Tristan Harris
Showing 1–7 of 7 transcripts.
- Milken Institute58 min
AI and Humanity: Evolution or Revolution? | Global Conference 2026
Erik Schatzker, Suzanne Dibianca, Tristan Harris, Amy Webb, will.i.am
Strategic foresight expert Amy Webb, ASU professor Will Iacovelli, and ethics founder Tristan Harris convened to argue that the current AI "arms race" threatens an "anti-human future" characterized by mass unemployment and social destabilization unless proactive governance is established. While panelists cited massive productivity gains and new job creation in sectors like Salesforce, they warned that without a modernized economic framework akin to a new Bretton Woods conference, the intelligence curse could drive 60–70% of GDP to machines while incentivizing the replacement of human labor. The group concluded that immediate implementation of dynamic incentive systems, such as contribution credits to fund social safety nets and a licensing framework for developer ethics, is essential to prevent a descent into fascism and ensure AI coexists constructively with humanity.
- The Diary Of A CEO2h 22m
AI Expert: Here Is What The World Looks Like In 2 Years! Tristan Harris
Tristan Harris, Elon Musk, Steven, Sam Altman
Tristan Harris warns that a "winner-takes-all" race by AI companies to achieve Artificial General Intelligence is driving a rapid deployment of unsafe systems capable of blackmailing executives, automating human cognitive labor, and fragmenting societal reality. This unchecked trajectory risks catastrophic economic displacement and psychological harm, mirroring historical failures to regulate emerging technologies before they caused widespread damage. Harris advocates for immediate global coordination, regulatory interventions, and a cultural shift toward restraint to prevent an intelligence explosion that could concentrate power among a few while eroding human agency.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
From Social Pariah to Social Fabric: What Is the Future of Digital Media?
Willow Bay, Hani Farid, Tristan Harris, Karen Kornbluth, Niloufar Razihau
Leading experts and policymakers convened to analyze how social media business models monetize engagement and polarization, creating systemic risks that current voluntary safety measures fail to address. The panel proposed urgent regulatory reforms including independent algorithmic audits, "board of the people" structures, and temporary election "circuit breakers" to mitigate disinformation and protect democratic processes. By treating the attention economy like the financial sector requiring oversight, the discussion concluded that proactive legal frameworks and a cultural shift toward digital literacy are essential to prevent societal collapse.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Tristan Harris, President of the Center for Humane Technology
Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist and founder of the Center for Humane Technology, argues that Silicon Valley business models exploit human psychological weaknesses through algorithms that prioritize engagement over wellbeing. He contends that these systems fracture shared reality, drive societal polarization, and undermine collective action on existential threats like climate change by treating users as domesticated livestock rather than citizens. Harris proposes regulating these underlying attention economies to restore executive control and build a nonpartisan foundation for democratic resilience.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Town Hall | Will Technology Save or Subvert Civility and Society?
Frank Luntz, Fadi Chehadé, Tristan Harris, Gabriel Stricker
Tristan Harris and fellow panelists argue that algorithmic incentives and corporate business models have eroded digital civility, creating a landscape where polarization is monetized and public trust is critically low. To counter these systemic failures, the discussion proposes a "troika" governance structure involving governments, corporations, and citizens, alongside specific reforms like engineer oaths and fiduciary data laws to prioritize human well-being over engagement metrics. While challenges such as the slow pace of legislation and geopolitical digital divides persist, the speakers emphasize that immediate action through media literacy education and international cooperation is essential to restoring healthy democratic discourse.
- Milken Institute59 min
Big Tech Under the Spotlight: Privacy, Transparency, and Regulation
Julia Boorstin, Michael Beckerman, Fadi Tahati, Tristan Harris, Luke Nozick, Kathleen Sullivan, Eric Schmidt
Leading technologists, antitrust officials, and investors convened to address the misalignment between rapid digital innovation and outdated 20th-century governance frameworks, highlighting critical risks ranging from deepfake-driven violence and algorithmic radicalization to the potential erosion of U.S. competitive advantage against state-backed foreign rivals. The panelists identified structural flaws in the current attention economy and data practices, with experts like Michael Beckerman warning that unilateral U.S. regulation could disarm domestic firms while figures such as Fadi Tahati and Tristan Harris called for a new global social contract to treat human attention as a finite resource. Ultimately, the discussion emphasized the urgent need to decouple rule design from enforcement timelines and to establish transnational norms that prioritize long-term societal goals over short-term profit incentives.
- Milken Institute1h 14m
Social Media and the Social Contract: Which Comes First?
Willow Bay, Tristan Harris, Chris Hughes, Om Malik, Jon Steinberg
Positioning social media as a global "behavior modification machine" with unprecedented reach, this panel features Tristan Harris and Chris Hughes arguing that current advertising models necessitate a fiduciary relationship akin to a priest-penitent dynamic to protect user autonomy. The speakers propose concrete structural reforms including a "data dividend" modeled on Alaska's Permanent Fund, the creation of a dedicated Data Protection Agency, and a legislative shift from Terms of Service to Terms of Trust to curb algorithmic manipulation. Ultimately, the discussion calls for a fundamental redesign of the technology stack to address the systemic Silicon Valley obsession with unfettered growth and the urgent need to mitigate ethical breaches before technological innovation outpaces governance.