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Our Spring Town Hall brought together two of AI&F’s Advisors: Jon Palmer, the General Counsel of Microsoft, in conversation with Kenneth Cukier, the deputy executive editor of The Economist. They discussed the intersections of religion, ethics, law, and policy on business and society. What have been the influences (both positive and negative) that religion has had on US law, legal ethics and the legal profession? How has this influenced Jon’s professional life, and the role of Christian doctrine in the way he views ethics, practices law, and sees his role as a lawyer? What are the challenges and opportunities that AI presents in these contexts and the need for AI to develop in a way that aligns with ethical considerations? Their diverse backgrounds made an especially interesting conversation: Jon is the son of a prominent Presbyterian pastor; Kenn’s father fled the Holocaust and took him to Quaker meetings as a child.
Meet our Speakers
Kenneth Cukier is the Deputy Executive Editor at The Economist, following two decades at the paper as a foreign correspondent, technology writer and commentary editor. He’s the coauthor of several books: “Big Data,” an international bestseller in 20 languages, and “Framers” on AI and mental models. Kenn was a research fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School and Oxford’s Saïd Business School. He was a board director of Chatham House in 2016-24 and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Jonathan Palmer serves as General Counsel at Microsoft and leads the Corporate Legal Affairs department. He oversees the company’s core legal and compliance functions. Previously, Jon was a Litigation Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Heller Ehrman LLP. From 2005 to 2008 he was based in Asia, where he was Managing Partner for Heller Ehrman’s offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, and Shanghai. Jon has an active pro bono practice, and is a passionate advocate for legal reform—particularly in the areas of civil justice reform and alternative dispute resolution. Jon received his BA from Stanford University and his JD from University of California, Berkeley.
Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of AI and Faith or any of its leadership.
Production: Pablo Salmones and Penny Yuen
Speakers: Kenneth Cukier and Jon Palmer
Editing: Isabelle Braconnot
Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39
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