Name: THE GREAT TECH WAR: Can We Optimize Innovation, Regulate AI, Protect...
Start: 2025-10-30T09:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-10-30T12:15:00-04:00

**[Please RSVP HERE and in Meetup](https://www.eventcreate.com/e/the-great-tech-war-2025)**

**THE GREAT TECH WAR:**
Can We Optimize Innovation, Regulate AI, Protect Children and Address Social Media Content at the Same Time?

Join the [Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center](http://fintsc.org/) (Center) and George Mason University’s (GMU) [Center for Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience](http://crc.gmu.edu/) (CRC), [Center for Assurance Research and Engineering](http://care.gmu.edu/) (CARE), the [Donald G. Costello College of Business](http://business.gmu.edu/), and a host of experts for a pivotal discussion on the urgent challenges of AI and internet governance.

Our expert panel will delve into the dynamic landscape of AI regulation, exploring recent state and federal initiatives, including those in New York and California. We'll examine the operational policies of the current administration, the progression toward Artificial General Intelligence, and the critical need for governance to ensure human oversight. The discussion will also cover national security concerns, the hypothetical point of singularity, and the complex issues of AI and intellectual property.

In the second half of the summit, we will shift focus to the ongoing debate over internet content and the protection of children. Our panel will analyze recent state-level actions on social media, including age verification, parental consent, and design standards. We will also discuss legal challenges to content moderation policies and the use of deepfakes in elections, as well as how U.S. policy is influenced by international actions on internet speech.

This event is a must-attend for anyone interested in the future of technology, policy, and society.

-=-=-=-=-=-

**The Great Tech War:**
**Can We Optimize Innovation, Regulate AI, Protect Children and Address Social Media Content at the Same Time?**

Co-Chairs:

**Dr. Jean-Pierre Auffret**
Director, Research Partnerships, Costello College of Business, George Mason University; Director, Center for Assurance Research and Engineering (CARE), College of Engineering & Computing, George Mason University

**Thomas P. Vartanian**
Executive Director of the Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center®
Author, 200 Years of American Financial Panics, Crashes, Recessions and Depressions, And the Technology That Will Change It All; The Unhackable Internet: How Rebuilding Cyberspace Can Create Real Security and Prevent Financial Collapse

**Robert H. Ledig**
Managing Director of the Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center®

Agenda:

*9:00 – 9:10 a.m. Welcome and Overview*

**Co-Chairs**

*9:10 – 10:30 a.m. Regulating AI*

**Lena Cohen** – Staff Technologist, Electronic Frontier Foundation
**Peyton Hornberger** – Communications Director, The Alliance for Secure AI
**Tommy Jones** – Visiting Associate Professor, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business; Chief Scientist, Foundation
**Jess Miers** – Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, University of Akron School of Law
**Gary Rinkerman** – Partner, Pierson Ferdinand

*10:30 – 10:40 a.m. Audience Questions*

*10:40 – 10:50 a.m. Break*

*10:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Regulating the Internet*

**Ari Cohn** – Lead Counsel, Tech Policy, FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression)
**Mary Ann Franks** – Eugene L. and Barbara A. Bernard Professor in Intellectual Property, Technology, and Civil Rights Law, George Washington University Law School
**Justin (Gus) Hurwitz** – Senior Fellow; Academic Director of the Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition, University of Pennsylvania, Penn Carey Law
**Ryan Proctor** – Consovoy McCarthy PLLC; previously Judicial Law Clerk, Justice Clarence Thomas
**Paul Taske** – Co-Director NetChoice Litigation Center

*12:00 - 12:15 p.m. Audience Questions*

-=-=-=-=-=-

**There is no charge to attend the program. Please feel free to share this invitation with your colleagues.**

*The **Financial Technology & Cybersecurity Center®** is a non-profit organization that brings together financial services professionals, regulators, trade association representatives, consumer group representatives, counsel and advisors to discuss, debate, and advocate in regard to financial technology and cybersecurity issues and their regulation. It is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For more information about the Center and to sign up to hear about future events and projects visit [https://fintsc.org/](https://fintsc.org/).*

*George Mason’s **Center of Excellence in Government Cybersecurity Risk Management and Resilience (CRC)** was founded in November 2023. The Center of Excellence serves as a strategic partner in federal, state and local government cybersecurity and IT modernization efforts. CRC translates state-of-the-art research into practice, provides executive education and convenes workshops and conferences on current government cybersecurity and IT modernization challenges, disseminates best practices, and fosters cybersecurity and IT modernization organizational capacity within federal, state and local governments. Fore more information, please visit [crc.gmu.edu](http://crc.gmu.edu/)*

*The College of Engineering and Computing at George Mason University hosts the **Center for Assurance Research & Engineering (CARE)**. CARE’s multidisciplinary approach to cybersecurity encompasses the fields of technology, policy, business and leadership. Through partnerships with government and private industry, innovative research is translated into practices and policies used in real-world settings. Research includes security for distributed systems, mobile apps/devices, industrial control systems, and new technologies such as networked medical devices, as well as policies development for securing critical infrastructure and guidance for cybersecurity leadership/governance. For more information, please visit [care.gmu.edu](http://care.gmu.edu/)*

*The **Donald G. Costello College of Business** at George Mason University is a leading business school located in the dynamic Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. region. The college is dedicated to providing students with a career-focused, experiential education through strong partnerships with public, private, and academic organizations. With AACSB accreditation, the college offers a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including concentrations in business analytics, finance, and marketing. A major gift from entrepreneur Donald G. Costello has further strengthened its commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship, and preparing a diverse student body to succeed in a global business environment. For more information, please visit [business.gmu.edu](http://business.gmu.edu/)*

J.P. Auffret

Cybersecurity Innovation Forum at George Mason University

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THE GREAT TECH WAR: Can We Optimize Innovation, Regulate AI, Protect...

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Cybersecurity Innovation Forum at George Mason University

THE GREAT TECH WAR: Can We Optimize Innovation, Regulate AI, Protect...

Cybersecurity Innovation Forum at George Mason University

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