Jonah Berger
Wharton Marketing Professor | Bestselling Author of Contagious, The Catalyst & Magic Words | Expert on Viral Marketing, Influence & Persuasion
Justine Cassell
AI Pioneer & Creator of the Embodied Conversational Agent | Dean's Professor, Carnegie Mellon University | Inaugural Chair, PRAIRIE Institute | Co-Founder, EqualAI
The inventor of the Embodied Conversational Agent and a recurring Davos keynote presence for over a decade, Cassell sits at the precise intersection where AI research meets governance, education, and social impact. Her talks give senior audiences an evidence-based roadmap for the generative AI era — what next-generation systems will reshape, where bias is baked in, and how to build technology that amplifies human potential.
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Justine Cassell biography
Few researchers have shaped the trajectory of conversational AI more fundamentally than Justine Cassell. Over three decades, she has built the field from the ground up — moving from the study of human storytelling and gesture to engineering the first systems capable of holding a genuinely human-like exchange. Today, as generative AI reshapes every sector, Cassell’s foundational work and current research place her among the most authoritative voices on what AI can do, what it cannot, and how organizations and governments must respond.
AI speaker Justine Cassell holds the Dean’s Professorship in Language Technologies at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science, where she is also Director Emerita of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute and co-founder of the Simon Initiative on Technology-Enhanced Learning. Simultaneously, she serves as Inaugural International Chair at the PRAIRIE Institute in Paris — France’s flagship interdisciplinary AI research center — and as Director of Research at Inria Paris. Across both institutions, her work addresses the social dimensions of AI: how machines can be designed to earn trust, reduce bias, and genuinely amplify human capability rather than replace it.
Her signature contribution is the Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA) — the first conversational agent with a body, combining speech, gesture, facial expression, and intonation to interact with people in human-like ways. That breakthrough opened entirely new lines of research: virtual peers that help children with autism build social skills, AI tutors that boost literacy in underserved communities, and socially-aware assistants that recognize and respond to rapport in real time. Her team’s live demonstration of a Socially Aware Robot Assistant (SARA) at Davos remains one of the most memorable AI showcases in the history of the World Economic Forum.
Government Adviser, WEF Co-Chair & EqualAI Co-Founder
Cassell’s influence extends well beyond academia. She has been appointed to France’s Conseil National du Numérique, advising on national digital strategy, and has consulted for governments across Europe, Asia, and the United States, including the Obama White House. At the World Economic Forum, she co-chairs the Global Future Council on the Future of Computing and has been a recurring keynote presence at Davos for over a decade — among the most sustained relationships between a single AI researcher and the world’s foremost leadership forum. She is also co-founder of EqualAI, the nonprofit dedicated to reducing gender and structural bias in artificial intelligence systems.
Her recognitions include the MIT Edgerton Prize, the Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Award, the AAMAS Test of Time Paper Award, and the National Academy of Sciences Henry and Bryna David Prize. She is a Fellow of the AAAS, the ACM, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh.
As a speaker, Justine Cassell brings something that most AI commentators cannot: the combination of frontier research credentials, a track record of building systems that actually work, and a decade-plus of advising presidents, prime ministers, and Fortune 500 boards. Senior audiences — at technology summits, corporate strategy offsites, government convenings, and education conferences — leave with a rigorous, evidence-based framework for navigating the AI transition: what to build, what to resist, and how to ensure that the humans in the room remain the point.
Justine Cassell Speaking Videos
Keynote Speaker Justine Cassell
Teaching virtual humans the secret of reading between the lines | Justine Cassell
Justine Cassell Keynote Topics
Generative AI is an extraordinary learning partner — an endlessly patient interlocutor that debates, challenges, and adapts to any audience. But it was engineered for engagement and coherence, not accuracy or wisdom. Drawing on her pioneering work building the first multimodal conversational agent and her ongoing policy work with governments on AI in democracy, Cassell decodes the hidden design decisions behind mainstream AI systems and outlines the critical-thinking skills — what she calls "discernment" — that educators, corporate leaders, and citizens must cultivate. Attendees leave with a practical framework for deploying generative AI that elevates judgment rather than outsourcing it.
Most AI systems are built to be smart. Very few are built to be trusted. Cassell argues that the next competitive frontier is not raw capability but social intelligence — the ability of AI to recognize rapport, adapt conversationally, and behave in ways that bring out the best in the humans it works with. This talk draws on decades of research into Embodied Conversational Agents, peer-learning AI, and socially-aware assistants to show leaders what human-centered AI design actually looks like, and why organizations that get this right will outperform those that don't.
AI systems do not inherit human values automatically — they inherit human data, with all its inequities embedded. Cassell, co-founder of EqualAI and a longtime adviser to governments on digital policy, maps the sources of algorithmic bias in hiring, education, healthcare, and public services, and offers concrete strategies for building and procuring AI responsibly. This is not a cautionary tale but an action agenda: what organizations, policymakers, and technologists must do now to ensure that AI expands opportunity rather than narrows it.
Will AI and robotics eliminate jobs, or transform them? Cassell brings a researcher's precision to a question that dominates every boardroom agenda. She distinguishes between the tasks machines will absorb, the capabilities that will become more valuable, and the design choices that determine which future actually arrives. Grounded in her research on human-AI collaboration and informed by her role at the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Computing, this keynote equips executives with a clear-eyed, evidence-based view of workforce strategy in the decade ahead.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Justine Cassell
Why Justine Cassell?
Booking Justine Cassell is a decision to bring the world's foremost authority on social and conversational AI to your stage — not a commentator on AI, but one of its architects. She invented the Embodied Conversational Agent, a technology that redefined what human-computer interaction could be and whose influence runs through every virtual assistant, AI tutor, and conversational interface deployed today. She has advised the Obama White House, the French government, and the World Economic Forum, and has co-chaired WEF's Global Future Council on the Future of Computing. Her keynotes are rigorous, practical, and built for senior audiences who need more than hype — they need frameworks they can act on. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check her availability.
What is the Embodied Conversational Agent, and why does it matter?
The Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA), developed by Cassell and her team, was the first conversational AI system capable of interacting with humans using both spoken language and nonverbal behavior — gesture, facial expression, gaze, and intonation — simultaneously. This was a foundational breakthrough in AI and human-computer interaction: it demonstrated that machines could participate in genuinely human-like dialogue, not just process text. The ECA's influence is visible in today's virtual assistants, AI tutors, social robots, and multimodal AI interfaces. Cassell subsequently showed that ECA-based virtual peers could improve literacy outcomes in children and social development in children with autism.
What is EqualAI?
EqualAI is a nonprofit co-founded by Cassell that works to reduce unconscious bias in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. The organization focuses on research, policy advocacy, and practical tools for technology companies and governments to build AI systems that are more equitable across gender, race, and other dimensions. EqualAI operates at the intersection of technical research and governance, bringing together AI practitioners, legal experts, and civil society organizations to close the gap between responsible AI principles and actual implementation.
What topics does AI speaker Justine Cassell cover at events?
Cassell speaks across a wide range of topics at the frontier of AI: generative AI strategy and risk, social and conversational AI design, algorithmic bias and responsible AI governance, the future of work and human-AI collaboration, AI in education, and the role of technology in democracy and civic life. Her audiences include technology executives, government bodies, financial institutions, and education leaders. To explore availability and speaking fees, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Justine Cassell as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Justine Cassell as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Justine Cassell's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Justine Cassell or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Justine Cassell speaking fee?
Justine Cassell speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Justine Cassell to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Justine Cassell.
How can I contact Justine Cassell?
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Can I book Justine Cassell for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Justine Cassell is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Justine Cassell for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
