2026 Keynote Calendar
Former IBM CTO of Responsible AI · Member of IBM's Global AI Ethics Board

AI is already making decisions about your life.

Know what your AI will do — before it does it.

Most organizations don't understand the systems they've deployed. Dr. Calvin D. Lawrence exposes what AI is actually doing — and what it will cost if you get it wrong.

Now booking select engagements for 2026–2027

Portrait of Dr. Calvin D. Lawrence

Bestselling Author

Hidden in White SightHow AI Empowers and Deepens Systemic Racism

Authority

Dr. Calvin D. Lawrence

PhD, Artificial Intelligence

  • 01IBM Distinguished Engineer (top <1% of IBM)
  • 02Former CTO for Responsible AI at IBM
  • 0330+ years building real-world AI systems
  • 04IBM Patent Awardee — 30+ patents filed
  • 05Early AI work with NASA
  • 06Advisor to Fortune 500 companies and global governments

Most organizations deploy AI.Very few understand what it's actually doing.

Credentials

Built AI from the inside.Now holds it accountable.

PhDArtificial Intelligence
IBMFormer CTO, Responsible AI
Top 1%IBM Distinguished Engineer
GlobalKeynote speaker · 4 continents
Featured In
Why Lawrence

Other AI experts talk about the future. Dr. Lawrence has spent 30 years building the systems shaping it.

  • 01

    Former CTO for Responsible AI at IBM

    He authored the governance frameworks now adopted across the industry — and knows precisely where production AI breaks.

  • 02

    IBM Distinguished Engineer · Top 1%

    A recognition reserved for the engineers shaping IBM's most consequential technology. Earned through what he shipped, not what he said.

  • 03

    Architect of real-world AI systems

    Thirty years building production AI across banking, healthcare, defense, and the public sector. He has deployed what others only debate.

  • 04

    Advisor on AI risk, bias, and compliance

    Boards, regulators, and operators call him when exposure is real. He doesn't explain AI — he reveals what it's actually doing, and what to do next.

Understandthe BiasInside AI

Hidden in White Sight is required reading for anyone serious about understanding how AI encodes — and amplifies — bias. Dr. Lawrence breaks down where systems go wrong, who gets harmed first, and what accountability must look like.

Explore the Book

A reader turns to Hidden in White Sight by Dr. Calvin D. Lawrence to learn how AI bias is embedded in the systems shaping daily life.

The Difference

Most AI conversations focus on innovation.Dr. Lawrence focuses on consequences — who is impacted, where bias is embedded, and what it will cost.

Keynotes

Keynotes that don't just inform. They expose.

The Experience

Dr. Lawrence challenges how organizations think about AI.

Each keynote leaves audiences with clarity, urgency, and actionable insight on the systems already operating around them.

01

The Hidden Architecture of AI Bias

How systems learn discrimination — and the precise points where leaders can intervene.

02

Responsible AI in the Enterprise

A board-level playbook for deploying AI without inheriting catastrophic risk.

03

AI in Policing & Public Systems

Where predictive models cross from useful into unjust — and what governments must answer for.

04

Algorithms in Healthcare

Why the same model saves one life and ends another, and how outcomes diverge by zip code.

05

The Coming AI Reckoning

Regulation, litigation, public trust — what every CEO will face in the next 24 months.

06

Building AI That Earns Its Place

A framework for organizations that want intelligence without losing their integrity.

What I've Built

Real AI systems shipped at global scale — built, shipped, proven.

Built & Shipped

From the Boston Marathon to the Andes of Peru.

Each system below was designed and shipped by Dr. Lawrence to solve a real-world problem with measurable impact across industries, governments, and communities.

Others talk. Dr. Lawrence has designed and delivered on a global scale.

Contact Dr. Lawrence directly for deeper insight into how these referenceable solutions were designed, deployed, and proven in production.

In Their Words

What clients say after working with Dr. Lawrence.

From Fortune 500 boardrooms to global keynote stages — the response is consistent: clarity, urgency, and a path forward.

Calvin's talk was both enlightening and thought-provoking. He expertly highlighted how AI, when left unchecked, can reinforce biases and contribute to systemic racism, challenging us to approach technology with greater responsibility. Through the lens of his book Hidden in White Sight, Calvin provided actionable insights on how ethical AI practices can drive more equitable outcomes. His expertise and leadership are invaluable in guiding organizations like ours toward a more just and inclusive future.
Dr. Kelly Malone
Senior Director of Trust, Application & Product Security
RingCentral
01 / 04
Hidden in White Sight: How AI Empowers and Deepens Systemic Racism — book cover by Dr. Calvin D. Lawrence

Routledge / Chapman & Hall · 2023

Thought Leadership

The book leaders quote. The book regulators cite.

An international bestseller and a primary text on responsible AI in graduate programs, federal briefings, and corporate ethics committees.

  • §Bias is not a bug. It is the architecture.
  • §AI doesn't predict the future. It launders the past.
  • §Who is harmed first is rarely who is consulted first.
  • §Accountability without enforcement is theatre.
Read the Book
Executive Advisory

Strategic insight, grounded in real system design.

Dr. Lawrence can add to your bottom line.

By Invitation

This is not theoretical consulting.

Dr. Lawrence works with a limited number of organizations each year — selected by fit, not volume.

Press & Media

The voice the networks call first.

Intellectual Capital · Featured Coverage
Calvin Lawrence featured on CNN and C-SPAN — coverage on responsible AI and bias
  • CNNOn the racial blind spots inside generative AI2024
  • CBS NewsWhen predictive policing predicts the wrong people2024
  • ForbesWhat every board is about to learn about AI liability2024
  • Rolling OutThe IBM engineer pulling back the curtain2023
  • RoutledgeHidden in White Sight — featured release2023
Media Kit

Calvin D. Lawrence — Media Guide

Bio, topics, headshots, and booking details for press and producers.

AI Unhinged podcast — coming soon
Podcast

AI Unhinged

Calvin and his guests dismantle the prevailing narratives in AI — episode by episode, without sponsors, without scripts, without polite distance.

Listen / Watch AI Unhinged (opens in a new tab)
AI 4 Black Kids — students wearing AI 4 Black Kids shirts
Nonprofit

AI 4 Black Kids

Founded by Calvin to put the next generation on the right side of the algorithm.

Visit AI4BK (opens in a new tab)
Trusted By

Fortune 500s, federal agencies, global cities, and the press that covers them.

Global Reach

Three decades. Six continents.

The organizations below have engaged Dr. Lawrence to advise, build, or speak on the AI systems shaping their industries.

100+
Organizations advised
30+
Federal & state agencies
6
Continents
200+
Media appearances
Clients & Engagements
Bank of AmericaCoca-ColaCVS HealthPayPalPfizerStanford UniversityWells FargoKaiser PermanenteCleveland ClinicBristol-Myers SquibbMondelēz InternationalStarbucksRingCentralBlackhawk NetworkU.S. Department of JusticeU.S. Customs & Border ProtectionU.S. Department of Homeland SecurityFBIU.S. SenateState of CaliforniaState of GeorgiaState of FloridaCity of London PoliceAtlanta Police DepartmentMiami Police DepartmentSouth Fulton PoliceMARTAHoward UniversityClark Atlanta UniversityGeorgia TechGwinnett County Public SchoolsCity of MadridCity of CuritibaNigerian Postal ServiceCity of AlpharettaBank of AmericaCoca-ColaCVS HealthPayPalPfizerStanford UniversityWells FargoKaiser PermanenteCleveland ClinicBristol-Myers SquibbMondelēz InternationalStarbucksRingCentralBlackhawk NetworkU.S. Department of JusticeU.S. Customs & Border ProtectionU.S. Department of Homeland SecurityFBIU.S. SenateState of CaliforniaState of GeorgiaState of FloridaCity of London PoliceAtlanta Police DepartmentMiami Police DepartmentSouth Fulton PoliceMARTAHoward UniversityClark Atlanta UniversityGeorgia TechGwinnett County Public SchoolsCity of MadridCity of CuritibaNigerian Postal ServiceCity of Alpharetta
Featured In
CNNC-SPANNBC NewsABC NewsCNN DigitalBusinessWeekBlack EnterpriseLos Angeles TimesAtlanta Journal-ConstitutionAtlanta News FirstAspen InstituteNational Urban LeagueNABJRolling OutPúblicoBlackNews.comBlackFactsDiginomicaThe Carl Nelson ShowThe Black EaglePW PerspectiveForbesCBS NewsCNNC-SPANNBC NewsABC NewsCNN DigitalBusinessWeekBlack EnterpriseLos Angeles TimesAtlanta Journal-ConstitutionAtlanta News FirstAspen InstituteNational Urban LeagueNABJRolling OutPúblicoBlackNews.comBlackFactsDiginomicaThe Carl Nelson ShowThe Black EaglePW PerspectiveForbesCBS News
Speaker Fee Range

An investment in clarity, urgency, and authority.

Engagements are tailored to the moment. Final fee depends on date, location, format, and the scope of preparation required for your audience.

Starting
$0

Virtual · Regional · Single session

Up to
$0+

International · Keynote + advisory · Multi-day

Travel and accommodations quoted separately. Nonprofit and educational rates considered case by case. Dr. Lawrence selectively offers pro bono engagements for organizations with demonstrated need and meaningful impact.

Request a Quote →
Speaking Topic Examples

Twelve conversations your industry needs to have.

Tap any topic to see how Dr. Lawrence frames it on stage. All keynotes can be customized to fit the audience, industry, and moment.

Engage · Selectively Accepted

Organizations don't need another AI speaker. They need someone who knows what's at stake.

Dr. Lawrence accepts a limited number of speaking and advisory engagements each year. Inquiries are reviewed by his team within 48 hours.

Media Inquiries