The Fall Meeting was held on-site at the MIT Media Lab with sessions livestreamed on Tuesday, October 24–Wednesday, October 25, 2023.

The meeting features updates from all Media Lab research groups, focusing on current and future work that reflects the Lab's five research themes.  As always, there will be many opportunities to meet our researchers and discuss their latest work. 

There will be exclusive sessions, accessible by request or invitation only, on October 26. Preliminary information about these sessions is available at the bottom of the agenda. If you have any questions about these events, please email external-relations@media.mit.edu for more information.

Agenda

Schedule is subject to change. All times are US Eastern Time.

DAY 1:  Tuesday, October 24

8:00am - 8:40am:  Registration in E14 Lobby +Breakfast in the Winter Garden room

8:40am - 9:00am:  Welcome in the Multi-Purpose Room - Professor Dava Newman, Director, MIT Media Lab

9:00am - 10:00am:  Research Futures Session 1 - Lightning Overviews from the Principal Investigators 

• 9:00am-9:05am: Dr. Andy Lippman, Viral Communications  
  
• 9:05am-9:10am: Professor Hiroshi Ishii, Tangible Media 
  
• 9:10am-9:15am: Professor Canan Dağdeviren, Conformable Decoders  
  
• 9:15am-9:20am: Professor Fadel Adib, Signal Kinetics 
  
• 9:20am-9:25am: Dr. Cody Paige, Space Exploration Initiative 
  
• 9:25am-9:30am: Professor Joseph Paradiso, Responsive Environments 
  
• 9:30am-9:35am: Professor Hugh Herr, Biomechatronics 
  
• 9:35am-9:40am: Professor Deblina Sarkar, Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek 
  
• 9:40am-9:45am: Dr. David Kong, Community Biotechnology Initiative 
  
• 9:45am-9:50am: Professor Joseph Jacobson, Molecular Machines 
  
• 9:50am-9:55am: Professor Kevin Esvelt, Sculpting Evolution  
  

10:00am - 10:45am:  Break + Networking Opportunities

10:45am - 11:50am:  Research Futures Session 2 – Lightning Overviews from the Principal Investigators 

• 10:45am-10:50am: Professor Rosalind Picard, Affective Computing
  
• 10:50am-10:55am: Professor Pattie Maes, Fluid Interfaces
  
• 10:55am-11:00am: Professor Cynthia Breazeal, Personal Robots
  
• 11:00am-11:05am: Kent Larson, City Science
• 11:05am-11:10am: Professor Deb Roy, Center for Constructive Communications
  
• 11:10am-11:15am: Professor Alex 'Sandy' Pentland, Human Dynamics
  
• 11:15am-11:20am: Robert 'Bob' Bench, Digital Currency Initiative
  
• 11:20am-11:25am: Professor Ramesh Raskar, Camera Culture
  
• 11:25am-11:30am: Professor Danielle Wood, Space Enabled
• 11:30am-11:35am: Professor Mitchel Resnick, Lifelong Kindergarten
• 11:35am-11:40am: Professor Zach Lieberman, Future Sketches
• 11:40am-11:45am: Dr. Minoo Rathnasabapathy, Future Worlds

12:00pm - 1:15pm:  Lunch with Topic Table Options for Networking and Discussion served in the Winter Garden room

1:15pm - 3:45pm:  Explore Research Lab Demos

3:45pm - 4:15pm:  Break

4:15pm - 5:45pm:  Parallel Sessions 1 
Session descriptions here.

• Sensate Media: Future of Fiber and Fabric (F3) - Professor Hiroshi Ishii, PI (Tangible Media), Professor Joseph Paradiso, PI (Responsive Environments), Jack Forman and Ozgun Kilic Afsar, Research Assistants (Tangible Media), and Irmandy Wicaksono, Research Assistant (Responsive Environments) in The Nagashima Room E15-341, Capacity 46 
• AI and Future of Work, Part 2: AI + Work and Workforce - Dr. Isabella Loaiza, Research Affiliate (Human Dynamics) and Pierre-Alexandre Balland, Professor, (Utrecht University) in E14-633, Capacity 90
• Using AI to support meetings and conversations - Professor Pattie Maes, PI (Fluid Interfaces) and Research Assistants (Fluid Interfaces) in E14-244, Capacity 30
• Asset Tokenization Challenges - Dr. Thomas Hardjono (Human Dynamics) in E15-466, Capacity 30
• Cultivating Creativity - Professor Mitchel Resnick, PI (Lifelong Kindergarten), Professor Danielle Wood, PI (Space Enabled), Professor Zach Lieberman, PI (Future Sketches), Dr. David Kong, PI (Community Biotechnology) and Manaswi Mishra, Research Assistant (Opera of the Future),  in E14-245, Capacity 60
  
• Extreme Sensing: Seeing the unseen beyond walls, oceans, and planets - Akshat Dave, Postdoctoral Associate (Camera Culture), Siddharth Somasundaram, Research Assistant (Camera Culture), Ahmed Allam, Postdoctoral Associate (Signal Kinetics), Maisy Lam, Research Assistant (Signal Kinetics), Patrick Chwalek, Research Assistant (Responsive Environments), Fangzheng Liu, Research Assistant (Responsive Environments) in E15-359, Capacity 30
  
• AI for Accelerating Science Discovery Workshop - Professor Ramesh Raskar, PI (Camera Culture) in E14-240, Capacity 30
• Women’s Health, AI + Innovation Forum - in Multi-Purpose Room, Capacity 150.  Seneca Women co-founder and Media Lab Executive-in-Residence, Kim Azzarelli joins Media Lab Director Dr. Dava Newman for a conversation with leading women scientists from the MIT Media Lab Dr. Roz Picard, Dr. Danielle Wood, Dr. Canan Dagdeviren, and Dr. Deblina Sarkar. We will explore the breakthroughs in technology and AI that are transforming the future of women’s health and impacting lives around the world.

5:45pm - 7:15pm:  Reception in the Winter Garden and Silverman Skyline rooms

DAY 2: Wednesday, October 25

8:00am - 8:50am:  Registration in E14 Lobby +Breakfast in the Winter Garden room

8:50am - 9:00am: Welcome in the Multi-Purpose Room – Professor Dava Newman, Director, MIT Media Lab

9:00am - 10:30am:  E14 Fund Overview + Presentations in the Multi-Purpose Room

10:30am - 11:00am:  Break + Networking Opportunities
Options to Explore E14 Fund Companies on the 6th floor 

11:00am - 12:00pm:  Parallel Sessions 2 
Session descriptions here.

• Altering Brain Physiology with Wearables for Health and Optimal Performance - Professor Pattie Maes, PI (Fluid Interfaces) and Research Assistants (Fluid Interfaces) in E15-341, Capacity 46
• Blockchain and Privacy Enhancing Technology – What are they, and what do they mean for your business? - Chris Calabia, Head of CBDC Programs (Digital Currency Initiative) in E14-240, Capacity 30
  
• Evaluating Generative Images through Liquid Democracy – A Case Study in Architectural Textures - Yasushi Sakai, Research Assistant (City Science) and Kei Arima (TOPPAN) in E15-359, Capacity 30
• Decentralized Society - Professor Ramesh Raskar, PI (Camera Culture) in E14-633, Capacity 90
• Building Positive Online Spaces: Designing social media for connectedness and self-reflection - Ila Kumar and Craig Ferguson, Research Assistants (Affective Computing), Jocelyn Shen, Research Assistant (Personal Robots) in E15-466, Capacity 30
  
• AI and Future Therapeutics - Professor Rosalind Picard, PI (Affective Computing), Professor Joseph Jacobson, PI (Molecular Machines), Professor Canan Dagdeviren, PI (Conformable Decoders), Professor Deblina Sarkar, PI (Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek), and Professor Kevin Esvelt, PI (Sculpting Evolution) in Multi-Purpose Room, Capacity 150
  
• Generative AI and the Practice of Law: How technology redefines legal services and risks -Robert Mahari, Research Assistant (Human Dynamics) in E15-383, Capacity 30

12:00pm-1:00pm:  Lunch served in the Winter Garden room
For Liaisons Only: All-Liaison Meeting in E14-245

1:00pm-1:45pm:  Plenary Session 1 in Multi-Purpose Room – Generative AI + the Metaverse: A Future Where Everyone is Invited to Play

Marco Tempest
Jenna Fizel, IDEO
Pat Pataranutaporn, MIT Media Lab

Cyber illusionist Marco Tempest creates magic for both sides of the brain. In this session, he guides us through an AI-driven magical experience where we learn to challenge the bounds of imagination and reality.

1:45pm-2:30pm:  Plenary Session 2 in Multi-Purpose Room – Future Worlds | Design and Action for the Future We Want to Co-create

Media Lab Director Dr. Dava Newman, Future Worlds Research Scientist Dr. Minoo Rathnasabapathy, Director of Signal Kinetics Dr. Fadel Adib, and Director of Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek Dr. Deblina Sarkar will talk to us and with us about the critical domains of our oceans, land and Space, the dual energy-climate challenge, and the ever-evolving landscape of climate impacts on health. Through their insights, we'll delve deeper to shape a sustainable and inclusive future.

2:30pm-3:00pm:  Break

3:00pm-5:00pm:  Explore Research Lab Demos

5:00pm-7:00pm:  Reception in the Winter Garden and Silverman Skyline rooms

DAY 3:  Thursday, October 26

Exclusive sessions, accessible by request or invitation only, are scheduled to occur simultaneously at multiple locations across and outside the Media Lab.  

9:00am-12:15pm:  2023 MIT Digital Technology and Strategy Conference: MIT Media Lab Workshop on Generative AI and Its Impact on Society

   –   This takes place at the Boston Marriott Cambridge   (50 Broadway, Cambridge, MA (Kendall Square), 02142)
   –   Registration is required.  Contact your Media Lab liaison or email events@media.mit.edu for the comp code and instructions.

9:00am-4:00pm:  Open Office Hours (Upon request)

Should you have any inquires, please contact external-relations@media.mit.edu.

For Office Hour or Workshop Requests we typically arrange 30- to 40-minute sessions. In order to schedule these meetings, please provide us with the objectives of the meeting and details about the participant[s] including their name, titles, and email address. Feel free to get in touch with us at external-relations@media.mit.edu. 

Registration

Explore the agenda below, and be sure to register!  This is an invitation-only event. In-person registration has closed. You may register for virtual attendance using the links below.

Lodging + Transportation

Several hotels are within walking distance of the Media Lab and Kendall Square's dynamic, innovation-focused neighborhood. Many more are accessible via public transit, taxi, or rideshare.  

The Media Lab is located at 75 Amherst Street (at the corner of Ames and Amherst Streets). We are a 2–3 minute walk from the Kendall Square stop on the Red Line; as parking in the area is difficult and expensive, public transit or taxi/ride share services are preferred.