DCFR Global Speaker Series
Speaker: Beth Rudden
Date: Tuesday, September 09, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: Central Denver Location (Please register for more details)
About the Event
As artificial intelligence reshapes industries, economies, and societies, it is also emerging as a transformative force in the realm of global affairs. How should foreign policy frameworks respond to the accelerating pace of AI innovation—and who gets to decide what is ethical, equitable, and secure in this new frontier?
Beth Rudden, CEO and Founder of Bast AI and a globally recognized leader in AI ethics, will join the Denver Council on Foreign Relations for a timely conversation that bridges the worlds of technology and international strategy. Drawing on her 25+ years of leadership in data science and cognitive systems, Rudden will explore how AI is influencing diplomacy, governance, national security, and cross-border power dynamics. After her presentation she will sit down with the Dean of the Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs, Fritz Mayer, to breakdown the international implications of the AI race.
This event will challenge participants to consider how we prepare the next generation of policy leaders to navigate a world where machine intelligence is an ever-growing force—and how we ensure those systems reflect democratic values, human rights, and strategic foresight.
Agenda of Event
- 5:00 pm ~ Cocktails and networking
- 6:00 pm ~ Start dinner seating
- 6:05 pm ~ Brief welcome / Dinner service starts
- 6:50 pm ~ Announcements & Introductions
- 7:00 pm ~ Start of Presentation
- 7:20 pm ~ Fireside Chat with Fritz Mayer
- 7:40 pm ~ Audience questions
- 8:15 pm ~ Ending Announcements by DCFR
Bio of Speaker
Beth Rudden is the CEO & Chairwoman of Bast AI. Beth is a dynamic global executive and market creator with over two decades of expertise in IT leadership and cognitive science. Her tenure as Chief Data Officer, Chief Data Scientist, and Global Talent Transformation Leader saw her deftly steer digital transformations through the strategic deployment of trusted, high-integrity AI systems. Beth’s vision transformed analytics and AI advances into a profitable $2B enterprise, placing her among the foremost 100 leaders in AI Ethics. A staunch proponent and trailblazer of ethical AI, Beth advocates for the democratization of transparent and responsible AI technologies. She founded Bast AI in 2022, which revolutionizes how organizations leverage full stack explainable AI to improve business impact and end user adoption of AI technologies across industries and sectors.
Beth honed her analytical acumen with a Masters in Anthropology from the University of Denver and sharpened her literary skills with a Classics Degree from Florida State. As an influential keynote speaker, inventor with over 50 patents, and author of “AI for the rest of US,” her contributions are formidable. Beyond her professional achievements, Beth flourishes in her role as a storyteller, wife of a soldier, mother, mentor, and revered science and technology board advisor. Her dedication to fostering educational and innovative pursuits is mirrored in her active role on the Maryville University Board of Trustees, where she tirelessly works to sculpt the next generation of innovators.
Relevant Book Co-Authored by Beth Rudden:
AI is a way for us to understand and grasp knowledge, information and put data into context. It is being used globally to make all kinds of decisions that directly impact our lives and yet most understand very little about it. We start with the definition that data is an artifact of human experience. We need the widest variance of humans, irrespective of your role and skillset, developing AI so that everyone’s story is a part of the models we are building. Ergo, this book is for you!
The reader will explore a conceptual model for data and understand what humans are good at and what machines are good at. The book dives into why accountability, fairness, transparency, explainability, kindness, robustness, and data privacy are essential concepts in AI that are not being taught nor insisted upon. Earning trust in AI is not a technical challenge, but socio-technical!
By the end of this book, the reader will be able to detail power structures with respect to AI and understand the changing roles and responsibilities in the AI field. They will also be able to advocate for the culture required to curate AI responsibly and what it means to be a good “parent” to AI.
*Please visit our Global Affairs Speaker Dinenrs page to learn about our policies.