You might feel more optimistic about the future today than you did last year. But that’s not exactly a high bar to clear: The slog of the past 18 months has shown us that we’ve still got a few kinks to work out in this whole society thing.
That’s why we bring you RE:WIRED. Navigating the future is going to take some serious work, as well as the willingness and insight to rethink how we shape the world. For two days—November 9th and 10th—WIRED is hosting a series of sessions with some of the top thinkers on the planet (and top thinkers about the planet). We’ll talk with technologists, scientists, artists, actors, and even some royalty about how to build a world that works, well into the future.
Like last year’s iteration of the conference, this will be a virtual event. If you want to watch live—or participate in the Q&A—you’ll need to register here. (Don’t worry, it’s free.) Check back here for updates throughout the two-day extravaganza. We’ll share all the highlights below in this post, and we’ll link out to writeups of the main events along with the full videos.
Day One
What Should the Future of AI Look Like?
Nov. 9, 11am ET
WIRED’s global editorial director Gideon Lichfield sits down with Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures and Yoky Matsuoka, founder and CEO of the personal assistant service Yohana to discuss the future of AI.
Designing for the Future We Want to Inhabit
Nov. 9, 12:30pm ET
Ever seen an iPhone? A MacBook? Well, you’ve got Jony Ive to thank for that. Ive designed nearly every iconic Apple gadget of the past 20 years. Then, in 2019, he left to start a design firm of his own. Here, Ive will talk with Conde Nast global chief content officer Anna Wintour about the future of design and what’s next for him.
Speaking Truth to Biased Algorithms
Nov. 9, 1:30 pm ET
In 2020, former Google researcher Timnit Gebru released a paper that pointed out ethical issues in a certain type of AI software that Google used in its search engine. In response, Google fired her. In this event, Gebru joins WIRED senior writer Tom Simonite to talk about the lack of oversight inside the tech industry and how to develop AI that’s beneficial to society.
The Internet Lie Machine
Nov. 9, 4 pm ET
Prince Harry is no stranger to the rumor mill. After a tumultuous year, the Duke of Sussex joins Renée DiResta, a technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory and Rashad Robinson, president of racial justice organization Color Of Change for a conversation about how social media drives misinformation, online hatred, and propaganda—and what we can do about it. This session is moderated by WIRED editor-at-large Steven Levy.
Sponsored Session
Creative Problem-Solving: Leveraging Technology for Good
Nov. 9, 10 am ET
This conversation with Amy Webb, founder of the business strategy firm Future Today Institute and Kirk Skaugen, the executive vice president of Lenovo is moderated by WIRED’s senior global director of audience development and analytics, Indu Chandrasekhar. (This session is sponsored by Lenovo.)
Day Two
The mRNA Revolution: COVID-19 and Beyond
Nov. 10, 9:30am ET
In the dark days of the pandemic, it may have seemed like Covid vaccines took forever to come out. In reality, they’re among the most rapidly developed vaccines in human history—a genuine scientific marvel. Now, they may usher in an unprecedented era of vaccines for multiple diseases. In this session, WIRED senior public health writer Maryn McKenna moderates a conversation with the CEO of Moderna, Stéphane Bancel and Nahid Bhadelia, the founding director at the BU Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research (CEID).
