AI can empower or disenfranchise humans – understanding it gives you agency
Carmem Domingues is a Harvard, Columbia and Cambridge-educated global AI leader who turns complexity into clarity. With a rare blend of technical expertise, business acumen and cutting-edge research, she equips audiences with actionable insights, as well as the skills and confidence to leverage AI strategically, ethically and effectively.
With nearly two decades of experience across the private and public sectors, Carmem Domingues has helped organisations globally – from start-ups and Fortune 500 companies including Goldman Sachs and Delta Air Lines, to HSBC, Oliver Wyman, the World Bank, the OAS, the IADB and the White House – harness the power of data, technology and AI to drive real results.
A self-described techno-realist, Carmem cuts through the noise and hype surrounding AI, delivering grounded, research-backed insights that are as relevant to the C-suite as they are to the frontline.
Passionate about AI literacy, she launched the first bilingual, multi-platform AI education and communication initiative. At the White House, she developed AI training for the federal workforce, reaching more than 3.3 million civil servants and military personnel.
Carmem breaks down complex technical concepts, translating them into digestible and relatable insights for technical and non-technical audiences alike. Her current research explores the impact of AI on human cognition, critical thinking and relationships. Carmem’s multidisciplinary approach weaves together technical expertise with history, economics, philosophy and foreign policy to illuminate both the promises and the perils of AI, while offering insight into the future.
In a world where everyone is trying to predict the future of AI, she takes a different approach: she does not offer unfounded predictions. Instead, she teaches audiences how to think about AI holistically, and equips them with the frameworks and confidence to navigate the rapidly evolving technological and geopolitical landscape of an AI-driven world, whatever the future may bring.
Having lived and worked across the US, Latin America, Europe and Australia, Carmem brings a rare global perspective to every stage.
Whatever the setting, Carmem thoughtfully tailors her engaging and insightful presentations to the right level of depth, making them relevant and impactful for each audience. Across keynotes, workshops and training sessions, her audiences leave not just better informed, but genuinely prepared to think critically, inspired to take action, and empowered to deploy AI strategically in their organisations and their lives.
Talking Points
How AI is Changing Us
This talk explores some of the ways AI is reshaping society and the consequences of that shift, with a focus on how AI can empower or erode human behaviour.How AI is Changing Us
As AI becomes ubiquitous and touches more facets of our lives, we increasingly defer to machines to carry out tasks previously done by humans. How and why is that happening? Are we giving up what makes us inherently human and distinguishes us from machines? What makes us uniquely human? What should we allow machines to do, and what should we protect as distinctly human characteristics and abilities?
What are the implications for the future of work, human relationships (with ourselves and others), global politics and society at large?
Takeaways
This talk will give audiences a deeper understanding of, and encourage them to think about:
- How AI affects a wide range of areas across society, from environmental issues to institutional structures, geopolitics, social relationships and even human cognition.
- What makes us uniquely human.
- How AI can both empower and erode human behaviour.
- How our humanity is shaped by our increasing use of AI.
- How AI influences everything from our relationship with ourselves to the global balance of power.
- Ultimately, what we should delegate to AI systems, and which skills and abilities we should protect as essential to our humanity and our future.
- How we can adapt our own use of AI systems to minimise negative impacts and maximise positive ones.
Will AI Make us Dumber? How AI shapes how we think and act
Research shows that AI, especially generative AI systems such as large language models like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, can influence our thoughts and behaviour. Yet we increasingly rely on AI chatbots and AI agents to help with everyday tasks, from the mundane to the complex — from GPS navigation and scheduling assistants to software development, research and writing support, from text messages to full reports.Will AI Make us Dumber? How AI shapes how we think and act
Some of these tools can be extremely helpful for cognitive offloading, freeing us to focus on the things that matter most to us. However, research increasingly shows that they can also affect our future, and even immediate, cognitive abilities, with potentially serious implications for critical thinking. They can also shape our world views and behaviours, even through brief interactions.
This talk discusses the research in accessible terms, exploring how and why this happens, including the mechanisms through which cognitive erosion and behavioural shaping occur. It highlights the implications at both the individual and societal level, and concludes with practical takeaways on what we can do to protect our cognitive abilities and ourselves.
Takeaways
The audience will:
- Understand how increased use of different types of AI tools can affect cognitive ability and critical thinking, and shape human behaviour.
- Understand and identify how the AI systems they use may influence their thoughts and behaviours, and the consequences of that influence.
- Learn how to use AI in ways that augment, rather than erode, human cognition and critical thinking.
- Be equipped not only to adjust their own use in ways that better align with their individual goals, but also to develop policies and implementation projects within their organisations that lead to better outcomes.
What AI (Really) is
Especially since the launch of ChatGPT, there has been considerable confusion about what AI is, what it is not, and what it can and cannot do. The narratives surrounding AI often portray it as a simple, objective tool, much like a hammer or a calculator. In reality, AI is far more than that: it is a socio-technical system that both shapes, and is shaped by, society.What AI (Really) is
This talk explores the evolution of AI from its early days to the present and examines the full pipeline of AI development, cutting through hype and myths while highlighting the real capabilities of AI. It explains, in accessible terms, the technical aspects of how modern AI works, helping audiences understand which parts of the AI development process are carried out by machines and which are shaped by humans. It also explores how biases, including human bias and data bias, affect the AI development process and, in turn, the outputs of AI systems.
Ultimately, this talk examines how AI is developed, how it is shaped by societal values, and how it in turn shapes society. The discussion includes questions of power at the individual, societal, organisational, institutional and governmental levels.
Takeaways
In this talk, audiences, including non-technical participants, will learn:
- What AI is.
- The real capabilities and limitations of AI.
- How AI is developed.
- How different aspects of the AI development lifecycle influence its outputs.
- How to evaluate AI outputs and apply them more effectively in day-to-day contexts.
- How AI should be adopted.
- How AI influences society.
- How AI is influenced by society.
- How AI functions as a genuinely socio-technical system, and the implications of this.
- How economic, organisational, political and social forces shape both what technology is developed and how it is developed, and how different parts of society are affected differently by those decisions.
- How to cut through unfounded hype and empty promises, and use AI more appropriately in their lives and organisations to generate positive outcomes and impact.
AI Power Wars
It is no secret that technology companies collect data on their users and profit from it, often without users’ awareness or explicit, rather than coerced, consent. Yet we continue to increase our use of these tools.AI Power Wars
This talk explores some of the less visible ways in which we end up giving technology companies far more information and power than we realise, the power asymmetries this creates between users, companies and even governments, and the consequences of this at both the individual and societal level, including its impact on democracy and global geopolitics.
Takeaways
Audience members will:
- Learn how different technical choices in AI development and use across organisations can influence power dynamics between stakeholders.
- Learn about the different AI-related power dynamics at play between users, companies and governments.
- Gain insight into how these power dynamics affect each of us at the individual, institutional, societal and global levels, including their significant consequences for democracy and geopolitics.
- Learn about the role of AI in shifting the global balance of power and the global order.
How to do AI Right
Research shows that, despite all the promises of increased productivity through AI, 95 per cent of AI pilots across organisations are being abandoned because adoption is not delivering sufficient return on investment.How to do AI Right
This is not surprising to me. One of the things I have heard most often from clients throughout my career is, “We want to use AI in our organisation.” More often than not, however, that statement is coupled with an inadequate understanding of the capabilities and limitations of AI, what successful implementation requires, and an approach of “throw AI at the wall and see what sticks”, rather than a clearly defined problem that AI can solve and a strategy for how to do it.
This talk explores some of the reasons for this mismatch between expectations and results, and discusses how organisations should think about and implement AI systems in the right way. It also covers the fundamentals of designing an effective AI strategy.
Takeaways
After this talk, the audience will be able to start thinking strategically about AI. They will:
- Get an overview of what AI is, what it can and cannot do, and how AI systems work.
- Understand why the majority of AI projects fail, and how to prevent this.
- Learn the technical and organisational requirements for successful AI deployment.
- Be able to cut through the AI hype and separate fact from fiction, becoming better able to distinguish between empty promises and realistic expectations for AI systems.
- Be better equipped to think through build-versus-buy evaluations, and how to properly develop and implement AI solutions across diverse organisations and use cases.
- Better evaluate which types of organisational problems are good candidates for AI solutions, and which are not.
- Learn which types of AI solutions may be best suited to different use cases.
- Learn how to assess whether AI is the right solution for their organisation or use case.
- Learn how to properly develop and implement AI solutions across diverse organisations and use cases, taking into account issues ranging from technical requirements to organisational considerations such as change management.
Responsible and Ethical AI & AI Governance
Much of the debate about AI frames it as a purely objective tool, without regard for the ways in which its development and use can carry deep ethical and moral implications.Responsible and Ethical AI & AI Governance
At the same time, much of the responsible AI debate tends to focus on issues of bias, the metrics used to identify and measure impacts, or how to comply with different AI regulatory frameworks. While these are all important, it is crucial that we take a more holistic approach to AI.
This talk helps audiences understand the AI decision-making, development and implementation process as a whole, and how to consider ethical implications throughout it, so they can develop and deploy AI systems in a more responsible and ethical way within appropriate governance frameworks.
Takeaways
The audience will learn about:
- Issues of bias, including data bias, model bias, developer bias and organisational bias.
- Ethical considerations when deciding whether AI is the best and most ethically responsible solution.
- The limitations AI presents throughout the development and implementation lifecycle.
- How to address AI limitations, whether technical or otherwise, in an ethical and responsible way.
- Governance issues, including a broad understanding of the major regulations and frameworks that shape AI governance.
AI & the Future: What Should We Actually Expect, And How Can We Prepare?
Another question I am asked frequently is how people can best prepare for the future, given that recent advances in AI appear to be accelerating and improving every day.AI & the Future: What Should We Actually Expect, And How Can We Prepare?
This talk takes a historical view of technological revolutions and evolutions to place recent developments in AI in context. It then examines some of these developments in greater depth to dismantle common myths and misunderstandings, helping audiences understand what is actually likely to happen and how best to prepare for the changes ahead.
Takeaways
In this talk, the audience will:
- Dismantle AI myths and unfounded hype.
- Gain a solid and realistic understanding of the capabilities AI currently has, and those it is likely to develop in the future.
- Learn how these capabilities are likely to affect different types of work, the labour force, and the future of work more broadly.
- Leave with greater clarity on how to prepare themselves and their organisations for the future, including which skills they should consider acquiring or further developing so they are not left behind.
So You’re Dating an AI?
30% of adults report having had some sort of intimate encounter with an AI system, and as many as 20% of teenagers also report having or knowing someone who has had a relationship with an AI. More and more people are marrying their AI Companions. As AI systems become bigger parts of our lives, more people are resorting to them to fulfill their emotional needs. However, this is not always intentional. This talk explores some of the reasons and ways people enter into emotional relationships with AI (this will surprise you!), and what are some of the benefits as well as risks associated with emotional engagements with AI systems.So You’re Dating an AI?
Key Takeaways:
The audience will learn about how this evolving trend of AI Companionship:
- The surprising and unexpected ways a majority of users enter into emotional relationships with AI systems
- How human-AI relationships develop
- What are the potential benefits and risks of this relationship structure that is becoming ever more common
- How AI systems are often designed to exploit human psychological tendencies that can lead to inadvertent emotional attachment
Video
Behind the Buzz: What AI Really Means for Us (Carmem Domingues & Garry Chan)
What’s fact, what’s fiction, and what’s being ignored when we talk about AI? In this roundtable episode, we bring together two brilliant voices: Carmen Dominguez and Garry Chan, who bridge AI development, policy, and real-world applications. Together, they explore trust, transparency, responsible AI, and how these technologies are truly reshaping society, business, and global policy. If you've ever wondered what AI can actually do and what it can’t, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and spark new ideas."I had the pleasure of working with Carmem Domingues when she delivered a talk on artificial intelligence to a group of term members at the Council on Foreign Relations in 2025. The discussi ... keep reading Council on Foreign Relations
I had the pleasure of working with Carmem Domingues on two different occasions: a Future Hacker roundtable and a Keynote session she delivered for senior executives at Orb.tz. In both settings, Carmem stood out as an exceptional speaker. She has a rare ability to explain complex topics around AI, ethics, and policy in a clear, structured, and highly didactic way—without ever oversimplifying the discussion. Her depth of academic knowledge is impressive, but what truly sets her apart is how approachable, engaging, and charismatic she is on stage. Carmem creates an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions, challenging ideas, and thinking critically about the real impact of AI on society, business, and the future. Executives left her session not only better informed, but genuinely inspired. I highly recommend Carmem as a speaker for organizations looking for thoughtful, insightful, and impactful conversations about artificial intelligence and its broader implications.
As AI increasingly dominates more and more sectors of society, Carmem Domingues is an invaluable voice and resource for insights into the realities behind the technology’s impact and what the government can and should do to manage it. As a guest on the CenterD podcast, Carmem shared an inside look into the nuance of the policy making process at the highest levels of government, and made it digestible for our audience on what that means for America’s workforce. Carmem’s ability to add broader historical context and industry insights allowed us to go much more in-depth than the typical superficial conversations that too often dominate online. Beyond informational, Carmem’s expertise yielded valuable insights into the realities of the resilience of the labor market in the context of AI, while also adding important understanding of how workers can thrive in the emerging economy. Her friendly and engaging demeanor was also a refreshing change on a topic where experts often come across as clinical, abstract, or difficult to connect with.
Carmem brought such a thoughtful perspective to our class at GWU. Carmem challenged us to think beyond the technology itself and focus on our ethical responsibilities in designing and deploying AI. Her perspective on privacy, governance, and societal impact was thought-provoking and grounded in real examples. She left us with the right questions about our role in shaping AI's future.
Carmem Domingues joined one of my classes on the course AI and Human Rights as a guest speaker, and her contribution was outstanding. She brought both deep technical expertise on AI and practical insight, engaging students with thoughtful reflections that eRectively bridged theoretical frameworks and contemporary challenges in the field of artificial intelligence.
