Speaking
Talks, keynotes, and public conversations
Vilas has spoken at more than 285 events — from the World Economic Forum to TEDxPaloAlto to the United Nations General Assembly. He speaks on AI governance, institutional design, philanthropy, and the future of democratic participation.
Speaking topics
AI as Civic Infrastructure
Why governing AI requires the same institutional ambition we brought to electricity, water, and public health, and what that means for policymakers, technologists, and civil society.
Institutional Imagination
We build technologies faster than we build the institutions to govern them. This talk explores what genuinely new governance architecture for AI would look like, and the political will required to build it.
Philanthropy in the Age of AI
When private capital concentrates around a transformative technology, philanthropy has a specific and irreplaceable role. A framework for how foundations can build governance capacity rather than just fund AI tools.
The Future of Work Is a Choice
AI can double productivity with the same workforce or deliver the same output with half the people. Which outcome we get is not determined by the technology. It is determined by design choices. This talk examines who makes those choices and how.
AI and Democratic Governance
How AI systems are reshaping the relationship between citizens and institutions, and what democratic societies must do to ensure that relationship remains one of accountability rather than surveillance.
Board Governance in the Age of AI
What fiduciary duty means when AI systems are making decisions that affect patients, customers, and communities. A practical framework for board-level AI oversight.
Featured talks
A New Code for AI
TEDxPaloAlto · 2023
Why AI governance requires a fundamentally new framework, not updated versions of existing regulation.
AI's Transformative Potential
Asia Society · 2024
How AI can serve public purpose, and what it requires from institutions, philanthropy, and civil society.
Civic Algorithms
Penn State Dickinson Law · 2025
The legal and institutional frameworks needed to govern AI as civic infrastructure.
Past venues (285+ engagements)
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Interested in having Vilas speak at your event?
Vilas speaks at conferences, government forums, foundation convenings, and corporate events. All speaking is subject to availability and mission alignment.