"AI and Society: Opportunities and Risks We Must Balance"

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Artificial intelligence is not just transforming how work gets done — it is reshaping culture, norms, power, and expectations across society. From how decisions are made and who holds influence, to how we learn, create, parent, govern, and connect, AI is quietly rewriting the rules of engagement.

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In this panel, leaders from technology, culture, and governance explore AI as a force that extends far beyond productivity gains and business outcomes. Drawing parallels to earlier technological shifts — from the internet to the smartphone — the conversation examines how well-intentioned innovations can produce unintended cultural consequences when adoption outpaces reflection.

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Panelists will discuss AI as both a mechanism of opportunity and a source of risk: accelerating innovation while also amplifying bias, misinformation, surveillance, and power imbalances. They will explore why AI literacy and cultural awareness are now essential leadership capabilities, and why organizations cannot afford to focus solely on how to use AI without also considering how AI is using us.

Rather than offering simplistic answers, this session invites attendees to grapple with the real tensions leaders face today: speed versus stewardship, automation versus agency, and innovation versus responsibility.

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Through this session, you'll walk away with:

1. A deeper understanding of AI’s cultural and societal ripple effects. Learn how AI is influencing norms, behavior, trust, creativity, and human relationships — often in ways that are invisible until they become unavoidable.

2. A practical lens for responsible AI leadership. Gain tools for evaluating AI decisions through both cultural and governance perspectives, helping leaders balance innovation with equity, transparency, and accountability.

3. Better questions to guide AI adoption inside and outside the organization. Leave with a shared language and concrete prompts to help teams, boards, and communities discuss not just what AI enables, but what it changes — and whether those changes are intentional.

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Speaker Bio:

Dr. Rod Berger is a strategic storyteller, media host, author, and interviewer who helps leaders, organizations, and communities make meaning through story. With a doctorate in psychology and thousands of interviews with global leaders, Rod operates at the intersection of narrative, culture, and humanity. His work explores how storytelling is not just a communication tool, but a leadership currency that shapes trust, clarity, and connection in moments of change.

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A longtime contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur, Rod has traveled the world capturing stories that matter, from conversations with United Nations officials and the Pope on the global refugee crisis to documenting literacy efforts in Uganda and clean water initiatives on the Kenyan border. He is the author of The Narrative Edge: Authentic Storytelling That Meets the Moment and currently serves as a Strategic Advisor to the Refugee & Migrant Education Network, an Advisory Board Member for JRG Ventures and Stand Up & Learn, and a CultureCon Contributor and Storyteller in Residence.

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