AI carries twin and seemingly contradictory threats: of destroying the social fabric through omnipresent and persuasive deception and of concentrating power in a “singularity” of model creators or models themselves. These two threats are narrowing the corridor in which plural (free and democratic) societies can thrive. To avoid this Scylla and Charybdis, we must harness these tools to proactively widen that corridor, a strategy that has been labeled “Plurality” by its leading practitioner, Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang who has made that country the light to the free world.
Drawing on his forthcoming book jointly with her, Glen will show you how to harness Plurality to improve health, fuel productivity and create a richer media environment, all by harnessing and while contributing to human diversity and cooperation through digital technology
The next wave of generative foundation models (GFMs) succeeding ChatGPT and DALL-E, will make indistinguishable and arbitrarily manipulable simulation of human content (e.g. video, voice, documents) ubiquitous, liquidating much of the foundation of social cooperation and trust.
Maintaining trust and collaboration will require a revolution in verification and dramatically expanded applications of cryptography. Luckily Web3 ecosystems like Ethereum and countries like Taiwan have been coping with similar threats for years now. In this talk, Glen will draw lessons from these experiences to help individuals and organizations of all sizes survive and thrive in this disruption
Glen Weyl is the co-inventor of Quadratic Funding, the hottest new approach to supporting social entrepreneurship and cross silo-collaboration within companies, is Microsoft’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer Political Economist and Social Technologist and Founder of the RadicalxChange Foundation.
Glen will explain how QF works, how it has been mathematically proven as the optimal way to support public goods and how it is transforming open-source software, the blockchain, media and social service provision. Whether you’re looking to tap the wisdom of your employees to catalyze new cross-company entrepreneurship or catalyze effective charitable giving, QF is one of the most powerful tools available today and there’s no one better to learn about it from than its pioneer.
Glen Weyl, a former professor of economics at the University of Chicago, developed the economic theory behind many recent advances in antitrust policy, from the 2010 US merger guidelines to the use of antitrust to protect workers. As Microsoft’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer Political Economist and Social Technologist, he is today at the forefront of technology competition and regulatory policy.
His talk will cover some of the most innovative approaches to addressing the problems of technology monopoly platforms, including treating data as labor, forming collective bargaining institutions such as data coalitions, the democratization or utilization of platforms and the use of new open protocols to facilitating meaningful portability. Today every company is a digital company and we all depend on the infrastructure controlled by a few dominant technology platforms. Here is a clear glimpse into the future that will determine the fate of your business and how you can shape it.
Glen Weyl stands at the crossroads of technology, economics, and democratic renewal. As a researcher, strategist, and movement builder, he leads global efforts to ensure emerging technologies—Web3, the metaverse, AI, and social networks—strengthen rather than erode democracy and pluralism.
Currently heading the Plural Technology Collaboratory (PTC), the world’s foremost industrial research group exploring how diverse societies can thrive amid generative AI and decentralization, Glen combines visionary theory with hands-on impact. He previously served on the leadership team of Microsoft’s Office of the CTO, where he led the company’s relationship with OpenAI and advised senior leaders on geopolitics and macroeconomics.
Glen’s influence extends far beyond corporate research. As the main intellectual collaborator of Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum), Jaron Lanier (virtual reality), and Audrey Tang (Taiwan’s Digital Minister), he’s uniquely positioned at the intersection of technical design and democratic governance. His landmark book, Radical Markets, introduced groundbreaking social technologies—such as Quadratic Voting and Quadratic Funding—now used globally as models for civic innovation.
Web 3, the metaverse, artificial intelligence and social networks are transforming our society and economy, and core social values like democracy and pluralism. Glen Weyl is the world’s leading expert on how to harness these emerging tools to advance support, advance and renew those values.
As the main intellectual collaborator of Vitalik Buterin (Founder of Ethereum), Jaron Lanier (father of virtual reality) and Audrey Tang (Digital Minister of Taiwan), Glen makes the dizzying possibilities of the future digestible.
Glen Weyl was on the leadership team of Microsoft’s Office of the CTO, which led the relationship with OpenAI, and is now leading the main industrial research group (the PTC) addressing how plural (free, democratic and diverse) societies can thrive in the age of generative foundation models.
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In this 29-minute World Economic Forum session, economist and technologist Glen Weyl examines how emerging technologies—from AI to Web3—can be reimagined to reinforce democracy, pluralism, and shared prosperity.
In this thought-provoking presentation at the World Economic Forum, Glen Weyl, Founder of RadicalxChange and Research Lead of the Plural Technology Collaboratory, challenges global leaders to rethink how technology intersects with governance and economics. He opens by acknowledging the paradox of the digital age: while AI, social networks, and decentralized platforms promise empowerment, they have also deepened polarization and inequality.
Glen argues that the solution lies in embracing Plurality—a design philosophy and governance model that prioritizes collaboration across difference. Drawing from his experience co-developing Quadratic Voting and his partnerships with Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum), Audrey Tang (Taiwan), and Jaron Lanier (virtual reality pioneer), he demonstrates how plural systems can align innovation with democratic accountability.
He explores how Web3’s decentralized tools, when grounded in shared social values, can counter the concentration of power in large tech platforms. Through case studies, Glen highlights how plural governance models are already influencing AI ethics, civic participation, and data ownership frameworks worldwide.
Midway through the session, he discusses his work at Microsoft’s Office of the CTO and the Plural Technology Collaboratory (PTC)—a global research group developing mechanisms to ensure AI and digital infrastructure serve free, diverse, and democratic societies. He frames this as a moral imperative: as AI and generative models reshape economies and institutions, pluralism must be built into their foundations.
The talk concludes with a call to action: to design economic and digital systems that reflect human interdependence rather than dominance, enabling innovation that is both equitable and enduring.
Timestamped Synopsis:
In this in-depth, 2-hour and 21-minute discussion, Glen Weyl unpacks the philosophy and practice of Plurality—his visionary framework for reimagining technology, economics, and democracy in the age of AI and decentralization.
In Harnessing the Power of Plurality, Glen Weyl delivers a sweeping exploration of how society can thrive amidst the profound transformations driven by artificial intelligence, Web3, and networked digital systems. Over more than two hours, he guides audiences through his life’s work—combining deep theory with actionable models for building plural, participatory, and resilient institutions.
The session begins with Glen defining Plurality as the principle of collaborative diversity—a counterweight to both authoritarian control and atomized individualism. Drawing on decades of research and collaboration with leaders like Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum), Jaron Lanier (virtual reality), and Audrey Tang (Taiwan’s digital democracy architect), he demonstrates how plural technologies can enable shared progress without sacrificing freedom or inclusivity.
Through structured dialogue, visual frameworks, and live Q&A, Glen examines:
The failures of centralized and monopolistic models in tech and governance.
The promise of decentralized collaboration to align innovation with democratic values.
How new mechanisms—like Quadratic Voting, data cooperatives, and plural networks—can balance competition and cooperation.
He integrates insights from his leadership at the Plural Technology Collaboratory (PTC) and RadicalxChange, describing real-world experiments that operationalize plural principles in AI governance, digital identity, and civic engagement.
Midway through, the conversation expands into ethics, geopolitics, and institutional design, exploring how pluralism can stabilize democratic societies under technological and cultural strain. Glen argues that the survival of democracy in the 21st century depends on designing systems that recognize interdependence—not uniformity—as the basis for human and machine cooperation.
The session concludes with a forward-looking dialogue on how plural values can be embedded into the governance of AI, data, and decentralized networks—ensuring technology serves collective empowerment rather than concentrated power.
AI governance, Web3 economics, pluralism, democratic innovation, and the intersection of technology and social systems.
He bridges advanced technical understanding with deep social theory—working simultaneously with government reformers, blockchain pioneers, and corporate research labs.
Through the PTC and RadicalxChange, he’s developing and testing frameworks that enable collaboration, trust, and fairness across decentralized digital ecosystems.
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