Leaps Talk #11: Mind to Machine
Featuring Karlie Kloss, Mustafa Suleyman, and Nicholas Thompson. Held at The Atlantic Festival 2023 in Washington D.C.
Today, one in five adults in the U.S. struggles with their mental health, and nearly half of the country’s high-school students experience persistent feelings of hopelessness. The advent of AI-based diagnostic tools and chatbots could result in many more people accessing crucial therapeutic services. At the same time, humans are wired for connection—centering that fact is the only way the technology will be effective when it comes to matters of the mind. The conversation with Karlie Kloss, Mustafa Suleyman, and Nick Thompson explored the promises and perils of entrusting our psychological health and well-being to machines. This insightful discussion was an underwriter session, produced by Leaps by Bayer, independent of The Atlantic's editorial staff.
Karlie Kloss
Supermodel, Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist
Karlie Kloss is an American supermodel, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Karlie is the founder of Kode With Klossy, a nonprofit focused on creating learning experiences and opportunities for young women that will unlock agency and inspire them to pursue their passions in a technology driven world. Since launching in 2015, Kode With Klossy has reached over 12,000 scholars through its flagship summer camps. Karlie was recognized on the “TIME 100” list for her philanthropic work as the founder of Kode With Klossy, and was featured on the covers of Fast Company, Forbes, and Entrepreneur for her work to scale the organization.
Mustafa Suleyman
Co-founder and CEO, Inflection AI
Mustafa Suleyman is the co-founder and CEO of Inflection AI. Previously he co-founded DeepMind, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies. After a decade at DeepMind, Suleyman became vice president of AI product management and AI policy at Google. When he was an undergraduate at Oxford, Suleyman dropped out to help start a non-profit telephone counseling service. He lives in Palo Alto, California.
Nicholas Thompson
CEO, The Atlantic
Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic and the former editor-in-chief of WIRED. He is a former contributor for CBS News and a cofounder of The Atavist, a National Magazine Award–winning company that was sold to WordPress. Thompson previously served as editor of NewYorker.com and as a senior editor at WIRED. He has long been a competitive runner; in 2021, he set the American record for men 45+ in the 50K race. He is currently building SpeakEasy.ai to encourage people to engage in positive and productive conversations, alongside writing a book on the way the mind of a runner works.
The Atlantic Festival
The 15th annual Atlantic Festival returns to Washington, D.C., on September 28 and 29, 2023, and brings together influential and provocative political, cultural, business, tech, and climate leaders for two full days of in-depth interviews, timely forums, intimate breakout sessions, book talks, screenings, and networking opportunities. Our writers and moderators will host a lively exchange of complex ideas, addressing the most significant issues of our time with today’s boldest thinkers as we bring The Atlantic’s journalism to life on stage.
VISIT THE ATLANTIC FESTIVALCollaborating with the smartest minds
In an increasingly convergent world, there is no innovation without collaboration. Together, we aim to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.