our nation’s critical infrastructure, our security, and our fundamental values in a democratic society.

With their flights to DC snowed out and votes imminent on the House floor, these two Texas congressmen took to the road to travel the 1,600 miles to the nation’s capital in a rented Chevy Impala. They invited America to join them via Facebook live, and through their spontaneous town hall on wheels, they learned a lot about the issues Americans are dealing with, each other’s core values

Suddenly, machines are learning from gigantic expanding data sets at rapid rates. Almost overnight, machines have acquired abilities that computer scientists have been spending decades to develop. How did a small group of brainy pioneers crack the machine-learning code? By designing machines that work like brains, of course.

Our social nature is a major driver of our creativity: We constantly strive to engage and surprise each other, our inventiveness giving us reasons to tune in. Drawing on The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World, the book he co-authored with neuroscientist David Eagleman

The Second Mountain: The Next Big Challenge in Your Life

Just because robots can do jobs that humans otherwise do, does that mean that they should? This question becomes especially difficult when we task a robot with applying lethal force. At an alarming rate, militaries from around the globe are employing AI to optimize operations and build weapons systems (i.e. robots!) to take on more and more roles and tasks previously undertaken by human warfighter

The high seas comprise 40 percent of the surface of our planet, 64 percent of the ocean surface, and nearly 95 percent of its volume, yet they are largely ungoverned and unprotected.

Most of us face the desire to be creative within busy, scheduled lives. Therefore, creativity involves carving out and holding space in the midst of complex personal and professional demands and very real performance goals. This workshop frames creativity as a process of “art thinking.”

Hacking, Disinformation, and a New Cold War with Russia

Can a transformative solution built on the conservative principles of free markets and limited government save the planet? Now that the United States is backing out of the Paris climate accord, many believe that any significant reduction to greenhouse gas emissions must be led by the business community. Can such a business-led effort toa promote carbon dividends —

This is not a moment to take democracy for granted. The 2016 emergence of Donald Trump and his populist counterparts in Europe didn’t signal the start of something new. Rather, they announced a long simmering, troubling trend away from liberal democracy in the United States and elsewhere. How did we get here? How are Western values shifting? What might the future hold?

For 60 years, the US government has been laying secret doomsday plans to save itself in the event of nuclear war — even while the rest of us die. Today, a third generation of doomsday planners are settling into life inside a network of bunkers that are staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to house top government officials in the event of catastrophe.

Markets Can Solve the Global Energy and Climate Challenge, if We Let Them

Economic Policy

Hate groups and hate-fueled incidents are spiking in America. What is the evidence of this rising tide, and what does it look like in our communities? What groups are most frequently targeted today? What theories might explain this rise, and what can Americans who value tolerance do to fight back?

The Future of Human-Robot Interaction

Are we a union, or are we 50 states? States are finding themselves at odds with federal policy on a wide range of issues: immigration enforcement, marijuana legalization, environmental regulation, health issues including reproductive services and Medicaid, and social issues from gay marriage to who can use what bathroom. What are the constitutional roots of these conflicts?

Aspen Ideas Festival Young Adult Forum