Data and Privacy in the Age of AI

A free, public workshop—no technical background needed Most of us already know that companies, governments, and apps collect a lot of data about us. That part isn’t new. What is new is what AI makes possible with that data. For years, the privacy conversation has mostly been about tracking, ads, data brokers, social media, and surveillance. Those concerns still matter. But advanced AI changes the picture: once powerful models can analyze huge amounts of text, images, location data, purchases, messages, and online behavior at scale, the value of personal data goes way up—and so do the risks. This workshop will look at how the data and privacy landscape worked before AI, and what may change now that sophisticated AI systems can search, summarize, infer, predict, and act on massive amounts of personal information. Together, we’ll explore questions like: Surveillance: How could AI make it easier to monitor people, identify patterns, and draw conclusions from huge amounts of data? Incentives: Why might companies and governments have stronger reasons than ever to collect, store, and analyze personal information? Advertising & persuasion: How could AI make targeted advertising, political messaging, and behavioral manipulation more personalized and more effective? Scams & attacks: What happens when bad actors can use AI to personalize fraud, phishing, impersonation, and social engineering at scale? What you’ll get: A clear, beginner-friendly overview of how data privacy worked before modern AI A practical explanation of why AI changes the value and danger of personal data Real examples of how AI is already being used in surveillance, advertising, and persuasion A live demo showing how today’s tools can be used to launch sophisticated scams and attacks at scale A framework for thinking more clearly about privacy, power, and trust in a world where data is easier than ever to analyze This is not a workshop about deleting every app or becoming paranoid about technology. It’s about understanding the new reality we’re entering. AI doesn’t just make data more useful. It makes data more actionable. And that means the privacy choices we make—as individuals, companies, and societies—are going to matter a lot more than they used to.