Shaping AI for the Next Generation

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Mark Twain once famously said: “There are two important days in your life, the day you were born, and the day you find out why.”

We invite you to a thought-provoking event that will examine the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence on children’s future. Our panel of experts will explore how AI can be harnessed to unlock unparalleled benefits for the next generation, while proactively addressing and mitigating potential downsides—especially in the realms of education and human relationships.

Topics to be discussed:

How cutting-edge AI developments are driving progress in sectors like education, by personalising education, and empowering educators with innovative tools;
Can AI expose children to a wide range of experiences and opportunities and to help them discover their passion and purpose?
How AI-powered communication tools are reshaping our social interactions and human relationships;
How can we increase trust in media and creative content?
The impact of AI on children’s sense of self;
Impact of AI on creativity;
Challenges of AI ethics and safety.

As AI continues to redefine every aspect of our lives, it’s critical that we shape its development to ensure a sustainable and equitable future for the next generation.

Join us at Reuben College, Oxford University, and be a part of this crucial dialogue.

Secure your tickets early. This event will sell out

Codex – Honouring great innovators for 20 years

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Reuben College, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QP, United Kingdom

14 May 2025

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

TICKETS

Schedule

6:00 pm 6:30 pm Registration and Drinks

6:30 pm 7:30 pm Shaping AI for the Next Generation Panel Discussion

Rakesh Rawal, CEO, Codex (Introduction)

Joana Lenkova, Futurology Director, The LEGO Group
Dr. Ayca Atabey, University of Edinburgh, Digital Futures for Children, LSE AI Governance
Alan Greenberg, EdTech Specialist and Investor
Kayla Blomquist, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University
Antonia Kerle, Chief Technical Adviser, BBC

Dr. Andrew Serazin, Senior Research Fellow, Reuben College, Oxford University (Moderator)

Panel Discussion and Q&A

7:30 pm 9:00 pm Drinks Reception

Speakers

Joana Lenkova
Futurology Director, The LEGO Group

The LEGO Group

The LEGO Group is a global leader in creativity and learning through play, dedicated to inspiring and developing the builders of tomorrow. With the iconic LEGO® brick at its heart, the company sparks imagination, fosters collaboration, and encourages problem-solving through hands-on, playful learning experiences.

Founded in 1932 and headquartered in Billund, Denmark, the LEGO Group is a privately held company whose products are enjoyed in over 130 countries. Guided by the belief that “only the best is good enough,” the company blends innovation with a deep commitment to child development—aiming to leave a positive impact on the world children live in today and will inherit tomorrow.

Biography

Joana holds the position of Futurology Director at The LEGO Group. In this role, she develops advanced foresight capabilities and integrates futures intelligence into core strategic leadership decisions. This role underscores her ability to translate visionary thinking into practical strategies that foster long-term business growth and resilience.

Joana Lenkova leverages her extensive expertise in Marketing, Innovation, Strategy, and Strategic Foresight to forge transformative business strategies.

With a career that includes pivotal roles at industry giants such as AB InBev, Societe Generale, The Walt Disney Company, and the LEGO Group, her experience is distinguished by a deep understanding of diverse industry challenges and dynamics across North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. In these regions, Joana has been pivotal in shaping futures intelligence, building strategic capabilities, and converting foresight into actionable, results-driven strategies.

With a commercial mindset honed in high-stakes environments, Joana excels in merging foresight with strategic imperatives. Her approach not only anticipates future trends, but also grounds them in the realities of market and financial demands.

In 2019 Joana founded Futures Forward, a London-based consultancy specializing in innovation, strategy, and foresight, launched after her impactful tenure in Consumer Strategy for Disneyland Paris and leading the Strategic Foresight Team at The Walt Disney Company in the UK and Ireland. During her time with The Walt Disney Company, Joana refined her expertise in commercializing strategies for the entertainment business.

An alumna of Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, Joana is currently writing a book on the implementation of strategic foresight tools and practices for decision-making.

Joana is a sought-after thought leader, author and public speaker. She is a founding member of the Global Foresight Advisory Council of the Futures School, a member of the Association of Professional Futurists, and the Oxford Union and a judge and mentor for the New Generation Foresight Practitioners Fellowship, organised by the School of International Futures.
Dr. Ayca Atabey
University of Edinburgh, Digital Futures for Children, LSE AI Governance

Biography

Ayça is a multidisciplinary researcher and a lawyer. She currently works as a postdoc researcher at the University of Edinburgh, where she also has a researcher co-lead role focusing on data protection and data ethics.

She also works as a consultant at the Digital Futures for Children centre, LSE (a joint research centre with 5Rights Foundation), working on generative AI, child rights, and Aİ and data use in education.

For her PhD, she conducted interdisciplinary research at the intersection of law, education, and human-computer interaction, focusing on data protection fairness and ethical data practices in AI-EdTech design. She received a PhD enrichment award from the Alan Turing Institute, where she worked with the Public Policy Children’s Rights and AI team on child-centred AI projects, including mapping studies on legal frameworks relating to AI and children’s rights with the Council of Europe.

Ayça has experience working as a consultant, adviser, and researcher at NGOs, international organisations, and research institutions focusing on Aİ-EdTech, responsible generative AI use in schools, data protection and human rights law. She also worked in different roles as a consultant focusing on gender equality, migration, AI governance, and data protection at UN Women for several years. Most recently, she worked as an evaluation researcher contributing to regional and corporate-level evaluations at UN Women Europe & Central Asia Regional Office.
Alan Greenberg
EdTech Specialist and Investor

Biography

Serial Entrepreneur, Consultant & Board Advisor. Build, nurture, scale and drive impact in digital engagement; EdTech, HealthTech, Conversational AI & blockchain (services) and digital.

Previously Director Apple Education EMEA, then China/AsiaPAC. Built Education Podcasting, iTunes U, APP Store, SEED CSR. Currently; Director/Trust Architect ASI.Tech. Trust Architect Spot it Early, cancer screening and diagnostics. Advisor Studywise, digital assesment. UNI Kosovo – Professor of Practice & Director Innovation Lab UNI+. Fellow FRSA. Fellow, Deeptech Labs, Cambridge. Advisor/Mentor Village Capital, FF/Tech Nation. Keynote speaker & technology evangelist.

ASI.Tech

ASI is a research lab at its core, with the primary mission of using technology and artificial intelligence to emulate what the top 1% of teachers provide to the bottom 99% of the population. In short, we’re attempting to build AI tutors that will outperform human tutors and provide them to students globally for a fraction of the cost and make high-quality education infinitely more accessible and intuitive. We do this with AI research at the core which is then distilled down into products for consumers and governments.

Spot it Early Health

At SpotitEarly, we’re transforming how cancer is detected, because early diagnosis helps save lives and reduces treatment costs. Our unique approach tackles the global challenge of late-stage cancer diagnoses and offers a more effective way to screen for the disease. Across the four most common types of cancer, our results are exceptional. In recent tests, SpotitEarly’s non-invasive, scalable and cost-effective screening solution delivered exceptional accuracy, detecting cancer with 93.9% sensitivity and 94.3% specificity.

At the heart of our solution is LUCID, an advanced digital platform that fuses the extraordinary scent-detection abilities of trained dogs with cutting-edge AI precision. From easy, pain-free breath sample collection to real-time data analysis, SpotitEarly delivers highly accurate, actionable screening results that set new quality standards in healthcare.
Kayla Blomquist
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

Biography

Kayla Blomquist is a co-founder and Director of the Oxford China Policy Lab and a DPhil researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, with an affiliation to the Oxford Martin School AI Governance Initiative. Prior to Oxford, she served as a diplomat in the U.S. Mission to China for four years, specializing in governance of emerging and dual-use technologies. She is professionally fluent in Mandarin Chinese. She holds an MSc from the Oxford Internet Institute and a Bachelor’s degree with Honors in International Relations, Public Policy, and Mandarin Chinese from the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies, with additional studies at Peking University. Her expertise has been featured in outlets globally, including the Economist, BBC, Reuters, and AP.

Research

Kayla has wide-ranging expertise and research experience on international approaches to artificial intelligence governance and US-China relations. At the Oxford Internet Institute, her research explores legitimacy cultivation efforts of governments amidst US-China AI competition. At the Oxford China Policy Lab, she oversees research streams spanning AI development and governance, critical digital and national infrastructures, and global impacts of the US-China relationship. In conjunction with the Oxford Martin School AI Governance Initiative, her recent reports include “Voice and Access in AI: Global AI Majority Participation in Artificial Intelligence Development and Governance” and “Examining AI Safety as a Global Public Good: Implications, Challenges, and Research Priorities.” Over time, Kayla’s expertise has been featured in outlets globally including The Economist, Reuters, BBC, and others, and she has written as the lead contributing author to the Oxford China Briefing Book.

Antonia Kerle
Chief Technical Adviser, BBC

Biography

Antonia is Chief Technical Adviser at the BBC. Antonia’s interests include technology, media and education with a focus on topics relating to media development, disinformation, hate speech and trust in institutions. Antonia has spent her career in consulting, first at Deloitte where she worked as a management consultant and, later at The Economist, where she designed and led large-scale research programs for foundations, international organisations, private sector clients and non-profits seeking evidence-based analysis and policy recommendations. Antonia holds a master’s degree in Industrial and Labour Relations from Cornell University.
Dr. Andrew Serazin
Senior Research Fellow, Reuben College, Oxford University

Biography

Dr. Andrew Serazin is a Reuben College Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Global Challenges Programme.

As President of the Templeton World Charity Foundation from 2015 – 2023, Dr. Serazin was responsible for all aspects of the Foundation’s philanthropic activities as well as effective stewardship of its financial resources. As a researcher, entrepreneur, and executive, Dr. Serazin has worked to bring science, technology, and the humanities to address some of humanity’s greatest challenges. He is also a Trustee and past Chair of the Development Committee of the Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, one of the world’s largest organizations providing education and socio-emotional support for refugees.

From 2006 to 2012, Dr. Serazin served as Program Lead in Global Health Discovery & Translational Science at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. At the Gates Foundation, he was responsible for bringing new products, scientific approaches, and technologies to health and human development. He founded and led Grand Challenges Explorations, an early-stage medical research fund that has been recognized as one of the most successful programs in Gates Foundation history.

Dr. Serazin is also an entrepreneur and founder of several biotechnology companies. Most recently this includes SilvaBio which develops and scales production of disease-resistant hardwood trees such as the American chestnut. He has also worked as a key scientific advisor to Mars, Inc., one of the world’s largest food companies, in the development of nutritious food choices for consumers in Africa and Asia.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Serazin was Departmental Lecturer (Assistant Professor equivalent) in the Zoology Department at the University of Oxford, where he conducted infectious disease research and taught courses on the biology of disease. As a Rhodes Scholar, he received his doctorate from the University of Oxford for his work on developing new drugs and vaccines against malaria. Dr. Serazin has also been a member of the College of Science Advisory Council of the University of Notre Dame, where he received his undergraduate degree. His original research has been presented at many international meetings and in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Science, PLOS Medicine, Nature Immunology, and Lancet.

In 2019, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

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