Speaking

If you’re organizing a conference, retreat, summit, or strategic convening, you want more than a “talk.” You want a moment that clarifies what’s happening, shifts how people think, and gives them language they can actually use afterward.

Jesse Hirsh delivers keynotes and facilitated sessions that translate complexity into shared understanding — with energy, precision, and an insistence on practical literacy.

What audiences leave with

• A framework for making decisions under uncertainty (instead of reacting to headlines)
• Clear language for talking about AI, media systems, and institutional legitimacy without hype
• Better questions — the kind that reshape strategy, policy, and public communication
• A shared map of tensions and trade-offs, so teams stop talking past each other
• A sense of agency: what can be done now, by real people, in real institutions

Formats

Keynote (45–60 min)
High-energy clarity with a tight narrative arc and strong Q&A.

Fireside / interview (30–45 min + Q&A)
Best for executive audiences or public-facing events that need signal over spectacle.

Workshop (90–180 min)
Hands-on literacy: frameworks, exercises, and group sensemaking.

Moderation & facilitation
Panels, roundtables, and stakeholder conversations designed for emergence, not theatre.

Core topic areas

AI and technology governance

• AI Literacy for Leaders — decision frameworks for AI capability, risk, and governance
• The Agentic Turn — governing autonomous AI systems before they govern you
• The Human in the Loop — deciding which decisions to keep
• Feeding Intelligence: AI Meets the Farm — what agriculture reveals about what AI can and cannot do

Information, media, and narrative

• Disinformation — countering narrative manipulation and trust erosion
• After the Platforms — building credible public presence after platform coherence fails
• The Power of World Building — who constructs reality, and how
• Info War for the Rest of Us — a field guide to information warfare for non-specialists

Authority, trust, and systems

• Future of Authority — institutional legitimacy and power in networked environments
• The Trust Recession — earning credibility when authority no longer transfers
• Food Systems and the Future — the pressures reshaping what we grow, how, and who eats it
• Thriving When the Future Is Uncertain — practical disciplines for leading when stability is not coming back

View all topics →

Speaking snapshots

Recent and notable engagements

A selection of conferences and organizations where Jesse has delivered keynotes, sessions, or featured talks:

• Exporttag (Vienna)
• Canada’s Innovation Corridor Summit
• ITUofT (conference session)
• Digital Main Street Forum
• Toronto Insurance Conference (Black Tie Dinner)
• CPJ RPC 150th anniversary event
• Agri-Food 2050 (headline talk)

(Full list available on request.)

Endorsements

“Brilliant, ethical, and forward-thinking — I recommend him to any group that values deep insight.”
— CEO, Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada

“Engaging, thought-provoking, and absolutely fantastic.”
— Canadian Health Informatics Association

“Deep understanding of modern society and technology.”
— Hon. Bob Rae

More endorsements: Read endorsements

Booking

To discuss fit, availability, and formats, email: speaking@jessehirsh.com
Include: date, location (or virtual), audience size, desired format, and your theme.