AI 2030 Event Series · U.S. cities & international hubs
Tech Pulse
2030
An evening series of candid conversations with the visionary thinkers and doers shaping AI, Web3, fintech and quantum, followed by networking with the community.
About the series
A community gathering for the people building what’s next.
Tech Pulse 2030 is more than an event. It’s a movement showcasing the brightest minds and fostering deep engagement among leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers, exploring the real-world impact of emerging technologies and charting a future where responsible innovation drives progress for business and society.
What began in Chicago with 1871 and Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), in partnership with Programmers, now spans multiple U.S. cities and international hubs: 50+ high-impact events, 50,000+ professionals and academic partners, 300+ world-class speakers and 10+ industries. It’s your platform to learn, connect and lead.
Format
How an evening works
A moderator leads a panel of practitioners through real use cases, trade-offs and open questions.
The room puts its own questions to speakers, from regulation to cost to deployment.
The evening closes with time to meet founders, researchers, investors and peers.
On the calendar
Upcoming Tech Pulse 2030 editions
From the archive
Recent conversations
Chicago AI founders from Gopher Security, FalconFirst AI, Loremex and CyberArmor.AI, moderated by Antares Capital.
Sep 1, 2026 · ChicagoNo. 70 · The Physical Internet of AI: Data Centers, Energy and ArchitectureThe chips, power and water behind AI, with the City of Chicago and the University of Illinois.
Jun 3, 2026 · New YorkNo. 65 · Building the Responsible AI CityAt Celonis, One World Trade Center: governable cities and New York’s AI power map, with Sidewalk Labs and Google.
May 5, 2026 · ChicagoNo. 59 · Operationalizing AI at ScaleMoving beyond pilots to AI programs that last, with JPMorganChase, Accenture, AWS, Google and Programmers.
Apr 21, 2026 · ChicagoNo. 57 · Quantum + AI: Building the Future of Applied IntelligencePutting quantum and AI to work, with IBM, the University of Chicago and the State of Illinois.
Featured past speakers
300+ speakers have taken the Tech Pulse 2030 stage
Sayeh AmirshaghaghiCity of Chicago
Mahesh ViswanathanProfessor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Kristi DulaState of Illinois DCEO
Muddassir SiddiqiPresident, College of DuPage
Sibyl ChenGeneral Manager, Berkeley SkyDeck
Howie XuChief AI & Innovation Officer, Gen
Ngan MacDonaldDirector, Data Innovation Lab, Mathematica
Patrick TammerStrategy Lead & Chief of Staff, AI & Infrastructure, Google
Shreya AminFormer Chief AI Officer, State of New York
Mohammed El-KebirAssociate Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Julie WonCouncil Member (26), New York City Council
Juan C. RojasAssociate Chief Medical Information Officer, Rush University System for Health
Jayeeta PutatundaDirector, AI Center of Excellence, Fitch Ratings
Will Rowlands-ReesChief Product Officer, Subscription Services, International SOS
Klara NahrstedtDirector, Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Neelotpal ShuklaDirector of Data Science, Morningstar
Anne Y. LeeBell Labs Fellow & CTO, AI Research Lab
Derek HoiemChief Science Officer & Professor of Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Shanthi GudavalliJPMorganChase
Derek FergusonChief Software Officer, The Fitch Group
Greeshma M. NeglurAntares Capital
Julio RodriguezDeputy Director, Office of Employment & Training, Illinois DCEO
Alyssa Harvey DawsonAdvisory Board, AI 2030 NYC
Sandeep MairaFounder, CTO & Senior Advisor, RavenRiskAi
Michelle WangCo-founder & Partner, Lair East Labs
Adam SutherlandAWS
Maryam SalehExecutive Director, Kaplan Institute, Illinois Institute of Technology
David KremerIBM
Sonja PetrovićProfessor, Illinois Tech College of Computing
Josh SirefmanCo-Founder, Sidewalk Labs
Aravinda GarimellaAssistant Professor of Information Systems, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Josh ChappellGoogle
Serena PalumboAssociate General Counsel, Global Privacy & AI, Robinhood
John PasmoreLatimer.ai
Shayna HarrisCo-Founder & Managing Partner, Supply Change Capital
Fred ChongUniversity of Chicago
Kris LovejoyGlobal Security & Resilience Practice Leader, Kyndryl
Philip KreinUniversity of Illinois
Diana Barrero ZallesHead of Research & Sustainability, Global Blockchain Business Council
Taylor ChildersArgonne National Laboratory
Tiffany GradzkiVice President, Digital Assets & Financial Markets, North America, Northern Trust
Lawrence JohnsonSVP & Head of Fintech Engagement, Morningstar
Gulé SheikhChief AI Officer, The AI Lab
Samir MayekarManaging Director, Polsky Center, University of Chicago
Erika TuttleSr. Manager, People & Culture, CCC Intelligent Solutions
Sanchit TiwariAssociate Partner, McKinsey & Company
Kate Kustermann RiveraGlobal Head of Cloud Learning Programs & Campaigns, Google Cloud
Chenhao TanAssociate Professor of Computer Science & Data Science, University of Chicago
Jill KissackSVP, HR Business Partner, Americas Advisory & Services; Global Head of Talent & Learning, Cushman & Wakefield
Alvin ChinResearch Scientist, Discovery Partners Institute; Clinical Assistant Professor, UIC
Hyunzoo ChaiSVP, Head of Enterprise Automation, Oaktree Capital Management
Sebastiaan GybelsSVP, Cybersecurity, Northern Trust
Liza LevittVP, Deputy General Counsel, Platforms, Responsible AI & Emerging Technology, Intuit
Harry MendellData Architect, Technology Group, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Smriti KirubanandanManaging Director, Enterprise AI Transformation, Innovaccer
Joshua DubinManaging Associate General Counsel, Verizon
Aja Carr FavorsFirst Deputy Corporation Counsel & Head of Privacy & AI, City of Chicago
Abhijit DasguptaVP, Global Demand Digital Technologies, Mars Snacking
Jessica YeatsPrincipal Data Scientist, Autonomous Vehicles, NVIDIA
Carlos CardosoOperations Director, ProgrammersPartners
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Chicago
A global initiative mainstreaming responsible AI by 2030.
Making Chicago a hub for responsible AI, innovation and AI education-to-job pathways.
The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, a nonprofit supporting founders and startups.
The University of Illinois institute helping people launch tech careers and companies in Chicago.
A software, modernization, AI and data analytics firm with 35+ years of experience.
New York
A New York startup accelerator helping founders scale globally.
A global network helping organizations discover, test and scale emerging tech.
Process intelligence that makes enterprise AI relevant and effective.
Who attends