Adam Bly
 

 

ADAM BLY

i am a scientist and entrepreneur working to model the world as one interconnected system

 
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Bio

Adam Bly is the founder and CEO of System, a Public Benefit Corporation developing a systems-based approach to organize the world’s data and knowledge. He previously led data at Spotify. Prior to that, he founded and was CEO of Seed Scientific, the data analytics firm, which was acquired by Spotify.

Named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Adam has lectured extensively on the role of data and science in society, including at the United Nations, MIT, NASA, Ars Electronica, MoMA, The National Academy of Sciences, The Royal Society, and the World Economic Forum (WEF). He was a Visiting Senior Fellow in Science, Technology & Society at Harvard Kennedy School, has advised Fortune 500 companies on data strategy and administrations and national political campaigns on science policy, and served on the WEF Global Agenda Councils on Complex Systems and Data-Driven Development.

Deeply committed to modernizing and spreading science literacy, Adam founded and served as Editor-in-Chief of the National Magazine Award-nominated science magazine, Seed; co-organized Design and the Elastic Mind, the landmark exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art; and edited Science is Culture: Conversations at the New Intersection of Science and Society (HarperCollins). He served as a Trustee of the Society for Science, the organizer of world's largest pre-college science fair (which he won in 1998 — Best of Category, Biochemistry). For his efforts to advance the public's understanding of science, Adam was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.

Born in Montreal, he studied at McGill University and began his career researching the genetics and biochemistry of metastasis at the National Research Council of Canada. He lives in New York City and the Hudson Valley.

 

NEWS

Some thoughts I wrote on the state of the modern world order: All the Institutions I Was Taught to Trust Are Crumbling All at Once

I have an essay out in The Boston Globe on the epistemological risks of generative AI, and what that could mean for truth, trust, and democracy. Amy Brand and I offer some new (and some very old) ways to think about building more responsible AI -- including the approach we're taking at System.

I have an op-ed out in The Information on how I think we must strengthen Congress to legislate AI and the science and tech issues of our time.

InformationWeek covers some of my thoughts on generative AI

I did a Data Science Hangout

Remembering E.O. Wilson

I joined Paola Antonelli in Design Emergency on IG Live to talk about the why behind System.

We announced our Series A.

We announced the first product release from System.

I’ve joined the Board of Trustees of the Society for Science.

I’ve written A Thought Experiment in AI Infrastructure

My essay for Broken Nature, titled “Redesigning the System,” has been published.

Remembering Leon Lederman

I'm proud to be a coalition partner of Future Congress, working together with many wonderful organizations to ensure that Congress is equipped to legislate the science and technology issues of our era.

I spoke with public servants in Canada about the place of science literacy in the age of data, AI, and complexity. The talk and Q&A are now online.

As a lifelong supporter of science fairs (and 20-time competitor!), I'm thrilled to be joining the National Leadership Council of the Society for Science & the Public.

I've started a petition to restore science and technology advice to Congress. You can read more here and sign here.

I am hiring data, ML, and backend engineers for my new startup, including a Senior Data Engineer.

Brian Feldman wrote a very nice article in New York Magazine about Your Time Capsule, entitled Spotify Has The Only Algorithms I Don't Fear.

Talks

Government

Canada School of Public Service, Ottawa, Canada, 2018

National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA, 2012

NASA, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA, 2012

U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC, USA, 2010, 2011

U.S. House of Representatives, STEM Briefing, Washington, DC, USA, 2011

National Science Board, Washington, DC, 2011

The Ministry of Science and Technology of People’s Republic of China, Beijing, China, 2008

Academia

UVA School of Data Science, Charlottesville, USA, 2024

Solve at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 2023

Northeastern University London, UK, 2023

Pitt School of Computing and Information, Modeling the World's Systems, Pittsburgh, USA, 2018

Factry, Montreal, Canada, 2018

NYU, Stern School of Business, New York, USA, 2017

Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, USA, 2013

MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, USA, 2013

Yale University, Rio+20 to 2015, New Haven, USA, 2013

Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, USA, 2013

MIT School of Architecture + Planning, Cambridge, USA, 2011

University of Western Ontario, Conference on Science Education, London, Canada, 2011

Ohio State University, Knowlton School of Architecture, Columbus, USA, 2010

Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism, New York, USA, 2009

Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, USA, 2008

Peking University, School of Environment and Energy, Beijing, China, 2008

OCAD, Toronto, Canada, 2008

McGill University, Faculty of Management, Montreal, Canada, 2007

Associations & Institutes

Disruptive Technologists, New York, USA, 2023

RStudio, Data Science Hangout, 2022

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, 2020

Modeling the World's Systems, Washington DC, USA, 2019

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Phoenix, USA, 2019

International Conference on Complex Systems, Workshop on Food Complexity & Nutrition, Cambridge, USA, 2018

Santa Fe Institute, Annual Board of Trustees Symposium, Santa Fe, USA, 2017

Santa Fe Institute, The Complexity of Platforms, Palo Alto, USA, 2017

Keynote, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India, 2012

Keynote, NASIG, St. Louis, USA, 2011

Keynote, BIOTECanada, Ottawa, Canada, 2011

National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, USA, 2009, 2010

Keynote, The Royal Society, London, UK, 2009

Keynote, Society for Scholarly Publishing Annual Meeting, Baltimore, USA, 2009

Keynote, International Council for Scientific and Technical Information, Helsinki, Finland, 2009

The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World Annual Meeting, Mexico City, Mexico, 2008

AAAS Forum on Science & Technology Policy, Washington, DC, USA, 2008

STS Forum, Kyoto, Japan, 2007

Festival della Scienza, Genoa, Italy, 2006

NGOs & IOs

United Nations World Food Programme, Rome, Italy, 2017

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 2014

Keynote, i2 Conference, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2014

Keynote, United Nations, High-Level Committee on Management, Rome, Italy, 2013

United Nations High Commission on Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland, 2013

World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2013

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 2012

UNICEF, New York, USA, 2012

Young Global Leaders Summit, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 2012

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 2011

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions, Dalian, China, 2011

World Economic Forum Summit on Europe and Central Asia, Vienna, Austria, 2011

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 2010

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 2009

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 2008

World Economic Forum Summit on the Middle East, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 2008

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions, Tianjin, China, 2008

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland, 2007

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions, Dalian, China, 2007

Industry

UBS, Executive Committee, New York, USA, 2017

LVMH, Paris, France, 2016

EMC, Data Science Summit, Las Vegas, USA, 2012

The Guardian, Activate Summit, New York, USA, 2011

GE, New York, USA, 2010

Keynote, Microsoft Research, Berkeley, USA, 2010

Procter & Gamble, New York, USA, 2009

Milken Institute Global Conference, Los Angeles, USA, 2008

Arts & Culture

C2, Montreal, 2024

Mozilla Festival, 2022

Design Emergency, 2021

La Triennale di Milano, Broken Nature Public Symposium, Milan, Italy, 2018

Cannes Lions, Cannes, France, 2017 

The Museum of Modern Art, The Way of the Algorithm, New York USA, 2015

Keynote, field.work, London, UK, 2015

Keynote, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria, 2012

NYC Media Lab, New York, USA, 2012

India Design Forum, New Delhi, India, 2012

WWW Conference, USA, 2012

Keynote, The Art of Science Learning, Washington, DC, USA, 2011

The Museum of Modern Art, Talk to Me Symposium, New York, USA, 2011

SXSW Interactive, Austin, USA, 2011, 2012

Eyeo Festival, Minneapolis, USA, 2011

Smithsonian National Design Museum, Why Design Now?, New York, USA, 2010

New York City Science and Engineering Fair, New York, USA, 2010

DLD, Munich, Germany, 2009

Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago, USA, 2008

 

Boards & JURIES

Board of Trustees, Society for Science, 2020-2024

National Leadership Council, Society for Science, 2018-2024

Board of Visitors, School of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh, 2018-2020

Advisory Council, Broken Nature: XXII Triennale di Milano, 2018-2019

Jury Member, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Final Review, 2018

Global Agenda Council on Platforms and Systems, World Economic Forum, 2016-2018

Global Agenda Council on Data-Driven Development, World Economic Forum, 2014-2016

Expert Panel on the State of Canada’s Science Culture, Council of Canadian Academies, 2013-2014

Vice Chair, Global Agenda Council on Complex Systems, World Economic Forum, 2012-2014

Science Advisory Committee, World Economic Forum, 2011-2013

Weizmann Institute of Science, American Committee, 2010-2013

Advisory Board, Science & Entertainment Exchange, National Academy of Sciences, 2010-2013

External Advisory Board, University of Michigan, Risk Science Center, 2012-2013

Partner, Executive Coordinator’s Office, United Nations Rio+20 Conference, 2012

Vice Chair, Global Agenda Council on Design Innovation, World Economic Forum, 2010-2012

Jury Member, Buckminster Fuller Prize, 2009

Advisor, OECD Global Project on Measuring the Progress of Societies, 2010-2012