SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 27, 2025--
ETHIS (Ethical Technologies for Humanity, Intelligence & Sustainability) officially launched during San Francisco Tech Week at Homebrew Club. ETHIS (Ethical Technologies for Humanity, Intelligence & Sustainability) officially launched during San Francisco Tech Week at Homebrew Computer Club. As the world’s first AI-powered and human-governed platform, ETHIS unites leaders from business, academia, government, and civil society to champion the ethical and responsible use of technology for the greater good.
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At the ETHIS launch, Joslyn (Jingjing) Fu highlighted how AI can make advertising more personalized. Leading at the intersection of AI, e-commerce, and the creator economy, she is reshaping how brands, creators, and consumers connect through responsible, human-centric innovation.
Matt James, Chief Animal Officer at Colossal Biosciences, shared that AI unlocks unprecedented opportunities for advancing animal conservation.
Maryam Ashoori, the VP of Product and Engineering at IBM walked through the history of AI and broke down the topic of responsible AI.
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In the AI era, where new questions arise daily, building strong, community-driven guidance and guardrails is essential to ensure AI creates meaningful impact and serves humanity. Homebrew Computer Club honors the grassroots movement where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak ignited the personal computing revolution.
The ETHIS launch builds on the momentum of July’s AI & Sustainability Global Summit (the “ASGS Summit”) in New York City, an invitation-only gathering that convened over 350 of the world’s foremost academics, corporate executives, and nonprofit visionaries. “The Summit’s energy was incredible. There wasn’t yet a collective stage to carry it forward. ETHIS was created to give these conversations structure, a shared platform, and lasting impact,” said Xiaoran Cai, the Director of ETHIS.
During the ASGS Summit, Dean Steven Cohen from Columbia University emphasized AI’s role in a sustainable economy where technology, ethics, and human creativity align. Echoing this vision, Kathleen Noreau, Head of Strategic Partnerships at the World Economic Forum, called for scaling trust, inclusion, and long-term impact alongside technological progress. Building on these insights, Sumeet Agrawal, VP of Product Management at Informatica highlighted that AI’s potential with robust data management and seamless application connectivity.
Joslyn (Jingjing) Fu, a product leader and a core contributing member, emphasized that “Bringing ETHIS to Silicon Valley is essential for its advancement to bring together a highly selective group of pioneers at the forefront of innovation. Each participating organization represents the highest standards of technology, intelligence, and sustainability, collectively setting the benchmark for the third era of technology driven by AI.” At the forefront of AI-driven innovation, she is redefining how technology connects creators, brands, and consumers. The products Joslyn has championed now power campaigns reaching billions of people worldwide, setting new standards for ethical, human-centered innovation in digital marketing.
At the ETHIS launch event, Timur Cuceloglu Yarnall, AI Partnerships Director at Snowflake, shared lessons from his entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing that focus and simplicity are key to building scalable, sustainable businesses. Amelia Wong, co-founder of Alluxio, highlighted how their customers are building scalable and resource efficient data infrastructure to power next-generation AI applications sustainably. Claudios Tessone from the University of Zurich underscored the importance of grounding ETHIS in scientific integrity. He also expressed hope that the platform will continue to amplify collaborative voices. Joyce Wang from Singapore University of Social Sciences called for greater international collaboration, noting that AI’s global nature demands shared responsibility to ensure transparency and advance technology that serves the collective interests of humanity.
Jesse Jacobs, ETHIS board member and AI risk researcher, highlighted the continuation of the Sustainability 35 Under 35 program to recognize emerging leaders in ethical technology, building momentum toward ETHIS’s flagship global conference. “Looking ahead, ETHIS aims to deepen collaborations and amplify collective efforts to shape an ethical and sustainable AI future that touches every aspect of people’s lives.”
At the ETHIS launch, Joslyn (Jingjing) Fu highlighted how AI can make advertising more personalized. Leading at the intersection of AI, e-commerce, and the creator economy, she is reshaping how brands, creators, and consumers connect through responsible, human-centric innovation.
Matt James, Chief Animal Officer at Colossal Biosciences, shared that AI unlocks unprecedented opportunities for advancing animal conservation.
Maryam Ashoori, the VP of Product and Engineering at IBM walked through the history of AI and broke down the topic of responsible AI.
LOS GATOS, Calif. (AP) — Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engaging in bold adventures.
But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers at the community in Los Gatos, California, schedule a date for residents — many of whom are in their 80s and 90s — to take turns donning virtual reality headsets.
Within a matter of minutes, the headsets can transport them to Europe, immerse them in the ocean depths or soar them on breathtaking hang-gliding expeditions while they sit by each other. The selection of VR programming was curated by Rendever, a company that has turned a sometimes isolating form of technology into a catalyst for better cognition and social connections in 800 retirement communities in the United States and Canada.
A group of The Terraces residents who participated in a VR session earlier this year found themselves paddling their arms alongside their chairs as they swam with a pod of dolphins while watching one of Rendever's 3D programs. “We got to go underwater and didn't even have to hold our breath!” exclaimed 81-year-old Ginny Baird following the virtual submersion.
During a session featuring a virtual ride in a hot-air balloon, one resident gasped, “Oh my God!” Another shuddered, “It's hard to watch!”
The Rendever technology can also be used to virtually take older adults back to the places where they grew up as children. For some, it will be the first time they've seen their hometowns in decades.
A virtual trip to her childhood neighborhood in New York City's Queens borough helped sell Sue Livingstone, 84, on the merits of the VR technology even though she still is able to get out more often than many residents of The Terraces, which is located in Silicon Valley about 55 miles south of San Francisco.
“It isn't just about being able to see it again, it's about all the memories that it brings back,” Livingstone said. “There are a few people living here who never really leave their comfort zones. But if you could entice them to come down to try out a headset, they might find that they really enjoy it.”
Adrian Marshall, The Terraces' community life director, said that once word about a VR experience spreads from one resident to another, more of the uninitiated typically become curious enough to try it out — even if it means missing out on playing Mexican Train, a dominoes-like board game that's popular in the community.
“It turns into a conversation starter for them. It really does connect people,” Marshall said of Rendever's VR programming. “It helps create a human bridge that makes them realize they share certain similarities and interests. It turns the artificial world into reality.”
Rendever, a privately owned company based in Somerville, Massachusetts, hopes to build upon its senior living platform with a recent grant from the National Institutes of Health that will provide nearly $4.5 million to study ways to reduce social isolation among seniors living at home and their caregivers.
Some studies have found VR programming presented in a limited viewing format can help older people maintain and improve cognitive functions, burnish memories and foster social connections with their families and fellow residents of care facilities. Experts say the technology may be useful as an addition to and not a replacement for other activities.
“There is always a risk of too much screen time," Katherine “Kate” Dupuis, a neuropsychologist and professor who studies aging issues at Sheridan College in Canada, said. “But if you use it cautiously, with meaning and purpose, it can be very helpful. It can be an opportunity for the elderly to engage with someone and share a sense of wonder.”
VR headsets may be an easier way for older people to interact with technology instead of fumbling around with a smartphone or another device that requires navigating buttons or other mechanisms, said Pallabi Bhowmick, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who is examining the use of VR with older adults.
“The stereotypes that older adults aren’t willing to try new technology needs to change because they are willing and want to adapt to technologies that are meaningful to them,” Bhowmick said. "Besides helping them to relieve stress, be entertained and connect with other people, there is an intergenerational aspect that might help them build their relationships with younger people who find out they use VR and say, ‘Grandpa is cool!’"
Rendever CEO Kyle Rand's interest in helping his own grandmother deal with the emotional and mental challenges of aging pushed him down a path that led him to cofound the company in 2016 after studying neuroengineering at Duke University.
“What really fascinates me about humans is just how much our brain depends on social connection and how much we learn from others,” Rand said. “A group of elderly residents who don't really know each other that well can come together, spend 30 minutes in a VR experience together and then find themselves sitting down to have lunch together while continuing a conversation about the experience.”
It's a large enough market that another VR specialist, Dallas-based Mynd Immersive, competes against Rendever with services tailored for senior living communities.
Besides helping create social connections, the VR programming from both Rendever and Mynd has been employed as a possible tool for potentially slowing down the deleterious effects of dementia. That's how another Silicon Valley retirement village, the Forum, sometimes uses the technology.
Bob Rogallo, a Forum resident with dementia that has rendered him speechless, seemed to be enjoying taking a virtual hike through Glacier National Park in Montana as he nodded and smiled while celebrating his 83rd birthday with his wife of 61 years.
Sallie Rogallo, who doesn't have dementia, said the experience brought back fond memories of the couple's visits to the same park during the more than 30 years they spent cruising around the U.S. in their recreational vehicle.
“It made me wish I was 30 years younger so I could do it again,” she said of the virtual visit to Glacier. “This lets you get out of the same environment and either go to a new place or visit places where you have been.”
In another session at the Forum, 93-year-old Almut Schultz laughed with delight while viewing a virtual classical music performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and later seemed to want to play with a puppy frolicking around in her VR headset.
“That was quite a session we had there,” Schultz said with a big grin after she took off her headset and returned to reality.
Rendever CEO Kyle Rand is pictured at Salesforce Park in San Francisco on June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Jim Holtshouse and his son, Mike Holtshouse, watch video through Rendever virtual-reality headsets at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Bob Rogallo watches video through a Rendever virtual-reality headset at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Mike Holtshouse and his father, Jim Holtshouse, watch video through Rendever virtual-reality headsets at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Jim Holtshouse watches video through a Rendever virtual-reality headset at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
