The 3rd Innovation Debate
Wednesday 19 November 2025 | 5:30 pm | Cercle des Bains
Can algorithms and AI deliver lasting progress on humanity’s greatest challenges without the decisive force of human judgement?
The Giga Research Lab at the GSEM, the Geneva Innovation Movement, and Giga are organizing the 3rd Edition of the "Innovation Debate", an event that aims to debate difficult organizational innovation questions.
From climate change to digital inequality, today’s grand challenges stretch the limits of human coordination and institutional capacity. Algorithms and AI hold the promise of optimizing decisions, scaling solutions, and unlocking insights at speeds beyond human reach. But can they truly deliver lasting progress on their own? Where should accountability lie when things go wrong, and should AI systems themselves be assigned roles and responsibilities? At a broader level, are we in danger of overstating their agency – and in doing so, overlooking the indispensable role of human responsibility? In the end, does meaningful change still rest on the trust and legitimacy of human judgment?
The Format: Leaders Debate!
Designed to spark lively discussion around provocative ideas, this debate will see panelists exchange arguments and challenge one another in an interactive setting – each aiming to convince the audience of their stance on the motion:
Algorithms will solve some of the grand challenges confronting humanity
Four leading voices in AI and digital inclusion will share their perspectives, challenge one another's views, and engage with the audience to draw out to actionable insights for the future. The Debate will expose the latest thinking on whether algorithms can truly become our most powerful ally in addressing grand challenges, or whether we risk overestimating what technology can achieve without human leadership and accountability.
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Speaking for the motion: Professor Phanish Puranam, Roland Berger Chair Professor of Strategy & Organization Design at INSEAD, Author of Re-Humanize: How to Build Human-Centric Organizations in the Age of Algorithms, and Olga Londer, Strategic Pursuit and Partnerships, Technical Director Cloud Solutions at Microsoft
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Speaking against the motion: Diana Zamora, Global Public Policy Director at Mastercard, and Christopher Fabian, Co-Founder and Co-Lead at Giga (UNICEF)
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The evening will be moderated by GSEM Professor Tina Ambos, Professor of International Management at the University of Geneva, with insights from Dr. Katherine Tatarinov, Strategy Professor at the University of Lausanne, Co-Founder of Hoja AI, and Managing Director at Geneva Innovation Movement
> Click here for more information and to register.
January 8, 20252025
