​Join us for the official launch of the AI Collective Institute, our flagship initiative bringing together practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to address AI’s most pressing challenges.

​This inaugural gathering will introduce the Institute’s mission, first-year programming, and opportunities for collaboration. Attendees will hear from leaders across sectors, explore our upcoming working groups, and connect with peers committed to shaping AI’s global impact from the ground up.

​Agenda

• ​Welcome & Opening Remarks – Overview of the AI Collective Institute’s mission and vision

• ​Keynote + Panel – Perspectives on the future of AI policy, research, and application

• ​Program Unveiling – Introduction to first-year initiatives and working groups

• ​Networking Reception – Connect with peers across industry, government, and academia

​Whether you’re building AI products, crafting policy, or advancing research, the Institute offers a place to bridge perspectives, share knowledge, and create actionable solutions.

​As always, food and drink, engaging conversation, and incredible company will all be provided!

​Our Speakers

​Liel Zino is a tech policy professional with expertise in digital transformation, AI governance, and public innovation. She has led and contributed to policy initiatives at both national and international levels, with experience spanning government, civil society, and research. Previously, Liel was a Fritz Fellow, where she focused on comparative research on government digital transformation and emerging technology regulations. She also served as a Massive Data Institute Scholar and as a Policy Analyst at the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. Liel currently serves as the Policy Director at the AI Collective Institute, where she focuses on advancing responsible AI policy and bridging the gap between innovation and the public good. She holds a B.A in government, Diplomacy and Strategy from Reichman University and an M.P.P. in Public Policy from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

​Soribel Feliz is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Policy Advisor at the Department of Homeland Security. She brings over a decade of cross-sector experience to advance responsible AI deployment. Her work focuses on developing AI governance frameworks, managing policy lifecycles, and identifying risks in collaboration with legal, privacy, and cybersecurity teams. By aligning AI strategies with federal regulations and emerging laws, she balances technological innovation with civil rights and security considerations.

​Juan Manuel Contreras, Ph.D., is a co-founder and the CEO of Aymara, which builds tools to align generative AI. He has spent over a decade working in AI, most recently leading an applied science team at Uber that worked at the intersection of AI, law, and compliance. Juan Manuel trained as a cognitive neuroscientist and social psychologist at Harvard University and Princeton University. He is Bolivian-American.

​Chloe Autio is a technology policy expert with nearly a decade of experience advising organizations on AI policy and governance. Through her advisory practice (Autio Strategies), she consults for government, private companies, and intergovernmental organizations at the forefront of AI policy and regulation. Chloe started her work in technology policy at Intel Corp., where she led the company’s AI and emerging technology policy portfolio and the development of its enterprise Responsible AI program. She is an Adjunct AI Policy Advisor at the Institute for Security and Technology, a Faculty Lecturer at the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), and serves on the board of Humane Intelligence.

​Our Partners

​Thank you to Beltway Bits for generously sponsoring this event.

​Beltway Bits building a watchlist of cool projects across the DMV, think of it as the local version of Product Hunt.

​​Please be advised: Unfortunately, space is very limited at these community events and we can not always accept everyone we would like to. If you are not accepted to this event, please keep applying! We appreciate your application tremendously and we are looking forward to seeing you at a future event very soon!

​The AI Collective is a global non-profit community uniting 70,000+ pioneers – founders, researchers, operators, and investors – exploring the frontier of AI in major tech hubs worldwide. Through events, workshops, and community-led research, we empower the AI ecosystem to collaboratively steer AI’s future toward trust, openness, and human flourishing.

​All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective are subject to our Code of Conduct.