Who's Building Your Digital Future? A conversation on digital identity, infrastructure, and who holds the power
Hosted by IDEO.org, Public Digital, Civitas ID and kyu.
For decades, the digital records and tools shaping our lives, from healthcare to finance, have been built without input from the people who rely on them. The result is a fragmented patchwork of systems that rarely speak to one another, whether you're a business leader trying to manage day-to-day operations on infrastructure you don't fully control, or someone navigating rigid systems that were never designed with you in mind.
The gap shows up at every level and scale. A nurse from Venezuela working informally in Colombia cannot prove her credentials to a hospital that needs her skills, because the systems that could verify them don't cross borders. An airline CTO inherits a twenty-two-year-old vendor contract, and now faces a choice between accepting new terms or workarounds, or spending years and millions trying to switch.
Designing a digital future that enables us to live comfortably and navigate the world on our own terms requires intentionality across sectors and a commitment to building tools that serve all communities. Especially as AI reshapes what's possible and what's at risk.
In this session, we bring together leaders holding different pieces of the puzzle: policy experts reshaping how governments govern digital infrastructure, funders reimagining how capital flows to equitable digital systems, technologists building identity tools for displaced populations, and designers centering tools on how people actually live and work.
The event will also feature the launch of Public Digital's latest book, Digital Sovereignty: The Power to Decide, exploring how global leaders can reclaim digital autonomy. Civitas ID will release their white paper outlining a pathway toward dignified self-reliance and economic participation for vulnerable communities. Finally, IDEO.org will host a live demo showcasing what it looks like to apply a human-centered lens to AI and digital infrastructure and the user experience.
Speakers
Civitas ID: Colin Walsh, Founder and President
IDEO.org: Ademide Adefarasin, Sr. Director, Strategy & Impact
Public Digital: Lauren Kahn, Partner & Head of Global Impact
kyu: Rick Greenberg, CEO (moderator)
By registering for this event, you agree to share your contact information with the organizers IDEO.org, Public Digital and Civitas ID. You also agree that photos, video, and materials created during the session may be captured and shared to document and amplify the work.