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Conferences

Y-SIM conferences bring together global leaders, scholars, and practitioners to explore cutting-edge topics in stakeholder innovation and management.

These events provide a platform for insightful discussions on the evolving dynamics of business and society, featuring keynotes, panels, and workshops that highlight actionable strategies for creating long-term stakeholder value. Past conferences have addressed themes such as corporate activism, stakeholder capitalism, and the intersection of business and societal impact.

Past Events

Responsible AI in Global Business 2025

Unlocking Value, Earning Trust: A multidisciplinary conference at Yale

April 3, 2025 
Yale School of Management

AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a widely adopted technology shaping industries, governments, and everyday life. Unlocking its full potential requires a multi-stakeholder approach that balances the interests of consumers, employees, investors, and citizens. To foster this perspective, Yale hosted a multidisciplinary AI conference, uniting leaders from business, academia, and government to navigate responsible AI development and adoption.

The conference explored AI from all critical angles—technology, management, societal impact, policy, and regulation. Participants addressed key challenges, from building trust and securing social license in an AI-driven economy to meeting evolving regulatory needs. By convening diverse voices, the conference laid the groundwork for partnerships and strategies to unlock AI’s value responsibly.

Conference Recap

Article image for What Does Responsible AI Look Like? ‌

What Does Responsible AI Look Like? ‌

Business leaders discussed how companies can reinvent themselves to succeed in the evolving AI economy as part of a student-led conference at Yale SOM. ‌
April 29, 2025 Yale Insights

Highlight Reel

Preview image for the video "Key Insights from Yale's 2025 Responsible AI in Global Business Conference (15-min recap)".

From productivity gains to workforce transformation, this 15-minute highlight reel captures the most compelling takeaways from Yale’s second annual Responsible AI in Global Business conference. Drawing from industry leaders at IBM, J&J, Microsoft, and more, the conversation moves beyond AI hype to focus on real-world adoption, evolving job roles, and ethical leadership.

Key themes include:

  • The growing gap between AI ambition and execution inside organizations
  • Concrete use cases from global companies—digital labor, sales enablement, IT automation
  • The rise of agentic AI and its implications for work, judgment, and oversight
  • New roles like prompt engineers and AI trainers, and the human skills they require
  • The importance of empathy, design thinking, and inclusive workforce strategies
  • Yale’s strategic commitment to AI leadership across research, education, and policy

The future of AI won’t be determined by algorithms alone. Leadership, ethics, and human-centered design will shape what comes next.

Key Insights

What is the best way to unlock the value of AI?

Preview image for the video "What is the best way to unlock the value of AI?".

What AI trend is being overhyped?

Preview image for the video "What AI trend is being overhyped?".
In this conversation, Jon Iwata (Yale), Ben Brooks (Harvard), Andy Markus (AT&T), James Maroney (Connecticut State Senate), and Jo Ann Stonier (formerly Mastercard) share their perspectives on the most overhyped aspects of AI today. From inflated expectations around autonomous agents and job displacement to the limits of current AI literacy programs, the panel explores where the narrative may be outpacing reality and why that matters. Not all hype is harmful, but without deeper understanding, it can distract from what truly deserves our focus.

What AI risk are we underestimating?

Preview image for the video "What AI risk are we underestimating?".
Alan Murray (WSJ Leadership Institute), Ted Wittenstein (Yale), Saira Jesani (Data & Trust Alliance), and Ben Brooks (Harvard/Berkman Klein Center) examine the AI risks hiding in plain sight. As technology races ahead, leadership, culture, and institutions struggle to keep up. The panel explores how flawed data, accidental disruptions, and slow-moving organizations can undermine even the most powerful systems. The biggest challenge? Closing the gap between human readiness and technological speed.

What is your prediction for AI one year from now?

Preview image for the video "What is your prediction for AI one year from now?".
Jim Swanson (Johnson & Johnson), Seeyew Mo (former White House cyber official), Jo Ann Stonier (formerly Mastercard), and John Maeda (Microsoft) offer predictions on where AI is headed next. From generative and agentic AI to shifting organizational models, workforce transformation, and the evolving role of regulation, the discussion highlights both near-term developments and long-term possibilities. One theme is clear: AI’s impact is accelerating, and so is the need for thoughtful leadership and adaptation.
Learn more about the conference