Alexander Nicholas
Executive Vice President
XPRIZE
About Me
Dr. Alexander Nicholas serves as the Executive Vice President of the Learning & Society Grand Challenges, where he designs XPRIZES to shape the future of learning and work and to navigate the complexities of government and society. Prior to XPRIZE, Dr. Nicholas served as a Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, leading efforts to redesign US higher education to address learner and market needs. He also championed innovation at the US Commerce Department, co-designing White House Start-Up America initiative competitions. At the National Science Foundation, Dr. Nicholas was honored as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Policy Fellow in the Division of Graduate Education. In addition, he has served in many advisory roles with entities such as the Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Economic Prosperity, Diplomatic Courier, Giddens Schools, Learning Economy Foundation, and the National Academy of Inventors Selection Committee. Dr. Nicholas has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and served as a research scientist at Harvard University.
Hear My Insights
Is Generative AI Feeding the Fake News Machine?
Photographs and video have long been amongst the trustworthiest recordings of fact. Like much else, Generative AI is upending this standard. From making the Pope wear a funny coat to creating deepfakes of President Biden dissuading voters from heading to the polls, the potential for misinformation is massive, and the damages hard to calculate. This session, co-curated with Diplomatic Courier, explores the risks and possible solutions. What are the implications of GenAI-powered fake news for the media and for consumers? What regulatory frameworks can be put in place to help? And can AI also play a role in defending from misinformation, rather than creating it?