2026-07-16 –, Memorial Hall
Research Director at the Metagovernance Project and founder of The Calm Tech Institute
Amber Case's work explores the intersection of humans and technology, challenging us to design systems that inform rather than overburden.
Case is redefining the relationship between humans and technology. As the founder of the Calm Tech Institute and a former fellow at MIT and Harvard, Case brings a profound perspective on how we can design complex systems to be calm: interfaces that work with peripheral attention and inform at different resolution levels.
In her keynote, "Calm Technology and the History of AI," she will explore moving from "smart things" to "smarter people," how to design systems that inform us without overwhelming us, why the future of interface design might involve bringing back the button, and how to ensure modern systems are built in line with how the different parts of our brains interpret information.
Amber Case is a design advocate, speaker, and author of four books including Calm Technology and A Kids Book About Technology. Fellow at MIT’s Center for Civic Media and Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, co-founder and CEO of Geoloqi (acquired by Esri). Named 30 under 30, Fast Company Most Influential Women in Tech, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, she received Bell Labs Claude Shannon Innovation Award. She studies human-technology interaction, culture, design, governance, and AI. At Metagovernance Project, she founded the Calm Tech Institute