The keynote panel features AI investor Sarah Fay, technology founder Tarek Sherif ’84, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers, and moderator Yale Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld

Yale Ventures is pleased to announce this year's Yale Innovation Summit keynote panel, “How AI Will Transform Business, Innovation and Society” will feature distinguished economist and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers, Sarah Fay, Partner at Glasswing Ventures, and Tarek Sherif '84, co-founder of Medidata and the Life Sciences Health Sector Board Chairman for Dassault Systèmes. The panel will be moderated by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale professor and expert in leadership and governance. The keynote panel will take place on May 31, 2023, at 3 pm ET during the two-day Yale Innovation Summit, Yale’s and Connecticut’s biggest annual innovation and entrepreneurship event held at the Yale School of Management.

The keynote panel will offer an exploration of the various dimensions and implications of AI, the most rapidly evolving technological innovation of our time. The panelists will offer cross-sector perspectives on the opportunities and risks presented by AI, exploring topics such as its impact on employment and productivity, its potential to drive innovation across industries, its role as a rapidly growing area for investors, frameworks for regulation, and ethical considerations.

The Yale Innovation Summit keynote panel highlights the highly interconnected nature of innovation and frontier technologies such as AI, one of many topics that will be explored during the two-day event. The Yale Innovation Summit will explore innovation’s “expanding impact” across the arts, biotech, climate, health, and tech, featuring over 20 panels, pitch competitions, workshops, and performances, drawing a projected crowd of over 2,000 founders, investors, and industry members.

About the Keynote Panelists

In her role as Partner at Glasswing Ventures, Sarah Fay supports the firm’s portfolio of early-stage AI-powered companies in building and growing their businesses. She also leads the firm’s ESG and DEI efforts, working closely with organizations such as Principals for Responsible Investment (PRI) and All Raise, where she co-leads the Boston chapter. Sarah currently serves as Board Chair at Ziff Davis, Inc.  
Prior to her role at Glasswing, Sarah served as CEO of Aegis Media North America, and served simultaneously as President of Carat US, and President of Isobar US, the two largest divisions of Aegis Media North America.

Tarek Sherif ’84 is the co-founder of Medidata, where he previously served as CEO and Chairman, and serves as Life Sciences Health Sector Board Chairman for Dassault Systèmes. Medidata, a global provider of cloud-based solutions for clinical research in the life sciences industry is the most-used platform for clinical trials around the world, leveraging AI and machine learning to revolutionize the clinical trial process. In 2019, in one of the largest healthcare technology acquisitions in history, Medidata became part of Dassault Systèmes.

Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is the Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies and Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice at the Yale School of Management, as well as founder and president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, a nonprofit educational and research institute focused on CEO leadership and corporate governance. Sonnenfeld was recognized by Poets & Quants Magazine as the 2022 Professor of the Year in recognition of his high-profile efforts to catalyze the historic exits from Russia of over 1,000+ global businesses after the invasion of Ukraine.

Lawrence H. Summers is the Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus of Harvard University. During the past three decades, he has served in a series of senior policy positions in Washington, D.C., including the 71st Secretary of the Treasury for President Clinton, Director of the National Economic Council for President Obama and Vice President of Development Economics and Chief Economist of the World Bank. 
  
Image Caption: Sarah Fay, Tarek Sherif ’84, Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Lawrence H. Summers