Are you looking for a dynamic speaker who is heavily involved in the movement toward a better tech future? Reach out to inquire about having David Ryan Polgar involved in an upcoming event.

David has spoken at a wide variety of events, including universities (Princeton University, Harvard Business School, Florida State University, UConn, Findlay University), companies (Facebook, TikTok, Foursquare, Cigna), tech festivals (TNW, TechChill, FutureNow, Future Health Summit).

All of the presentations are tailored for the specific audience, rapidly-changing trends and circumstances, and the specific needs of the host organization. See below for some common speaking topics and descriptions.

Ensuring a Bright Tech Future: Getting Big Tech, Policymakers, and the Public Involved in Making Tech More Ethical

With great power comes great responsibility. Has Big Tech stepped up to the challenge?

Technology is developing at a much faster rate than our ability to create necessary safeguards, best practices, and proactive policies. In order to ensure a bright tech future, now is the time to engage a broad range of stakeholders in considering how we design and deploy technologies. This presentation will offer attendees a better sense of the overall landscape and the hurdles we face, along with actionable ways of moving towards a better tech future.

How can we ensure that Big Tech, which has often been accused of being ethically-challenged and focused on profits over people, is capable of handling this immense power with integrity? Will the process of how these emerging technologies are developed and deployed be transparent to the public? What is the role of policymakers and the general public?

Led by pioneering tech ethicist David Ryan Polgar (founder of All Tech Is Human), this timely discussion will look at how we arrived at the juncture, the current status of Big Tech's ethical responsibilities, and where we are likely headed in the future.

Building the Responsible Tech Talent Pipeline

In this talk, David Ryan Polgar will discuss the critical need for Responsible Tech and how organizations can find, hire, and retain the next generation of responsible technologists and changemakers. He will unpack the responsible innovation pipeline problem and equip teams with ways they can line up industry needs, individual expectations, and educational paths in order to ensure Responsible Tech is truly sustainable, rather than a fleeting trend.

All Tech Is Human: Improving Social Media to Benefit User Wellbeing & Society

Is social media bad for user well-being and society at large? How can we improve social media companies?

David Ryan Polgar has carved a unique career as a tech ethicist, where he explores the impact of social media & tech from ethical, legal, and emotional perspectives. In this lecture, he will take us into a deep dive into the tension between the business interests of Silicon Valley (eyeballs and engagement) and the human interests of users (trustworthy information, increasing happiness).

Can’t tech companies profit while also operating to benefit users & society?

Ethical Leadership for Tech companies

These are bespoke tailor-made presentations, specific to the concerns of the underlying tech company. Attendees will have an insider overview of the fast-moving area of tech ethics, understanding the various interconnected players (users, governmental bodies, organizations, academia, industry).

Presentations aim to inspire thought and collaboration around the best way forward as an ethical tech company reliant on user trust and transparency. How do companies move from reactive to proactive, actively considering negative externalities and the dual/potential misuse of technology? Focus on moving from amoral to moral, understanding the immense responsibility that tech companies have in relation to the health of society at large.

Talk Human to Me: Having Authentic Conversations Online That Truly Connect

How often do you receive a message where you can’t tell it is automated or authentic? Many of us are becoming bot-like with our online communication, writing emails with an endless stream of platitudes and canned responses. These interactions lack the level of emotion and thought that we expect from human communication. In the process of putting our communication on autopilot, we are devaluing the very purpose of our conversations--to build bonds.

Human-centered communication puts the focus back on injecting our conversations with authenticity, personality, and thoughtfulness. The goal is to maximize the impact of our communication to truly connect with one another. By being more human we can build better relationships.

In this provocative and forward-thinking session you’ll learn:

Why trying to communicate with too many people online may be counterproductive
Ways to assess whether your own communication has become “botified”
Strategies for delegating transactional conversations so you can focus on deeper conversations
The latest research regarding online communication, and actionable tips to communicate more effectively
The paradox of online connectedness, and how to move towards more deliberate forms of communication and interaction
Methods for balancing the quality and quantity of our online communication

You’ll leave this session reflecting upon your own style of communication online and inspired to craft future conversations in a more human-centered fashion. The outcome is having interactions that are more authentic and can truly build lasting bonds.

Digital Citizenship

What does it mean to be a digital citizen today? Presenter David Ryan Polgar will discuss being safe, savvy, and ethical online while challenging students to consider their rights and responsibilities in the digital age.

Students will be exposed to the risks and rewards of social media, while having a robust debate around topics such as digital footprints, cyberbullying, and ethical dilemmas online.

Personal Expression in the Digital Age

How do we balance our desire to express ourselves with the associated risks of our online reputation impacting our future? David Ryan Polgar will discuss the complications around cultivating an attractive online presence for colleges, while also feeling empowered to express themselves and explore their identity.

Students will be challenged the consider the tradeoffs of our digital age while actively debating the best ways to act online.