Simon Cohen
Founder & President, Henco Global | Shark on Shark Tank México | Author of Pleno | High Performance, Happy People
Nita Farahany
World's Leading Neuroethics Scholar | Duke Law Professor | Author, The Battle for Your Brain | UNESCO Neurotechnology Ethics Co-Chair
Nita Farahany is the world's foremost authority on what happens when AI meets the human brain — and why the decisions we make now will define individual freedom for generations. A Duke Law professor, Obama-appointed bioethics commissioner, and author of The Battle for Your Brain, she has shaped legislation, testified before Congress, and addressed Davos on the urgent need to protect cognitive liberty. Her talks leave senior audiences with frameworks to act — not just reasons to worry.
Want to book Nita Farahany as a speaker for your event? Please provide the info below and we’ll get in touch within 24h:
Nita Farahany biography
Nita Farahany is the world’s foremost authority on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of neurotechnology and artificial intelligence — the scholar who coined the concept of cognitive liberty and has spent two decades building the case that our mental privacy is the defining rights frontier of the 21st century. She is the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law & Philosophy at Duke Law School, Founding Director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, and Faculty Chair of the Duke MA in Bioethics & Science Policy.
AI speaker Nita Farahany holds one of the most unusual academic pedigrees in public life: a Bachelor’s in Genetics from Dartmouth, a Master’s in Biology from Harvard, and both a JD and PhD in Philosophy from Duke — credentials that allow her to move fluently between the lab, the courtroom, and the policy chamber. She clerked for Judge Judith W. Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, taught at Vanderbilt Law, and was the Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor of Human Rights at Stanford Law before joining Duke permanently. In 2010, President Obama appointed her to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, where she served for seven years.
Her 2023 book, The Battle for Your Brain: Defending Your Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology, became an international landmark — not just a bestseller but a policy text. It shaped legal frameworks across multiple jurisdictions, sparked congressional testimony, and prompted global discourse on mental privacy that continues to accelerate as brain-sensing wearables and generative AI converge. She has been recognized with election to the American Law Institute, a Fellow distinction from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a place on the 2024 Vox Future Perfect 50 — a list of the world’s most impactful thinkers shaping the future.
Defining the Global Agenda on Cognitive Liberty
Farahany currently serves as U.S. Delegate and elected co-chair of the UNESCO Expert Group on the Ethics of Neurotechnology, Chair of the Uniform Laws Commission Study Committee on Mental Privacy, and Reporter for the American Law Institute and European Law Institute Joint Project on Principles of Biometrics. She is an ELSI advisor to both the NIH Brain Initiative and DARPA, a member of the WEF Global Future Council on Frontier Risks, and past President of the International Neuroethics Society. Her keynote at the World Economic Forum on Brain Transparency reached global leaders and policymakers and generated millions of views across digital platforms.
As a speaker, Nita Farahany commands rooms that span C-suites, legislatures, and scientific institutions because she offers something rare: a synthesis of technical depth, legal precision, and genuine moral urgency. She has addressed TED, the World Economic Forum at Davos, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and U.S. Judicial Conferences. Audiences leave not just informed but activated — with a clear understanding of what neurotechnology and AI mean for their organizations, their employees, and their own minds, and what decisions must be made now before the window to act closes.
Nita Farahany Speaking Videos
Your Right to Mental Privacy in the Age of Brain-Sensing Tech | Nita Farahany | TED
When technology can read minds, how will we protect our privacy? | Nita Farahany
Nita Farahany Keynote Topics
Brain-sensing technology is no longer science fiction. Wearable EEGs are already deployed in workplaces across Asia and Europe; AI systems can now infer emotion, attention, and intent from physiological signals; and the same generative AI tools reshaping knowledge work are beginning to interface with our cognitive processes in ways we barely understand. Farahany maps this landscape with precision — the genuine medical and productivity breakthroughs alongside the risks of mental surveillance, cognitive warfare, and the erosion of the last truly private space any of us possess. Audiences leave with a clear-eyed framework for what cognitive liberty means for their organizations, and what it will take to protect it.
From fatigue-detection headbands used in mining operations to AI tools that monitor emotional states during video calls, neurotechnology is entering the enterprise faster than most HR and legal teams realize. Farahany explores the real tradeoffs involved — the legitimate safety and productivity applications versus the morale, creativity, and trust costs of monitoring mental states without consent. She offers a framework for how organizations can adopt these tools in ways that motivate rather than regulate, and build the employee trust that makes innovation possible in the first place.
What does it mean to think freely when AI systems can augment, replicate, and increasingly anticipate our cognition? Farahany reframes the generative AI debate — moving past automation anxiety to explore how human relational intelligence, mental agility, and self-awareness become the premium skills in an AI-augmented world. Drawing on neuroscience and law, she shows audiences how to leverage AI as a genuine cognitive partner while safeguarding the qualities of human thought that no algorithm can replicate.
Privacy law was built for a world in which thoughts remained safely inside the skull. That world is ending. Farahany lays out why cognitive liberty — the right to mental self-determination — is rapidly becoming the most consequential human rights issue of the coming decade, and what governments, corporations, and individuals must do now to establish guardrails before the technology outpaces any meaningful regulatory response. This keynote is designed for policy, legal, and senior executive audiences who need to understand not just the risks, but the architecture of a solution.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Nita Farahany
Why Nita Farahany?
Booking Nita Farahany means bringing the world's most credible voice on neurotechnology, AI ethics, and cognitive liberty to your stage. As the scholar who literally wrote the book on mental privacy — The Battle for Your Brain — and who currently chairs the UNESCO Expert Group on the Ethics of Neurotechnology, she speaks with an authority that no commentator or futurist can replicate. What makes her exceptional on stage is the combination of technical fluency and accessibility: she makes the most complex intersections of AI, neuroscience, and law tangible, urgent, and actionable for audiences across industries. Whether your event focuses on AI strategy, the future of work, corporate culture, or responsible technology adoption, Farahany delivers a perspective that shifts how senior audiences think — and act. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check availability and discuss your event.
What is cognitive liberty and why does it matter?
Cognitive liberty is the right to mental self-determination — the freedom to control your own brain, thoughts, and mental experiences without unauthorized external interference. Nita Farahany developed and championed this concept as the foundational framework for navigating the age of neurotechnology. As brain-sensing wearables, AI systems capable of interpreting emotional and cognitive states, and consumer EEG devices become mainstream in workplaces, classrooms, and homes, cognitive liberty is rapidly becoming the most contested human rights issue of the coming decade. Farahany has advocated for its recognition as part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and her work has already influenced legislation in multiple countries.
What is Nita Farahany's book The Battle for Your Brain about?
Published in 2023 by St. Martin's Press, The Battle for Your Brain is a rigorous yet accessible exploration of how advances in neurotechnology and artificial intelligence are creating unprecedented new abilities to monitor, decode, and potentially manipulate human thought and emotion. Farahany argues that society is at an inflection point: these same technologies that can diagnose neurological disorders earlier than ever, boost productivity, and enhance human cognition also enable new forms of mental surveillance — by employers, governments, and corporations. The book lays out a framework for protecting cognitive liberty while embracing the genuine opportunities these technologies offer, and has been adopted in policy, legal, and academic settings worldwide.
What topics does AI speaker Nita Farahany cover?
Nita Farahany speaks on neurotechnology and mental privacy, cognitive liberty and human rights in the AI age, the ethics of generative AI and brain-computer interfaces, neurotech in the workplace, and how organizations can adopt emerging technologies responsibly without sacrificing employee trust or dignity. Her talks are designed for senior leadership audiences navigating the real-world implications of AI and frontier tech — not speculative futures, but decisions that need to be made today. To book Nita Farahany for your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Nita Farahany as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Nita Farahany as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Nita Farahany'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 Nita Farahany or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Nita Farahany speaking fee?
Nita Farahany 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 Nita Farahany 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 Nita Farahany.
How can I contact Nita Farahany?
We only work with Nita Farahany on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Nita Farahany and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Nita Farahany speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Nita Farahany for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Nita Farahany for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Nita Farahany is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Nita Farahany for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
