Meredith Whittaker on Signal, Surveillance and the Future of AI

Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation and co-founder of the AI Now Institute, is one of the sharpest voices in the debate about technology, power, and privacy. She shows how AI and surveillance are inextricably linked, fueled by data collection and profit-driven models. Signal offers a radical alternative: a nonprofit messaging app without ads, tracking, or investors—proof that privacy-focused technology is possible. In her talk, Whittaker will explore how the foundations of the digital age are built on extraction, and how we can build a fairer ecosystem. With critical insights and concrete alternatives, she calls for action, vision, and a new technological imagination.