AI at the Helm: The Next Horizon of Strategy, Competition, and Agency
Join the Empire Club of Canada and Trent University for a timely conversation with renowned technology visionary Don Tapscott ’66 (Champlain College), Trent University Chancellor Emeritus, and AI engineer and educator Harper Carroll as they explore what comes after generative AI.
Lecture Abstract
We are living through what is arguably the largest innovation in human history. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a productivity tool; it is everyday infrastructure. It is embedded in the operating system of business, governance, and daily life. But, what comes next?
On May 12, 2026, The Empire Club of Canada hosts renowned U.S.-based AI engineer and educator Harper Carroll alongside technology visionary and Trent University Chancellor Emeritus Don Tapscott to unpack the next phase of the AI revolution and what it means for competitive strategy, global markets, and civic power. The conversation will move beyond generative AI toward something far more transformative: the emerging frontier of agentic AI and the notion of “Identic” AI: highly personalized digital counterparts that can extend our cognitive capacity and learn, decide, and act on our behalf. Together, they will explore how emerging AI innovations will reshape business models, customer trust, and citizen agency, and identity.
Oriented toward leaders navigating an era of rapid technological change, this conversation will explore the strategic, economic, and human implications of the next generation of AI and what they should prioritize to stay ahead of both opportunity and risk. Join us for a timely and provocative dialogue on strategy, competitiveness and agency in the next era of AI.
About Harper Carroll
AI Engineer and Educator
Harper Carroll is an AI engineer and educator with a decade of experience who makes complex AI concepts accessible.
She has deep technical expertise: Harper holds two Computer Science degrees from Stanford University (M.S. + B.S. specializing in AI), built machine learning systems at Facebook/Meta (News Feed Ranking, Integrity Intelligence, Wearables), and was the Founding Engineer and Head of AI/ML at a startup acquired by NVIDIA. Her model fine-tuning coding guides became the most popular on Google in 2023.
She is also a polished communicator, bringing 7 years of acting training from the Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute and 4 years of experience hosting a weekly live TV show.
About Don Tapscott, C.M. B.A., B.Sc, M.Ed, LLD.
Moderator
Executive Chairman, Blockchain Research Institute (BRI)
D
on Tapscott, Executive Chairman of the Blockchain Research Institute (BRI), is one of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society. He has authored 18 books, including Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, which has been translated into over 25 languages. In 2016, with his son Alex, he co-authored the global best seller Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies is Changing the World, now translated into 20 languages.
Don’s latest book is You to the Power of Two: Redefining Human Potential in the Age of Identic AI, coauthored with Joseph Bradley. The book explores where AI and identity meet—an emerging era where AI evolves from mere tools to active participants in our lives.