All images credit: Nelson Lin
On November 4, the Serica Initiative welcomed over 120 attendees and a dozen speakers for the 2026 AAPI Trailblazers Conference: Owning Our Stories in the Age of AI in NYC!
Attendees represented over a dozen industries — including finance, tech, arts & culture, and more — and came together to explore a timely question: As artificial intelligence reshapes our world, how can AAPI communities help shape what comes next?
Building Connections and Exploring Trustworthy AI
The day began with a networking lunch at Blender Space in the heart of Midtown, where attendees connected over food and drinks from an incredible lineup of AAPI-owned beverage brands, brought together by Asian Beverage Voices.
A special thank you to Asian Beverage Voices, Hapa Drink Co., Mía, The Lucky Ox, Mai Vino, and Màkku by Sool, for bringing these wonderful flavors to our gathering!
Learn more about our partnership with Asian Beverage Voices, and the brands featured at our conference, on their website: click below!
Lily Xu, Global Program Lead at AWS Startups, opened the program with a keynote reflecting on her experience developing founder accelerators and programs that have supported more than 200 startups. She shared perspectives on how AI and emerging technologies can support — not replace — the human culture, relationships, and connections that make innovation possible.
Next, Jeannette Wing, a pioneer in computer science and Executive Vice President for Research at Columbia University, explored what it means to build trustworthy AI.
Drawing on examples of AI's potential to help as well as its capacity to be brittle, unfair, and blatantly inaccurate, she challenged attendees to think critically about the technologies we create and use. She highlighted how principles that guide our relationships with one another—including respect, beneficence, and justice—can also inform the development of trustworthy AI applications. The conversation continued in a fireside chat between Wing and Serica's Executive Director Andrea Louie, offering further perspectives on the responsibilities and opportunities surrounding AI.
Defining Leadership in the Age of AI
The first panel discussion brought together Qin Gao, Brian Pang, and Shelly Xu, moderated by Di Cai, with each representing a distinct pathway and perspective in AAPI leadership.
Together, the panelists explored how AI is reshaping the way leaders are developed: changes in how opportunities emerge, and what responsibilities come with being a leader.
Their conversation underscored the importance of owning your story: bringing diverse experiences and perspective into the decisions shaping our collective future.
From Conversation to Action
Moving from discussion to practice, attendees participated in an interactive AI readiness workshop led by Dr. Ngoc Cindy Pham of BRIDGE AI Lab and Brooklyn College, CUNY.
Through group discussions and guided frameworks, participants reflected on their current understanding of AI, explored where emerging tools could be incorporated into their work, and exchanged ideas with peers. The workshop offered an opportunity to move beyond the headlines and consider practical ways to navigate AI in their own careers and industries.
Throughout the day, the conference lounge also featured presentations and community tables from AAPI organizations and individuals. From emerging AI initiatives and artists experimenting with technology to community organizations and sponsors, these showcases highlighted the many ways AAPI leaders are engaging with innovation, creativity, and community impact.
Thank you to featured artists: Wo Xinyu, Nina Kuo, Niceaunties, Suki Violet Su, Clemens Maurer, Zanib Ahmed, Emi Kusano, Ni Ouyang & community tablers: Asian Beverage Voices, Chinatown Arcade, Heartland NY, and Madice Inc!
The Future of AAPI Storytelling
The afternoon continued with a panel exploring AI and AAPI storytelling. Bringing together Xin Ying, Rubina Fillion, Bourree Lam, moderated by Tina Wang — the panelists represented a diverse range of storytelling organizations, including major media institutions, legacy dance companies, and emerging digital startups, the conversation examined how AAPI stories can be amplified in the age of AI.
Panelists reflected on the relationship between newsrooms and AI, and how it has shaped public understanding — especially how audiences search for and obtain information. They reflected on how AI can be a useful tool for storytellers and journalists, as the world’s information and data ecosystem rapidly expands — but also where its limitations remain, especially for AAPI and other underrepresented communities.
“Flood the zone,” said panelist Bourree Lam, urging attendees to loudly own and share their stories — a sentiment that continued to be echoed throughout the day.
Next, poet and language artist Sasha Stiles presented a special audiovisual performance of A LIVING POEM. Stiles’ work considered how AI and code reflect our living systems of human language and memory, through which we preserve our histories and identities.
She has a live exhibition ongoing in NYC until November 13th at the Sapor Gallery - check it out! https://www.saparcontemporary.com/exhibitions#/sasha
Looking Ahead, Together
The conference concluded with closing remarks from Paul Cheung, President of Committee of 100, who reflected on how emerging technologies like AI have transformed our information ecosystem. He reminded attendees of the importance of actively (and loudly) recording, publishing, and sharing our histories, so that our communities will be proudly known, remembered, and represented in the future.
Beyond the stage, the day was equally about the diverse connections that were forged across the various industries and communities represented at the conference. As the day drew to a close, attendees enjoyed the Conversations, Culture, and Cocktails happy hour: continuing conversations, exchanging ideas, and building new relationships.
A special thank you to our cocktail reception snack sponsors, Heartland NY, TofuGo, and 50Hertz Tingly Foods, for helping us close the day on a delicious note! A warm thank you as well to conference sponsors EY and FARSIGHT for their support of the AAPI Trailblazers Conference!
As AI continues to reshape how we work, connect, and tell stories, the message of the day remains clear: we all must own our stories to help shape the future being built. Through leadership, creativity, and collective action, we can ensure that our perspectives remain part of a new age of AI.
A huge thanks to our speakers, partners, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees (and YOU!) for making the 2026 AAPI Trailblazers Conference such an incredible and memorable day for the community!
