Thursday, November 5, 2026
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. EST
Location: Copley Hall Copley Formal Lounge
November 5, 2026
The Americas and the World Forum 2026
Second Annual Conference
Event Series: Conferences
As the leading academic hub in Washington, DC, for hemispheric affairs, the Georgetown Americas Institute is delighted to host a high-level convening to address the pressing geopolitical and economic challenges and opportunities facing the region. The Americas and the World Forum brings together distinguished policymakers, business leaders, academics, and civil society representatives from Latin America, the United States, and beyond for a dialogue about the critical role of the Americas in a rapidly evolving world order.
In this second iteration of the forum, experts will analyze timely topics including the implications of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections for foreign policy; the transformative potential of artificial intelligence for economic development, jobs, and firms; the role of digital governance in protecting human dignity and freedom; and the challenges and opportunities presented by the global energy transition. The forum will also examine how these forces are reshaping geopolitics and what they mean for Latin America’s economies, societies, and place in the world.
Schedule
8:30 - 9:00 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast
9:00 - 9:15 a.m. | Welcome Remarks
9:15 - 10:15 a.m. | U.S. Midterm Elections: What to Make of the Results and the Implications for Foreign Policy
Charles Kupchan, Professor of International Affairs, School of Foreign Service and Government Department, Georgetown University; Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Tamara Keith, Senior Political Correspondent, NPR
Moderator: Amna Nawaz, News Anchor, PBS
10:15 - 10:35 a.m. | Coffee Break
10:35 - 11:45 a.m. | From Promise to Practice: How AI is Reshaping the Job Market and Firms
Gaurav Nayyar, Director of the World Development Report 2026, World Bank | Presentation: World Bank World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence
Alex Martin Richmond, Economic Research, OpenAI
Moderator: Gian Maria Milesi Ferreti, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
11:50 a.m. - 1:10 p.m. | Buffet Lunch
1:10 - 1:55 p.m. | Keynote Remarks
TBA
2:00 - 2:40 p.m. | A Conversation on Magnifica Humanitas: Digital Governance and Divine Dignity—Reimagining Human Freedom in the Age of AI
Laura DeNardis, Inaugural Endowed Professor of Technology and Ethics, Georgetown University
Kim Daniels, Director, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, Georgetown University
2:40 - 3:00 p.m. | Coffee Break
3:00 - 3:40 p.m. | The Global Energy Transition: Emissions Trends, Technology Options, and Implications for Latin America
Andrew Steer, Professor of the Practice in Environment and Economics, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Joel Hellman, Dean, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
3:40 - 4:20 p.m. | Pricing, Policy, and Capital: The Economics of the Energy Transition
Arik Levinson, Professor of Economics, Georgetown University
Philip Kearns, Fellow, Georgetown Americas Institute, Georgetown University
4:25 - 5:25 p.m. | AI, Energy Transition, and Geopolitics: What Next for Latin America?
Ricardo Haussman, Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy, Harvard Kennedy School
Moderator: Alejandro Werner, Founding Director, Georgetown Americas Institute, Georgetown University