ETHICS AND TECH CONFERENCE 2025: GOVERNING AI

Since its inception in 2023, the Ethics and Tech Conference has been a gathering for thought leaders and industry professionals to engage in meaningful discussions, debates, and networking opportunities. Each year, we tackle pressing issues at the intersection of ethics and technology, from AI’s evolving role in the workforce to its impact on education and healthcare.

In 2025, we turned our focus to the legal and political frameworks shaping AI governance. 

SESSION VIDEOS

• Opening Remarks, Seattle University Provost Shane Martin and Technology Ethics Initiative director Onur Bakiner
• Panel with Mark Chinen and Sonia Katyal, moderated by Maggie Chon, Panelists Mark Chinen (Seattle University) and Sonia Katyal (University of California – Berkeley) and moderator Maggie Chon (Seattle University) discuss democracy, fundamental rights, and the global picture.
• Panel with Matt Scherer, Jai Jaisimha, Bisma Shoaib and Tee Sannon, moderated by Steven Tapia, Panelists Matt Scherer (Center for Democracy & Technology), Jai Jaisimha (Transparency Coalition), Bisma Shoaib (FTC-WA) and Tee Sannon (ACLU-WA) and moderator Steven Tapia (Seattle University) discuss state regulation of AI.
• Panel with Jay Conrad, moderated by Jeffery Smith, Panelist Jay Conrad (University of Washington) and moderator Jeffery Smith (Seattle University) discuss business self-regulation of AI.
• Roundtable Discussion, moderated by Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Mark Chinen

Professor of Law at the Seattle University School of Law

Mark Chinen is a Professor of Law at the Seattle University School of Law. Raised in Hawaii, he was educated at Pomona College and Yale Divinity School before receiving his law degree from Harvard Law School. Prior to teaching at Seattle University, Professor Chinen practiced in the areas of international trade and corporate and securities law in Washington D.C. with the firm, Covington & Burling. Professor Chinen teaches the ‘law’ of artificial intelligence, contracts, business entities and courses in international economic law. He is the author of two books: The International Governance of Artificial Intelligence (2023) and Law and Autonomous Machines: The Co-Evolution of Legal Responsibility and Technology (2019). He is a commissioner on the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission.

JAY T. CONRAD

Lawyer, Scholar, and Policy Strategist

Jay T. Conrad is a lawyer, scholar, and policy strategist specializing in international data privacy and competition laws that target technology sectors. They recently clerked for U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) on emerging AI and technology-related legislation and clerked twice for the Federal Trade Commission, once in each Bureau. They received their LL.M. in Technology Law & Policy from Georgetown University Law Center in 2024 and their J.D. from Seattle University School of Law in 2023. They are currently a Hazelton Fellow at the University of Washington School of Law’s Technology Law & Public Policy Clinic and are studying political economy and global business law in preparation for their forthcoming PhD.

JAI JAISIMHA

Co-Founder, Transparency Coalition

Jai Jaisimha is a Seattle-based technology entrepreneur with expertise in AI-enabled product development and data science. Jai has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a focus on AI from the University of Washington. During his career, Jai has founded or held leadership roles at four start-ups that leveraged AI/Machine Learning to build software applications, including Hitch Works Inc., acquired by Service Now in 2022 and Appnique which developed privacy preserving advertising technology solutions using AI/LLMs. At Microsoft, AOL and RealNetworks, Jai led pioneering initiatives in the digital distribution of content that ensured user privacy was respected and the rights of creators and copyright holders were protected.

SONIA KATYAL 

Professor and Associate Dean, University of California Berkeley School of Law 

Sonia Katyal is a professor and Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Research at UC Berkeley School of Law. Her research explores the intersection of technology, intellectual property, and civil rights, focusing on privacy, free speech, and discrimination. She has examined topics such as algorithmic transparency, trade secrecy, and the role of technology in shaping gender and cultural property rights. Katyal was appointed to the U.S. Commerce Department’s Digital Economy Board of Advisors as an Affiliate Scholar at Stanford Law’s Center for Internet and Society. She also serves on the Executive Committee for the Berkeley Center for New Media and advises Women in Technology Law. 

TEE SANNON

Technology Policy Program Director at the ACLU of Washington

Tee Sannon is the Technology Policy Program Director at the ACLU of Washington, where she works to defend and promote people's civil liberties in the digital age. She is also a social scientist with a decade of experience conducting research on the social impact of technologies, particularly in the context of historically marginalized groups. Her research has focused on improving privacy, accessibility, and equity on digital platforms through evidence-based recommendations for policy and design. She has published 15+ peer-reviewed articles on these topics in leading social computing venues, including the Association for Computing Machinery’s CHI and CSCW conferences. Tee holds a PhD from Cornell University, where she specialized in human-computer interaction (HCI) and social computing.

MATT SCHERER

Senior Policy Counsel for Workers’ Rights and Technology at the Center for Democracy & Technology

Matt Scherer is Senior Policy Counsel for Workers’ Rights and Technology at the Center for Democracy & Technology. He studies how emerging technologies affect workers in the workplace and labor market, including the impacts of emerging AI decision-making, digital surveillance, and automated management technologies on workers' privacy, health, dignity, and autonomy. He works with CDT's Privacy & Data Project to advocate for policies that protect workers’ digital rights and ensure that new technologies benefit and empower workers and consumers.

BISMA SHOAIB 

Attorney, Northwest Region Federal Trade Commission 

Bisma Shoaib is an attorney in the Northwest Region of the Federal Trade Commission, specializing in antitrust and privacy law. She has a background in civil litigation, focusing on healthcare regulation, corporate compliance, and health information privacy. With international experience in technology-related treaties and human rights issues, she is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) and a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM). A graduate of Seattle University School of Law, she brings a deep understanding of regulatory and legal challenges in the tech space. While serving as an FTC liaison for this event, her statements are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission or any individual Commissioner.