The Brave.
The Beep.
The Bots.

Since the beginning, the Media Lab's mission has remained constant: To create transformative technologies, experiences, and systems that enable people to reimagine and redesign their lives—by engaging people everywhere through meaningful, creative experiences integrating art, science, design, and engineering. 

Now, 40 years in, we're marking this milestone by gathering the people who have built this place, bit-by-bit, and the ones who are taking it forward into the future. 

Over the course of two extraordinary days, we’ll explore some of MIT Media Lab’s boldest accomplishments since its inception in 1985, when the idea of digital touchscreens and emotion-sensing technology were considered absurd, and we’ll honor the visionaries whose ideas were ahead of their time. That restless spirit hasn't changed.

The MIT Media Lab's 40 year history offers us a new vantage point for our collective gaze 10, 25, 40 years into the future. Pundits predict the future, we build it. Our speakers will paint vivid pictures of what's possible. Expect performances, the sights, sounds, and science of what can be.

We’re calling this event The Brave. The Beep. The Bots.

• The Brave
  The MIT Media Lab community reaches far and wide, made up of dreamers and doers who put bold ideas into the world. We place the spirit of bold exploration, and the power to build, in everyone's hands. What does it mean to be brave, and what are we dreaming of for the next 40?
• The Beep
  The constant frequency of digital life is ever present and will only grow stronger. Here, art, science, engineering, and design are woven into that signal. They interrogate it, shape it, and give it meaning. How might we tune this signal so it amplifies human expression rather than mutes it?
• The Bots
  The bots are among us. They walk + talk, they collaborate, they make decisions on our behalf. They have the potential to replace us. What we want them to do, and what we want to remain our own, is the defining question of our time. The most profound bots augment our bodies and minds, but that future isn’t guaranteed.
  How might we flourish alongside the bots in ways that preserve and expand humanity?

The Schedule:

Thursday, October 22 [Members only]: We spend this day focused on our member companies. Here, latest research is shared by faculty, researchers, and students combined with interactivity, demos, and  a community-wide lunch.

Thursday night, The Beat. The Baton. The BSO: An evening at Symphony Hall you won't forget. Tod Machover premieres already and not yet, a bold new Boston Symphony Orchestra commission with AI+80 musicians exploring a vision for the future of democracy—pure Media Lab!

Friday, October 23: Join us for a day of curated programming that celebrates the MIT Media Lab's past, present, and future. 

Friday night, The Bold. The Boogie. The Ball: More than just a party. A mind meld and ecstatic celebration of our weird, wonderful, and magical community through food, music, and surprises.

Saturday, October 24, The Bits. The Bites. The Brunch: Geared toward alumni and families, let's gather for a delicious goodbye before heading back out into the world to do great things.

While this event is a private gathering built by and for our community, we'd love to stay connected with you. We may share some highlights on video afterward, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, visit us at media.mit.edu, follow us on social media (links in footer), and subscribe to our LinkedIn Newsletter. There's plenty to discover!