Commonwealth Club: Navigating AI, Climate and the Future of Democracy

Political divisions feel deeper than ever. And yet, communities across the country are finding common ground around one issue: data centers. Neighbors from across the political spectrum are raising urgent questions about energy use, water consumption, emissions, and who bears the costs of this rapidly expanding technology. How do we ensure that AI and the infrastructure powering it serve the public good?  Meanwhile, AI is already reshaping how we create, consume and trust information online. As local newsrooms shutter and information diets become ever more siloed, our shared reality is fracturing. It’s becoming harder to know what is real and what isn’t—whether you’re talking about climate change, public health or the dress Taylor Swift wore at her wedding. AI holds the promise of helping to build a more sustainable and energy efficient future, but the rapid rise of AI-generated content is adding a new layer of uncertainty to the world right now. So how do we talk about these things? And how does a democracy function when people no longer agree on a common set of facts?  Join Climate One, Civil Dialogues and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy for a town hall-style community conversation on navigating AI, climate and the future of democracy. Civil Dialogues was conceived by Jean Becker, New York Times bestselling author and former chief of staff to President George H. W. Bush, and Linda Lorelle, Emmy award-winning journalist, keynote speaker and entrepreneur. Its vision is for town hall attendees to walk away with a better understanding of the topic’s nuances while feeling seen, heard and empowered to continue dialogue.