We, the People, and AI: The Future of Data, Energy, Health, and Human Rights
Join us for an eye-opening installment of the Ivan Allen College AI & Society Series as we examine the hidden infrastructure and real-world trade-offs shaping our technological future.
Artificial intelligence may feel digital and invisible, but the systems powering it have a very real physical footprint. Dive into the infrastructure behind AI — from data centers and energy consumption to environmental and societal impacts — and what the rapid growth of AI means for the future of our digital society.
Panelists
Wendy H. Wong, Professor, University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus
Wendy H. Wong is Professor and Principal’s Research Chair at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, where her research examines global governance, technology, human rights, and civil society. Her book We, the Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age explores how Big Data and artificial intelligence challenge traditional understandings of human rights and won the 2024 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy. Her current research includes AI and the future of extractive politics, making her an important voice on how emerging technologies intersect with governance, data, power, and individual rights.
Caroline Gwynn Monagle, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, R1 RCM
Caroline Gwynn Monagle is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at R1 RCM, a healthcare technology and services company, where she leads strategic initiatives within an industry undergoing rapid technological transformation. A Georgia Tech alumna, Monagle was recognized as a Georgia Tech 40 Under 40 honoree in 2025 and previously received the Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Award. Her leadership experience at the intersection of healthcare, technology, strategy, and organizational change brings an industry perspective to the conversation about AI's impact on health and society.
Marilyn A. Brown, Regents and Brook Byers Professor, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology
Marilyn A. Brown is Regents’ and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in Georgia Tech’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy and Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Laboratory. Before joining Georgia Tech, she held leadership roles at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and later served as a presidentially appointed member of the Tennessee Valley Authority Board. Her research examines energy policy, efficiency, electricity systems, clean-energy technologies, and resilience, providing critical expertise on the rapidly growing relationship between artificial intelligence, energy demand, infrastructure, and sustainability.