The New Architecture of Influence: Entrepreneurship, Media, and AI
Who shapes reputation and trust when media, brands, people, and algorithms all participate in the narrative?
Join us at Harvard Kennedy School for a moderated conversation exploring how founders, brands, and institutions earn credibility in an information landscape shaped by journalism, social platforms, and artificial intelligence. The discussion will bring together perspectives from entrepreneurship, media, brand strategy, communications, and AI to examine how organizations build a distinct identity and lasting public trust.
Speakers will explore how emerging companies establish credibility, how media coverage shapes legitimacy, and how AI is changing discovery and first impressions. The conversation will also consider how leaders can communicate authentically, respond to misinformation, and navigate reputational risks as the channels of influence continue to evolve.
The central question: What does it take to build trust when organizations have only partial control over how their stories are discovered and told?
Event Details
Date: October 29th
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Format: In-person moderated conversation and audience discussion
Meet the Speakers
Opening:
Jeff Zhou
President, Harvard Business and Infrastructure Caucus
Jeff Zhou is a Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School and President of the Harvard Business and Infrastructure Caucus. His experience spans venture capital, technology, public policy and economic development. Previously, he led investor relations and portfolio operations at Untapped Ventures, supporting a $22 million fundraise and a portfolio of 32 startups. He has also worked on public-private partnerships, civic innovation and international development initiatives. Jeff holds a B.S. in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business.
Moderator: Chuck Tanowitz | Communications and Marketing Strategist
Chuck Tanowitz brings experience in public relations, brand strategy, and media relations. He will guide the conversation on how founders and institutions establish credibility, navigate AI driven discovery, and build lasting trust. His questions will connect practical communications challenges with broader issues of visibility, accountability, and who shapes the public narrative.
Margaret Talev | Bloomberg Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; Senior Contributor, Axios
At Axios, Talev leads newsroom polling and focus group partnerships and previously served as managing editor for politics. Her perspective will help the panel examine how founders and institutions earn credibility as media and AI shape public discovery.
Ulyses Osuna | Founder, Influencer Press
Ulyses Osuna is the founder of Influencer Press, a public relations agency working with founders, entrepreneurs, and public figures. His work focuses on media positioning, personal branding, and how public visibility shapes reputation. He will offer a founder and communications perspective on building credibility and navigating how media coverage and AI influence the stories people discover about an organization.
Carlos Mark Vera
Program Manager, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School | Co-Founder, Pay Our Interns
Carlos Mark Vera is a social entrepreneur, policy advocate and Program Manager at Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, where he supports leadership development and fellowship programs. He is the co-founder of Pay Our Interns, a national movement that helped secure more than $200 million in federal funding for paid internships, expanding access to public service opportunities. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and Echoing Green Fellow, Carlos has been recognized for his work advancing economic mobility, educational equity and inclusive leadership. His advocacy has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and NPR
Founder & CEO of LiveWire Collaborative
is a computer engineer and former global technology leader focused on a reputation problem that sits upstream of traditional communications: what happens when AI cannot find enough credible evidence to see you clearly? As Founder & CEO of LiveWire Collaborative, she advises leaders and institutions on AI visibility, the evidence layer that shapes whether AI systems can find, verify, accurately represent, and recommend them. Her 2026 TEDxRoxbury talk, Is AI Erasing Your Neighborhood?, was named a TEDx Editor’s Pick and has surpassed 69,000 views, bringing wider attention to digital erasure: what happens when people, businesses, organizations, and communities are missing from AI’s answers. While PR helps shape and amplify the story people encounter, Angela focuses one layer deeper: whether the digital record gives AI enough evidence to include you in the story at all. A Commonwealth Heroine and Board Chair of the Charles River Regional Chamber of Commerce, she brings an engineer’s precision to a problem most leaders won’t see until they’ve already disappeared from the answer.
What to Expect
An engaging conversation on building a venture’s identity, earning media credibility, and navigating AI-driven discovery. Speakers will share examples and practical perspectives on reputation, transparency, and responsible influence.
Audience questions will invite further discussion about the challenges facing founders and institutional leaders. The conversation will close with practical actions participants can take to build trust as platforms and technologies change.
This event welcomes founders, students, journalists, communications professionals, technology leaders, and anyone interested in how influence and public trust are built.