EDWARD O’KEEFE is the CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. He previously spent two decades in broadcast and digital media at ABC News, CNN, and NowThis.

The 2024 presidential election cycle has been an almost literal rollercoaster ride. Join renowned pollster David Paleologos of Suffolk University's Political Research Center who will discuss the most recent Suffolk University survey results, the crucial issues motivating voters, and the key demographics that could make-or-break this next most unprecedented presidential election.

The state-run guardianship system, called conservatorship in some states, is largely unregulated, ill-understood, and increasingly populated by financially motivated predators. Just how guardianship works and its real-life effects remained a mystery to most until the very public case of pop star Britney Spears. It suddenly became clear that those conscripted into the system lose all their civil rights in the process. Currently, there are an estimated 1.5 to 2 million Americans under court control, but no one can say for sure how many are affected because no government entity keeps track of citizens who have lost the right to determine their own fate.

Established in the late 1800s, the guardianship system was designed to assist the most vulnerable citizens: the elderly and the physically or intellectually disabled. While guardianship has been beneficial to many “wards of the court,” this little-understood process can be a judicial rollercoaster from which there is seldom an escape, and which often leads to financial devastation for the ward. Each year, fifty billion dollars belonging to wards are placed under the control of court appointees, tempting bad actors. As investigative journalist Diane Dimond discovers, the number of exploitive and abusive guardianship cases nationwide demands our urgent attention.

Explosive and compelling, We're Here to Help tells the human stories behind the headlines and shows how to avoid the risks of voluntary or involuntary guardianship.

Sarah Boonin serves as Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and the Director of Clinical Programs, overseeing Suffolk’s nationally ranked Clinical Programs and Externships, Legal Practice Skills Program, trial advocacy programs, and other specialized experiential programs. She has been working in the adult guardianship area for the last 15 years, representing hundreds of family caregivers in these proceedings.

Diane Dimond is an award-winning author, investigative journalist, syndicated columnist, and TV commentator. Her book, We’re Here to Help on the abusive and often criminal element within the nation’s guardianship/conservatorship system—the culmination of her more than eight years of investigation— is a stark look at a system that was designed to protect the nation’s at-risk population but, sadly, has morphed into a predatory playground for greedy bad actors.

In today’s world, Artificial Intelligence’s implications are not yet fully understood, so how can we leverage this technology to ensure it serves us as an asset for all?

In this closing plenary session of the MIT Solve flagship event, solvers tell stories to help us understand how we use AI systems to help build a more stable, fair and delightful world.

With:
Hala Hanna, MIT Solve
Seth Dobrin, CEO Quantum AI and Nayeema Raza, host of Mixed Signals
Pattie Maes, MIT Media Lab
Amr AboDraiaa. CEO Rology, Gatanjali Rao, UNICEF Youth Advocate, founder of Vervient Foundation & Michele Malejki. Global Head of Social Impact at HP
Smita Sharma, photojournalist and TED Fellow
Imara Jones, founder and CEO TransLash Media - Ayan Kishore - CEO Benetech, Danielle Forward, CEO and co-founder Natives Rising.
Devshi Mehrotra, CEO Justice Text

Cambridge Forum continues its series AI: Servant or Master with Greg Epstein

exploring the global worship of technology and discussing what prompted him to write Tech Agnostic. Epstein contends that technology has overtaken religion as the chief influencer in 21st Century life and community. He questions whether technology is deserving of our trust, and who profits from our uncritical faith in it? Epstein argues for tech agnosticism, not worship, and encourages us all to exert a critical freethinking perspective toward innovation, until it proves itself worthy of our faith.

He will be joined by Gideon Lichfield, journalist and science writer, former editor-in-chief of WIRED magazine and MIT Technology Review He now focuses on the future of democracy and governance which he covers in his weekly newsletter, Futurepolis.

Cambridge Forum kicks off a new series AI: Servant or Master with Professor Gary Marcus, one of the most trusted voices in artificial intelligence, well-known for his knowledge about the challenges and risks of AI.

In his latest book, 'Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure that AI Works for Us', Marcus shows how Big Tech is taking advantage of us, how AI could make things much worse, and most importantly, what we can do to safeguard our democracy, our society and our future.
Marcus explains the potential risks of AI in the clearest possible terms and how Big Tech has effectively captured policymakers. Marcus offers eight suggestions for what a coherent AI policy should cover from data rights to layered AI oversight to meaningful tax reform. In addition to being a scientist and best-selling author, Marcus was founder and CEO of Geometric.AI, a machine-learning company acquired by Uber.

Marcus is joined by an international expert on AI - Stuart J Russell, Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley. Russell is co-chair of the World Economic Forum Council on AI and the OECD Expert Group on AI Futures; he is also a US representative to the Global Partnership on AI. His textbook "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" (with Peter Norvig) is used in over 1,500 universities in 135 countries. His current concerns include the threat of autonomous weapons & the long-term future of artificial intelligence and its relation to humanity. The latter topic is the subject of his book, "Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control".

Layla Al-Sheikh lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2002, her 6-month-old son, Qussay, became ill, and Israeli soldiers prevented her from seeking medical attention. Qussay soon died from the lack of timely treatment. 
Layla joined the Parents Circle in 2016. Following her son’s death, she never thought of revenge but rather devoted her time and energy to ensuring a better, more peaceful future for her children.

Robi Damelin, spokesperson and director of International Relations for the Parents Circle - Families Forum joined the organization after her son was killed by a Palestinian Sniper. All her work on the ground both in Palestine and Israel and internationally is geared towards non-violence and reconciliation as a means to end the occupation. Robi was named as a 2015 Woman of Impact by Women in the World.