Date & time
Wednesday, November 25, 2026
5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Conferences & lectures
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The Cloud is Built on Land: Virtual AI, Real-World Consequences. Who Gets to Decide?
Join Karina Kesserwan to explore the impact of AI on society and the environment.
Format
In-person
Speaker(s)
Karina Kesserwan
Cost
This event is free.
Contact
Where
Concordia Conference Centre, 9th Floor
John Molson Building
1450 Guy St.
Accessible location
Yes - See details
Join Karina Kesserwan to explore the impact of AI on society and the environment.
Artificial intelligence may seem intangible, but the systems powering it depend on data centres, land and resources. Their development raises questions about who benefits, who bears the consequences and whose voices are heard when decisions are made.
Join Concordia's jurist-in-residence, Morton S. Minc, as he welcomes lawyer and strategic advisor Karina Kesserwan for a lecture entitled The Cloud is Built on Land: Virtual AI, Real-World Consequences. Who Gets to Decide?
Kesserwan will explore the relationship between technological innovation, the physical world and the people affected by the choices shaping AI's future.
Meet Karine Kesserwan
Karina Kesserwan complemented her training in civil and common law at McGill University with graduate studies in ethics and sociology.
She began her career in private practice before serving as a policy advisor to provincial cabinet ministers and later as a lecturer at the college and university levels.
Upon founding her own firm, she initially specialized in Indigenous rights while handling a broad range of cases in fields such as mining law, health, treaty negotiations, culture, entrepreneurship support, and workplace harassment investigations.
For over six years, Karina has been passionate about AI integration, an interest that arose from her work on including Indigenous perspectives in technology. Her original publications and talks on ethics, diversity, and AI challenges have made her a sought-after speaker, recognized for her unique expertise in this rapidly evolving field.
Open to the public, including:
Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science students, law students and members of the public interested in the intersection of law, engineering and technology.
For participating lawyers
Since Concordia University is an organization distinct from the Barreau du Québec, participating lawyers must declare their training hours in their personal file. A certificate of attendance confirming 1.5 hours of continuing education will be issued to lawyers who attend the conference.
Law Meets Engineering Lecture Series
Concordia Jurist-in-Residence Morton S. Minc hosts a series of law-related lectures featuring prominent speakers. Open to students and members of the public, these lectures explore legal topics relevant to engineering, technology and professional practice.