Crypto [StudyHall]: Recent Episodes
Kirsten
Welcome to Study Hall, a podcast hosted by Kirsten Wegner and Kate Goldman that focuses on the evolving space of crypto, social justice and the future of finance.
In this episode of AI[StudyHall], Kirsten catches up with Jacob Turner, a UK barrister and a former Judicial Assistant Lord Mance in the UK Supreme Court, and author of Robot Rules: Regulating Artificial Intelligence. Jacob shares his thoughts on applying existing legal principles - torts, negligence, contracts, otherwise - to AI, where there may be gaps to be filled, and his thoughts on potential future rights of robots (and philosophical Qs of what is "consciousness"). Turner also explains his cover art - two robot hands holding a piece of origami- and how he chose a pink cover for a book on AI policy.
Join AI[Studyhall] for an interview with Michael Greenwald, Global Head, Financial Innovation and Digital Assets, Amazon Web Services, as he discusses global responsible innovation in AI, key takeaways on what’s next in intersection of blockchain and AI, and his path from almost a decade at Treasury working on counter-terrorist financing to where he is now as a thought leader on responsible AI.
In this episode of [StudyHall], Kirsten catches up with Carole House, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center, to discuss national security concerns and her outlook on AI trends. Where are we headed as far as national security and AI? Her thoughts coming out of General Milley's recent discussion in DC at the AI Expo for National Competitiveness? Thoughts on key concerns and trends ahead in the next few years as far as regtech? & Key takeaways coming out as chair of the Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) at the financial regulator, the CFTC? Kirsten and Carole chat on these issues and more in a thought-provoking discussion.
Guest Bio:
Carole House is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center. She recently served as the director for cybersecurity and secure digital innovation for the White House National Security Council (NSC). House joined the NSC from the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), where she led cybersecurity, virtual currency, and emerging technology policy efforts as a senior cyber and emerging technology policy officer. Prior to FinCEN, she worked as a presidential management fellow supporting the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Cyber and National Security Unit and the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on cybersecurity, supply chain risk management, and critical infrastructure protection policy issues. House is a former Army captain who served in chemical defense and military intelligence until November 2014, including a deployment to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, from 2012 to 2013 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She holds a BA in international affairs from the University of Georgia and an MA in security studies from Georgetown University.
Kirsten and Chris Mohr, SIIA, discuss the recent Scarlett Johansson allegations of appropriation of her voice for an AI app, as well as Taylor Swift's travails earlier this year with illicit and inappropriate AI-generated images of her likeness, and the factors courts look at in such cases, in the broader context of AI and the media.
Topics discussed include, among others,:
- What is the right of publicity, and what factors do courts look at with respect to AI?
-What are potential rights of celebrities/public figures, verses private citizens, under various state and other laws?
-How to hold bad actors accountable under the law?
-What broader policy issues are raised surrounding AI - as it relates to First Amendment rights, free speech, privacy rights?
-Legislation regarding AI-generated content and image based sexual abuse, and amendments to the Violence Against Women Act;
- Are there gaps in the law now?
-IP rights of artists using AI as a tool?
-Future of workforce of artists.
-Outlook on what types of produces consumers may see from AI industry in a few years?
Hi welcome back to my third season of [StuyHall]! I'm so excited to kick off this season focused on artificial intelligence (AI), after earlier season 1 on crypto, and season 2 more broadly on fintech. I've informally dubbed this season "AI for Blondes" -- as a nod to the difficulty to keep up with the pace of innovation in AI, and wanting to dumb down some of the technology -- in AI parlance, to make the technology "explainable" -- to everyone even without a technical background. In other words, for English majors like me, with a fascination with technology and sci-fi. I've spent the past several decades of my career focused on automation /AI in the financial services sector, and see many key takeaways in the broader AI context as well as far as ethics and policy discussions.
There is almost too much to keep up with in the evolving space of use cases of AI - healthcare, education, financial services, national security, media, and more -- that I wanted to start the season with my friend Chris Kelliher, AI expert, and professor who has many years of experience explaining AI in math finance context at Questrom School of Business at Boston University. (We met a few years ago when we were both presenting at the annual Princeton Fintech and Quant conference, and Chris is great at breaking down the complex technology into plain English).
In this episode, we look at takeaways including:
- What are the key takeaways Chris is teaching his math finance students on AI?
-The role of humans in AI - as copilots, active participants;
-The role of data in AI- as the natural resource or input into AI systems; - Future of workforce and AI - what to expect;
- Open verses closed AI/data
..and more!
Boston University Finance Professor Chris Kelliher joins MMI's Kirsten Wegner to discuss AI and the future of algo trading. The pair talk through the way the industry has changed in the past 10-20 years, including a large increase in quant strategies and reliance on quant techniques, the democratization of finance, and the adoption of machine learning,
Thanks to technology, the banking landscape is completely and rapidly changing, and these changes have only been further accelerated by the pandemic. Today we’re taking a look at the everchanging banking landscape with Nicole Elam, the president and CEO of the National Bankers Association.
This week we're talking with Oksana Malysheva, CEO of the Venture Capital firm Sputnik ATX. Our conversation covered a lot of ground - from calculated risk-taking, to investing, to gaining the confidence to go out on your own, and everything in between.
The crypto space is rapidly shifting, and there’s a lot on the table when it comes to regulation, surveillance, spot ETFs, and adoption. And, in the aftermath of FTX’s recent crash — millions of traders and businesses are left bracing for the aftershock.
This week we’re diving into crypto with Gabby Kusz, CEO of the Global Digital Asset and Cryptocurrency Association, and Craig Salm, Chief Legal Officer of Grayscale. We’ll talk about crypto’s outlook, regulation, Spot ETFs, and FTX’s recent crumble.
To learn more about Greyscale’s battle with the SEC, head on over to Grayscale.com/GBTC-lawsuit.
What if there was an exchange where you could trade on any event? Like the Superbowl or the Oscar for Best Picture or even federal elections?
How about the 2022 elections? Will congress flip? And what does this mean for the future of fintech?
Today we’re sitting down with Tarek Mansour, the co-founder of Kalshi, and Katelynn Bradley, DC Strategist, to take a look at event trading, the elections, and the thread that ties these two topics together.
We’re back for season two of StudyHall! This season’s going to be a little different. Last season was all about crypto, now we’re broadening our focus to the world of fintech.
We all know that the fintech space can be … pretty intimidating. In this season, we’ll explore the ins and outs of financial technology together. We’ll pick the brains of fintech visionaries, ask all the hard hitting questions, and explore the ever changing electronic marketplace.
We’re kicking off the season with a conversation on fintech and the elections with Tarek Mansour, the Founder of Kalshi.
The first episode of season 2 is dropping shortly. In the meantime, check us out on our website - www.modernmarketsinitiative.org to find out how we’re saving investors money.
Kirsten and Kate catch up with Professor Jim Angel, Georgetown McDonough School of Business, before his upcoming trek to Nepal to glean his insight into the crypto markets-- is it crypto winter, or crypto spring cleaning? He shares lessons learned from history, a look ahead, and thoughts on the next winners and losers of crypto.
Final episode of Season 1!
Kirsten catches up with Anthony Scaramucci, CEO and Founder, Skybridge Capital, and founder of SALT conference, on his thoughts on:
- crypto investing trends
- how "history is rhyming" - parallels to spot in crypto markets now, and investing history in past decades
- thoughts on NFTs, future of crypto, investor sentiment
- how crypto can democratize cost of transactions, lower fees for payments
- regulation, adoption challenges, global competition
- a lighting round of questions on Anthony's favorite thought leaders, his personal heros, and what's next (also, his favorite books for summer reading) .
Kirsten and Kate interview Ben Emons, Medley Advisors, on CRYPTO WINTER and his advice to hold tight/not sell. Emons discusses his view on the future of crypto adoption, interconnectedness with equities markets, general support for ETFs, and discusses caution about "yield farming" for retail investors. His thoughts on when the crypto winter will end? Listen to the podcast for Emons' predictions...
Kirsten and Kate catch up with Melissa Netram, FS Vector, on her career track as Former Head of Innovation Policy at CFTC and Head of LabCFTC, her work in public and private sector, and her advice to startups navigating world of crypto and innovation policy.
In this episode of CryptoStudyHall, Jenn Lassiter, Digital Dollar Project, and Kathryn White, Accenture, sit down with Kirsten to share key takeaways from this year's World Economic Forum in Davos. Jenn and Kathryn discuss what it's like at Davos, key themes from panels, "spicy" surprise questions, thoughts on equity and crypto, and what they are hearing as far as predictions about the cryptocurrency, stable coin, and digital markets in 2022.
Kate and Kirsten discuss this week's rollercoaster ride in crypto - the good, the bad, and the ugly - in this 15 minute mini episode with a reminder to stay calm/not panic sell out of emotion. Discussion incudes - recent good headlines and the eye-popping bad news that is causing anxiety. How it takes an average day-trader 2 years to realize they are losing money. The value of long-term passive investing, why a crypto ETF might be helpful. Thoughts on inflation, rising prices, and the perils of keeping money in cash, when some studies show 60% of women with savings are likely to keep in cash rather than invest. Thoughts on self-care in this rollercoaster market and keeping calm on Friday the 13th. (These are all personal thoughts, not financial advice.)
Kirsten and Kate catch up with Jared Favole, Circle, on his path from White House Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal to Media/Economic Policy guru at Circle. With the White House Correspondents dinner last weekend top of mind, Kirsten and Kate first ask Jared to share memories of Washington's "nerd prom" from years past. Jared shares his tales of what it was like as a White House Correspondent, for inquiring minds want to know.
Moving on to crypto, topics discussed include:
- Circle's $9 billion valuation
- social justice and central bank digital currency (CBDC)
- financial literacy, future of workforce training on crypto
- international aid and CBDC, the war in Ukraine
- what it's like in the "Golden Age" of policy making on crypto
- evolving media portrayal of crypto, what different generations are saying
- outlook ahead in next 5-10 years
Kirsten and Kate catch up with Nicole Elam, President and CEO, National Bankers Association ("NBA") on topics around community banks and black women entrepreneurship: coaching, access to networks, in addition to access to capital, fintechs and value of technology. Nicole also shares her perspective on fintech and crypto, generally, and what to look out for in the coming years.
Kirsten catches up with Professor Jim Angel, Georgetown McDonough School of Business, on his tweet that went viral that he thinks “#Bitcoin is the new Netscape," as well as a flash series of "back to basics" Qs for the Professor: what is blockchain? what is the metaverse? what is crypto? What are his thoughts on #XRP, Ethereum, Ripple, and the future of money in the next 5 to 50 years?
Kirsten and Kate catch up with Ron Hammond, Blockchain Association, on how he's also known as"Captain Crypto" on Capitol Hill, on his foray into crypto issue in 2016 when his boss said "why don't you look at this crypto thing," and seven years later, the evolution of politics and outlook on crypto regulation.
Kirsten catches up with Mike Katz, head of legal, Digital Currency Group, on his path from from Biglaw to crypto, what it's like to be at the bleeding edge of law, policy and regulation of crypto; his high level policy outlook for 2022: "US finally catching up on crypto regulation with whole of government approach with responsible innovation-first regime that protects consumers while maintaining US position as global leader for innovation"; rise of the one-issue voter for next election and crypto "One of the Top Social Justice Issues"; Mike discusses the question of whether policy makers are still dealing with the legacy issues of Web 2.0 - does Web 3.0 solve the legacy issues of Web 2.0?
On tech trends of 2022: bullish on ETH (but Bitcoin the OG), more projects to deploy on ethereum ecosystem, fractionalization of NFTs, artist rights, and more.
Kate and Kirsten interview Craig Salm, Chief Legal Officer, Grayscale, on the future of crypto and ETFs, the life cycle of an ETF, and future-proofing careers with the emergence of blockchain and crypto.
In this episode: How a VC firm has its eyes on the future of #crypto, #NFTs, #metaverse, and investing in more #women and #minorities. Kirsten chats with the Ayla Kremb, COO, Diffuse Funds, on her career journey as a cofounder of a leading VC, and insight for crypto founders and investors, and areas of potential growth in crypto.
Kate and Kirsten catch up with Dan Spuller, BlockChain Association, on the President's Executive Order on crypto, outlook on industry growth, over 5000 jobs listed on website, general outlook on crypto, and fields question about inquiring minds want to know about XRP /Ripple. Dan shares his insight into the decentralized digital asset space after being a thought leader in the area since 2012 - get 10 years of insight and takeaways boiled down to just 30 minutes :) - for this 10th episode of the pod.
Kate and Kirsten chat with Gabby Kusz, of Global DCA, on launching DCA Crisis in Ukraine Resource Hub, outlook on war in Ukraine, OFAC sanctions, and discussion of future of relief funds and what's on the horizon. More information on the Crisis in Ukraine Resource hub to come here: https://global-dca.org.
Kirsten and Kate catch up with Liat Shetret, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance Policy, Solidus Labs, from the Bahamas on her work trip - as she discusses crypto and financial inclusion, outlook for regulation, and thoughts on Ukraine and what's next in cryptocurrency.
Kirsten and Kate sit down with Sue Friedman, Ripple, to discuss her outlook on what's ahead for crypto, regulation, sustainability, the growth of NFTs, and more.
Kirsten and Kate catch up with Michael Greenwald as he shares what he's most excited about in 2022 in the crypto and NFT space, and shares insight on geopolitics and competing adoption of digital currencies around the world.
Host Kirsten Wegner interviews special guest Wesley Taylor, co-founder of Ekstasis, a startup that uses virtual reality technology to create experiences for businesses and consumers in the VR space. He talks about his vision for the future of VR and entertainment, the metaverse, and shares thought on the future of immersive technology.
Kate and Kirsten discuss the the pros and cons of the meta verse --- are virtual concerts and NFT tickets the same experience as an in-person event? What might future work meetings and conferences be like in a VR world?
CryptoStudyHall hosts Kirsten Wegner and Kate Goldman discuss NFTs, Art Basel, the shifting power structure for artist compensation, with special guest Jennifer Lassiter, Executive Director of Digital Dollar Project.
Welcome to CryptoStudyHall Episode 2 featuring Jennifer Lassiter, who talks digital dollar and social justice with co-hosts Kate Goldman and Kirsten Wegner.
Kirsten and Kate chat about what is crypto, thoughts on the state of crypto, importance of more women participating in fintech generally.
Welcome to Study Hall, a podcast hosted by Kirsten Wegner and Kate Goldman that focuses on the evolving space of crypto’s impact on social justice and the future of finance. The show interviews visionaries about top takeaways to be a learning experience to explore innovation’s role in an ever-changing world, and who is the David, who is the Goliath, of the future?