Past Events

Viral Voices: Whose Responsibility?

The virtual panel "Viral Voices: Whose Responsibility" took place on September 21st, 2021. The discussion revolved around the question of how can social media both protect free speech and, at the same time, combat the spread of misinformation and protect users and others from harm?

Our panelists were Helen Margetts, Professor of Society and the Internet and Professorial Fellow at Mansfield College, University of Oxford, Shane Tews, Senior Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Kate Klonick, Assistant Professor of Law at St. John’s University. Tarleton Gillespie, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research New England, delivered a response to the panelists. The discussion was moderated by Patrick Wolfe, Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science at Purdue University. You can watch the recording of the event here.

Censoring Viral Voices: Who Wins, Who Loses?

The public lecture “Censoring Viral Voices: Who Wins, Who Loses?” took place on September 20th, 2021. Entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy discussed the implications of limiting free speech on social media. He identified three principles supporting a healthy democracy: a high percentage of people who feel safe to express their opinions publicly, one's voice counts equally regardless of their class status, and solving our differences through speech, not force. You can watch the recording of the lecture here.

Indiana Future of Tech Commission Town Hall

On June 23rd, 2021, the project's Principal Investigator, Dean Reingold, and Dean Wolfe co-hosted a virtual town hall organized by The Future of Tech Commission, an independent and bipartisan working group of civic leaders developing a comprehensive, inclusive tech policy agenda for the nation. The discussion was led by Roberto Gallardo, Director of the Purdue University Center for Regional Development. The Town Hall on Digital Access and Workforce Development in Rural and Agricultural Communities provided a local perspective on broadband access in rural Indiana and discussed both local and federal possible solutions to this issue, which has been made even more visible during the pandemic. You can watch the recording of the event here.

Defining Ethical Leadership

The virtual event Defining Ethical Leadership took place on October 28th, 2020. The discussion revolved around two framing questions: How should we define the concept of ethical leadership, and what does the concept of ethical leadership need to include in relation to challenges posed by emerging technologies such as AI and Big Data?

Our speakers were Philip Brey, Professor of Philosophy of Technology at the Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, and Michael Lamb, Assistant Professor of Politics, Ethics, and Interdisciplinary Humanities and Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. The conversation was moderated by Natasha Singer, the New York Times technology reporter, and Gary MacDougal, who served as CEO of a Fortune 1000 company for 17 years, and was a partner of McKinsey & Company, delivered a response to the speakers. You can watch the recording of the event here.