The Future of Artificial Intelligence
Susan Gonzales, Founder & CEO AIandYou, Member of the National ARtificial Intelligence Advisory Committee to the President (NAIAC)
Susan Gonzales, Founder & CEO, brings years of experience in technology, community outreach, and policy to AIandYou. She was recently appointed to the National AI Advisory Committee advising President Biden and the Administration on the National AI Initiative. Susan co-authored "A Blueprint for Equity and Inclusion in AI", released by the World Economic Forum in 2022.
Susan spent most of her career in policy, communications, and community engagement roles for Fortune 500 companies. Prior to launching AIandYou in 2019, Susan created and directed community engagement for Facebook, where she managed a strategic network of global diverse advocacy organizations and educated influencers about tech policy. She has spent most of her career focused on engaging communities around policy issues.
Susan created AIandYou to educate marginalized communities about artificial intelligence and new technologies to level the playing field for those often left behind. Susan brings a unique perspective from Washington, D.C. policy and Silicon Valley to this work.
Dr. Karla Badillo-Urquiola, Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty Fellow, Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society Director, EPOCH Research Lab - University of Notre Dame
Karla Badillo-Urquiola is a Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana, United States). Dr. Badillo-Urquiola is a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research expert, running a laboratory on designing technology-driven solutions that empower people and protect the well-being of youth in marginalized communities, drawing on participatory and critical design methods. At the University of Central Florida, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in Writing and Rhetoric, as well as a master’s and Ph.D. in Modeling and Simulation. She leverages her interdisciplinary background in Psychology and User-centered Design to study adolescent online safety for youth.
Much of her work has centered on youth in foster care, examining how the internet may expose at-risk teens such as foster youth (ages 14-17) to even more sexual risks online and developing effective interventions to empower these youth against sexual predation. Most recently, her work has centered on community-driven AI, investigating how AI advancements can be more culturally sensitive and inclusive of world cultures, traditions, and people, specifically the Global South. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications and won multiple best paper (top 1%), best paper honorable mention (top 5%), and best poster awards at top-tier international and national HCI conferences (i.e., CHI, CSCW, SOUPS). Dr. Badillo-Urquiola is fully committed to building a career and research program focused on reducing the inequalities experienced by youth and developing better solutions that responsibly leverage AI for their protection.
Zaki Barzinji, Senior Director of Empowered Communities, Aspen Digital
Zaki Barzinji is a Senior Director for Aspen Digital, where he oversees a range of projects at the intersection of tech, policy, equity, and justice for underrepresented communities.
Zaki is a public affairs leader with a decade of experience in political campaigns, public service, and policy change at the state and federal level. He served in the White House as Senior Associate Director of Public Engagement and President Obama’s liaison to Arab-Americans, Muslims, Sikhs, and other minority faiths, where he worked to amplify voices and narratives seldom represented at the highest levels of government. Before joining the White House, Zaki served as tech policy advisor and Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Governor Terry McAuliffe, where he helped direct the launch of Virginia’s first open data portal and managed Governor McAuliffe’s national cybersecurity initiative for the National Governors Association. Just prior to joining The Aspen Institute, Zaki worked as the head of state & local government affairs for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he partnered with Governors and Mayors across the country to close the digital divide, modernize tech policy, and leverage emerging technology to rebuild a more resilient and equitable digital infrastructure for all communities in a post-pandemic world.
Zaki’s writing and commentary have appeared in Politico, The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, The Washington Post, CNN, and a variety of other platforms. He is a Virginia native, Hokie, aspiring Jedi, husband to Michelle, and father to Zoon & Amedeo, the world’s only two KashmIraqItalian kids.