event

The Information Animal: Are Humans in a Competition for Reality?

Wed. November 5th, 20254:00 PM - 5:00 PM (EST)
Washington, DC & Live Online

From ancient Athens to America’s current AI race, the human relationship with emerging technology follows a pattern as old as civilization. A new technology changes how information is processed, increasing the volume of and speed at which it can be distributed. As more people engage with these tools and access to information, new ideas arise, often challenging prevailing beliefs. Competition and conflict follow. And humanity tries-in vain-to control the narrative and use of the tools.  

Are we stuck in a loop of history repeating? How does rapid distribution of unchecked information impact humanity? And can increasingly fragile democracies navigate a world with infinite content? 

Join the Carnegie Endowment’s Technology and International Affairs Program for a conversation with Vera Bergengruen, national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and Dr. Alicia Wanless to discuss her new book The Information Animal: Humans, Technology and the Competition for Reality (Hurst Publishers/Oxford University Press, 2025). 

A book signing and reception will follow the event. 

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Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Alicia Wanless

Senior Fellow, Technology and International Affairs, Director, Information Environment Project

Alicia Wanless is the director of the Information Environment Project.

Vera Bergengruen

National Security Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Vera Bergengruen is a national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal in Washington, D.C.

Before joining the Journal, she was a senior correspondent at Time magazine, where she covered the intersection of national security, technology and politics and reported cover stories from Ukraine, Argentina and El Salvador. Previously she worked as a national security and investigative reporter for BuzzFeed News and McClatchy.

Her work has won the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi and Dateline Awards and a New York Press Club Award. She was also part of the team that worked on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Panama Papers investigation in 2017.