2024 New Technologies – Public Knowledge

Public Knowledge organizes Emerging Tech to bring together public interest advocates, policymakers, and companies at the forefront of technology. The event helps inform decision-makers about the promises, potential pitfalls, and policy implications of the rapidly evolving technology dominating headlines and impacting our society in new ways.

We invite industry experts from across the country to a full day of discussion, plus a reception and technology demo where guests can experience the latest technologies first-hand and meet the people behind the development of the next version of the Internet.

In 2024, the event focused on generative AI, XR technologies, and the decentralized web. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) delivered the opening remarks at the event. Congresswoman Eshoo reflected on the major advances in technology she has seen since first entering Congress in 1993 and the new challenges this rapid advancement poses to consumer protection and national security, particularly with the emergence of large language models and generative AI (GAI). She highlighted the “Creating Resources for Every American to Experiment with Artificial Intelligence Act of 2023.” (CREATE AI Act), which she co-authored to create the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource, or NAIRR, a shared national research infrastructure to provide AI researchers and students with greater access to the sophisticated resources, data, and tools needed to develop safe and trustworthy AI. You can watch the keynote here.

Public Knowledge moderator and policy advisor Nick Garcia was joined by speakers from the Foundation for American Innovation, Holo Hosting, and the Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web for a conversation on Decentralized Web: Solutions to Centralized Technology Challenges. Panelists discussed the history and trajectory of decentralized internet technologies and addressed issues related to user experience and digital knowledge preservation, emphasizing the importance of user agency, trust, and competition in the digital age. You can watch the panel here.

Speakers from EQTYLab, Creative Commons’s Open Climate Campaign, BandLab and Metagov gave a series of short talks on different approaches to design and development AI for the public good. Speakers discussed AI systems integrated with cryptographic authentication and verification to increase trustworthiness and reliability, generative AI systems that support musicians through both new tooling and voluntary practices for acquiring training data, and the growing movement for Public AI. The presentations and discussion between the speakers can be viewed here.

Moderator and Tech Policy Press CEO Justin Hendrix was joined in the conversation by speakers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Color of Change, and the XR Association. Intersections with XR technologies. Panelists discussed how exciting advances in augmented reality (XR) technologies (including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality) overlap with some of the most important tech policy issues in DC: privacy, AI, and inclusive design. They highlighted the growing convergence of XR and the industrial metaverse, as well as the challenges of creating policy and ensuring accessibility for all consumers. You can watch the panel here.

Professor Jeff Jarvis of the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and Tech Policy Press CEO and Editor-in-Chief Justin Hendrix gave talks sharing Perspective of media and new technologies. Professor Jeff Jarvis discussed the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, disinformation and the dangers and opportunities of AI for media companies. Justin Hendrix discussed the features that distinguish XR from other digital communication technologies and its implications for the human species. You can watch Professor Jeff Jarvis’ talk here and watch Justin Hendrix’s talk here.

Emerging Tech 2024 also hosted the launch of the Open Future Foundation’s Alignment Assembly report on AI and the Commons. Report author Shannon Hong introduced the innovative Alignment Assembly methodology used to survey Open Culture participants about their attitudes toward AI, then moderated a conversation between co-author Alek Tarkowski and EleutherAI’s head of policy and ethics, Aviya Skowron. The conversation outlined the report’s key finding—two relatively distinct emerging attitudes toward AI represented by the participants in the conversation. You can watch the report presentation and the conversation here.

Many companies and organizations joined the event to showcase some of the latest technologies discussed in the panels. This showcase gives guests the opportunity to experience these emerging technologies first-hand so they can begin to understand both the practical and policy potential of these devices and how they could impact our society. You can take a look at the 2024 and even 2023 technology showcase to learn more about this unique showcase.

In 2024 we were joined by:

TeamLabplatform and toolset enabling musicians to reach a wider audience, included a digital audio workstation.

Cybernetic CollectiveA group of cybersecurity and data privacy experts, technologists, activists, and storytellers fighting for a better internet, presented tips, resources, and materials that people can use to stay safe online, including a password notebook.

EQTYLabwhich develops easy-to-use tools that make AI models transparent and collaborative, introduced ClimateGPT, its flagship AI framework, which was featured during the AI ​​for Public Good presentation.

Filecoin Foundation for a Decentralized Networka non-profit organization that develops open-source software and open protocols for decentralized data storage and retrieval networks, introduced the Starling Lab Data Integrity Framework.

Finishshowcasing the latest and greatest in XR technologies, including the Meta Quest VR headsets and RayBan Meta smart glasses.

XR Association (XRA)which showcased virtual reality (VR) equipment that allowed attendees to immerse themselves in immersive experiences, including the frantic rhythm game Beat Saber and even the company’s flagship social VR app Meta Horizon Worlds.

Contact Michele Ambadiang, our Events Manager, to sponsor this event, join the panel discussions, or attend the 2025 Tech Show to share your own world-changing technology. Watch our YouTube channel to experience more of this momentous event.