tbd/con update #6: early program is out, mark your calendars for 9/23 + 9/24
Some news! The early program for tbd/con is out!
First, a shoutout to everyone locked in for the first lineup. We've got 16 speakers across sessions between the information, practice and thought circles, with more still coming together. Huge thanks to the review crew (listed here) for selecting these sessions.
These will be short sessions, 15 to 30 minutes each, built for quick, focused sharing and conversation rather than long lectures. Expect live demos, half-finished ideas, and open invitations to poke holes.
These aren't your typical conference-hall or Zoom gatherings: instead, we'll all be together in a brightly colored, pixelated room on gather.town, like this (from the University of Toronto):
Sessions will be hosted on day 1 (9/23, add placeholder to your calendar), with an unconference for follow-up discussions on day 2 (9/24, add calendar placeholder).
Here's a general sense of what's coming for first day:
The information circle is about how AI and technology are influencing what we can see, verify, and trust: real-time censorship and erasure, measuring political bias in AI models, using AI to surface hidden investigative stories, the language we use to talk about AI, personalized content production, provenance and verification of claims, and building people-centered alternatives to Big Tech in news.
The practice circle is about the hands-on work of putting AI to use in journalism: new, agentic models for distribution and formats beyond the article, honest talk about AI product failures, how research teams are restructuring around AI, bringing AI into design systems, and where to add or remove friction in AI system design and governance.
The thought circle dares all of us to take the wheel and consider the big questions: how does AI affect epistemology and meaning? What is the true purpose of such tools? How might they affect cognition and social interaction at scale? Where, when, and how should we apply these systems?
All circles have more sessions still locking in, plus a closing panel with everyone from the day. The program will keep evolving right up to date of.
See you soon!
Madison, David, Zig, and Patrick
P.S.: If you have friends who may want to join, please tell them to register here.