Juliette Kayyem
Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security
Faculty Director, Homeland Security Project
Faculty Director, Security and Global Health Project
Harvard Kennedy School of Government
ABOUT THE EVENT
America stands at a pivotal moment in history, where artificial intelligence is reshaping the very foundation of national security. AI is not just a technological advancement—it is a force multiplier, one that can either strengthen our defenses or be exploited by our adversaries. Our challenge is clear: to harness its power for good while mitigating the risks that come with it.
AI enhances our ability to detect cyber threats, streamline intelligence gathering, and improve emergency response. It helps us predict attacks before they happen and respond faster when they do. But make no mistake—our adversaries are moving just as quickly. State and non-state actors are already using AI for cyber warfare, disinformation campaigns, and supply chain disruptions, issues that impact the public and private sector.
In this speech, Juliette Kayyem will discuss the national security implications of AI and how we can better harness its powers and regulate the vulnerabilities it is creating for our safety.
BIO
In academia, private sector, government and media, Professor Juliette Kayyem is an international leader in crisis management and homeland security. Professor Kayyem serves as the faculty chair of the Homeland Security and Security and Global Health Projects at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Previously, she served as President Obama's Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and as MA Governor Deval Patrick's Homeland Security Advisor.
An on-air CNN Senior National Security Analyst, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and contributing writer for The Atlantic and Boston's local NPR station, GBH, Kayyem also consults for governors, mayors, public and private institutions on crisis management. She is a Senior Advisor to Teneo, the global consulting firm, and founded her own consulting firm to support the preparedness needs of companies, from Fortune 500 to startups. She was named Inc. Magazine’s top 100 Female Founders in 2019 and received the Lifetime Achievement Pinnacle Award from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in 2023.
Juliette is the author or editor of six books, including her most recent "The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters” which was described in a New Yorker profile of her as an “engagingly urgent blueprint for rethinking our approach to disaster preparedness and response.” Juliette lives in Cambridge, MA with her husband, Judge David Barron, and has three children.
Please note that for security reasons, you will be asked to present a government issued photo identification to gain entrance into the Federal Reserve Bank.
