DAX INSIGHTS SERIES: How to Win Consumer Trust in AI with Bob Hedges
How to Win Consumer Trust in AI
What does it take to earn and sustain consumer trust in the age of AI?
Trust has become potentially the most important competitive business differentiator in the age of artificial intelligence. While business and technology platforms routinely invoke the need for consumer trust, their actions to build it remain indecisive and tentative.
Join Columbia’s Data Science Institute at the next DAX INSIGHTS Series, a monthly forum that convenes leading voices from across a broad spectrum of industries to explore the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of AI. At our October 28 event, former Visa Chief Data Officer and MIT Digital Fellow Bob Hedges will explore the requirements for consumer trust in AI, including where new innovations are needed to meet evolving consumer expectations. As public debate around AI intensifies, understanding how to establish lasting consumer trust will become an increasing imperative.
In his talk, Hedges will share the essential ingredients to get that strategy right. His remarks will be followed by a live interview with Kara Miller, host of It Turns Out podcast; and columnist at The Boston Globe. Additionally, their conversation will feature virtual remarks from faculty speaker Oded Netzer, Vice Dean of Research and Arthur J. Samberg Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, on leveraging data to better understand customer behavior and inform business decision-making.
The DAX INSIGHTS Series is made possible by the TDF Foundation.
Details & Registration
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 (4:00 PM - 6:30 PM)
Faculty House, Skyline (4th Floor) - Wien Courtyard Entrance
Wien Courtyard Entrance Address: 411 West 116th Street, New York, NY 10027 - Google Maps
Speakers
Bob Hedges is a Research Fellow at MIT's Initiative for the Digital Economy (IDE), where he focuses on the innovative application of data and AI to commercial and marketplace challenges, and is a nationally recognized advocate for responsible data and AI use with an emphasis on consumer rights and transparency. Before retiring from Visa in 2025, Bob served as Visa's first Chief Data Officer, with global responsibility for data strategy, governance, product development, data science, and consent management across more than 180 countries and a team of over 1,000 professionals. He established Visa's strategic direction for data and AI, authored Visa's Data Values as the company's "North Star" for data use, and championed consumer privacy as a source of strategic differentiation. Under his leadership, Visa's data-related revenues grew 30% annually to exceed $1 billion, while he also drove major initiatives in data product capabilities, consumer consent, and data governance.
Kara Miller is the host of It Turns Out, a podcast featuring great researchers and authors, funded by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She created and hosted the public radio program Innovation Hub, which ran on NPR stations from 2011 to 2021. Kara writes “The Big Idea” column for The Boston Globe and has moderated events for institutions including Columbia, MIT, Google, and PBS. She has served on the advisory committee of The Lemelson Foundation since 2016. She has taught at The University of Massachusetts and Babson College.
Oded Netzer is the Vice Dean of Research and the Arthur J. Samberg Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, an affiliate of the Columbia Data Science Institute, and the author of Decisions over Decimals. Professor Netzer is a world-renowned expert in data-driven decision-making and extracting meaningful insights from data. He wrote dozens of papers published in the top-tier academic journals. His award-winning research is broadly read and highly cited. He is an award-winning teacher at Columbia Business School's MBA, Executive MBA, and Executive Education programs.
Lori Glover is Chief of Strategic Alliances at Columbia’s Data Science Institute, where she leads the creation and development of enduring partnerships across industry, philanthropy, and the broader innovation ecosystem. Her work focuses on building trusted, multi-stakeholder collaborations that not only support academic research, but also enable real-world impact across technology, policy, and society.
Agenda
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
4:00 PM: Doors Open for Networking (30 min)
4:30 PM: Program Begins: Opening Remarks (5 min)
- Introductions: Lori Glover, Chief of Strategic Alliances, Data Science Institute, Columbia University
4:35 PM: How to Win Consumer Trust in AI (25 min)
- Industry Speaker: Bob Hedges, Retired Chief Data Officer, Visa; and Digital Fellow, MIT’s Initiative for the Digital Economy
5:00 PM: Fireside Chat with Bob Hedges (30 min)
- Moderator: Kara Miller, Host, It Turns Out Podcast; and Columnist at The Boston Globe
- Virtual Remarks: Oded Netzer, Arthur J. Samberg Professor of Business, Marketing Division; and Vice Dean for Research, Dean's Office, Columbia Business School
5:30 PM: Networking Reception (60 min)
6:30 PM: Event Ends
FAQs
Waitlist: Space is limited. Once the space is filled we will maintain a waitlist. If you are unable to attend, please let us know so someone from the waitlist may be able to join. Cancellation email: [email protected]
Registration Deadline: The Columbia Morningside campus is open to the Columbia community. If you do not have an active CUID, the deadline to register is at 3:00 PM the day before the event. External guests will receive a QR code by email to enter campus. Thank you for understanding!
Event Location: Faculty House, Skyline Dining Room and Terrace, Columbia University (4th Floor)
Getting to the Building: The building entrance is located on W 116th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive in the Wien Courtyard. Please see a helpful map below with directions from the 116th Street/Columbia University subway stop (1 Train).
