Musician Toshi Reagon at MozFest House Amsterdam in 2023; Reagon will return this year
Musician Toshi Reagon at MozFest House Amsterdam in 2023; Reagon will return this year.

Mozilla, partners, and participants will explore threats AI poses to democracy and social justice

(AMSTERDAM | MAY 20, 2024) - From June 11 to 13, the live edition of MozFest House will take place in Amsterdam for the second time. The iconic tech festival gathers experts in technology, journalism, activism, and art under the theme "Togetherness and Solidarity" to discuss pressing issues such as responsible AI, disinformation, and the future of democracy.

People and communities around the globe want a more humane digital world, and Mozilla Festival brings them together, unleashing the potential of collective power. This year's event is a collaboration with Dutch civil society and local partners like the City of Amsterdam, Digital Rights House, Waag and DROG Group. For more than a decade, Mozilla Festival has provided a platform for experts and activists to discuss these challenges and work toward more responsible application of AI technology.

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MozFest House Amsterdam speakers and social themes

Keynote speakers at MozFest House Amsterdam include Pulitzer Prize-winning data journalist for The Guardian, Mona Chalabi; Palestinian writer and MENA Policy and Advocacy Director at Access Now, Marwa Fatafta; human rights activist Kambale Musavuli, investigative journalist Julia Angwin; and many more. They will share insights on how data shapes us and our world, the use of AI in wartime, and how technology can inadvertently contribute to social injustice.

Interactive sessions on the impact of AI

The event offers more than 30 interactive sessions where participants can explore issues such as exploitation in the gig economy, disinformation during elections, privacy and security concerns on dating apps, and the use of AI for surveillance.

Ethics and open-source AI

Mozilla and EleutherAI will convene experts in open-source AI to address a critical question: How do we build ethical, open-source training datasets? The workshop will feature the limited release of EleutherAI’s The Pile v2, an open dataset for training Large Language Models. Workshop participants will then co-create “ethical open dataset guidelines” to be published later this year. The workshop is part of Mozilla’s broader work to build the open-source AI community.

Journalistic challenges in the age of AI

In collaboration with the Pulitzer Center’s Crisis Reporting Team, a series of panels and workshops will be held. Journalists from across the Netherlands can learn more about AI reporting and how to hold the creators of AI accountable.

Toshi Reagon’s ‘Songs of the Living’

Another highlight is “Songs of the Living,” a community choir led by American musician Toshi Reagon, daughter of Bernice Johnson Reagon and Cordell Hull Reagon, prominent figures in the American civil rights movement. The singer-songwriter is known for addressing social themes in her music. Inspired by the Parable novels of science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, where the survival of humanity in a world ravaged by climate, polarization, and technology is central, she uses music and art as a medium for togetherness and solidarity. With “Songs of the Living,” Reagon and Mozilla Festival invite everyone to join the choir and make their voices heard.

The concert is produced in collaboration with the Rotterdam production house Together & Dedicated, by André Marques & Tim Wes, known for their work at the Grachtenfestival. Everyone is welcome to participate in the community choir rehearsals from June 8-10.

MozFest House Amsterdam will also feature a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company and various other artists, including Luna Maurer, Eric Klarenbeek and Rise25 awardee, Julia Janssen.

J. Bob Alotta, Executive Director of MozFest and Senior Vice President of Global Programs at Mozilla, explains: “In a historic year with more than 50 elections affecting billions of voters worldwide, we see the importance of collaborating for change. But this power can be applied more broadly than just during elections. In an era of powerful AI and even more powerful tech companies, we must act together for fair technology policies, the development of open source, and making AI trustworthy.”

In an era of powerful AI and even more powerful tech companies, we must act together for fair technology policies, the development of open source, and making AI trustworthy.

J. Bob Alotta, Executive Director of MozFest and Senior Vice President of Global Programs at Mozilla

MozFest House last took place in Amsterdam in 2023, drawing attention with a keynote by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, more than 50 sessions on trustworthy AI, and a healthier internet. An Amsterdam covenant was also signed for the online protection of young people.

MozFest House will take place at the Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam. The next MozFest House will be held later this year in Zambia. Previous editions of the Mozilla Festival have taken place in cities such as Nairobi, London, Barcelona, and online.

For more information about the event and registration, visit www.mozillafestival.org.

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