The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has announced that artificial intelligence (AI) innovator and founder & chief AI officer of the AI Leadership Institute, Noelle Russell as a keynote speaker at its CONVERGENCE ‘24 event taking place Oct. 9-11 in Salt Lake City, UT at the Grand America Hotel. Details are available at www.crnusa.org/2024events.
“The Future of AI in Your Industry” session, taking place the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 10, will include an immersive deep dive into generative AI and other emerging technologies changing the ways we live, work, and do business with real-world examples and insights from Russell on responsible, ethical and inclusive applications.
A panel discussion, “Applying AI Technologies to the Dietary Supplement Industry,” will follow Russell’s address, with: Jim Flatt, co-founder and CEO, Brightseed; Akash Shah, co-founder and CEO, IngredientAI; and other senior executives from the supplement industry. The panel will discuss how AI is revolutionizing the identification and development of bioactive compounds in supplements, accelerating personalized nutrition, and innovating across an array of industry applications. Panelists will candidly reflect on AI’s potential and limitations, offering a balanced view of AI’s promise and the challenges ahead.
Jim Jones, FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) deputy commissioner for Human Foods, will deliver the opening keynote—his first address to the dietary supplement industry since his appointment last year. Jones’s remarks about FDA’s priorities for dietary supplement oversight will come just days after the agency’s official reorganization of the Human Foods Program and the creation of a new “super-office” that includes dietary supplement regulation.
“Navigating the News Cycle – Making Sense of the Headlines” will feature political analyst Chris Cillizza, former CNN Politics reporter and editor-at-large. Cillizza will share insights on the constantly evolving state of politics and its impact on cultural and business landscapes. With less than a month before the presidential election, he will examine the national climate and international events that are driving voter decision making.
“DSHEA—what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it,” will be the final session on Friday, Oct. 11, featuring Cara Welch, PhD, director of FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, along with industry representatives, to discuss potential legislative changes and regulatory enhancements to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the industry’s foundational law, 30 years after its passage.
“CRN’s CONVERGENCE presents a unique opportunity for dietary supplement professionals to come together as a community to learn and discuss exciting cutting-edge technologies shaping our future, alongside real talk about the critical regulatory challenges we face,” said CRN President & CEO Steve Mister. “Open to CRN members, as well as non-members, CONVERGENCE will inspire reflection on the supplement industry’s growth propelled by DSHEA and what’s needed for the future to assure the continued advancement of our industry, which is so essential to consumers’ health and wellness.”
CONVERGENCE ‘24 kicks off with a reception the evening of Oct. 9. Prior to CONVERGENCE programming, CRN is presenting Science in Session and WellComms starting the morning of Oct. 9. These events offer content and networking for targeted audiences with a nutrition science or marketing and communications focus, respectively. That same afternoon, CRN will present its first-ever Innovation Exchange, a series of 25-minute presentations on ingredient innovations.
For more information, visit www.crnusa.org/2024events.
