Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mei Fong to open new Orkney Artificial Intelligence Tech Talks series in Stromness

A new series of Tech Talks, focussing on Artificial Intelligence launches in Stromness this month, looking to bring Orcadians together to discuss what it is, what it changes and what it could mean for us. The series is sponsored by Aquatera.

Mei now is the Chief Storyteller for the Windfall Trust, a research organisation convening technologists, economists and policymakers to plan for the economic disruption AI may bring. Calling in from the US, she will address a question about the technology: why is this one different from what has come before it? Her talk will look at how the Trust is stress-testing the potential impact on jobs, income and communities and what an honest set of choices looks like for the people who absorb the costs as well as those who capture the gains.

Mei Fong is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who spent more than a decade at the Wall Street Journal, reporting on China’s economic transformation.  She also has served as the Chief Communications Officer at Human Rights Watch and is the author of One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment.

The evening begins at 6pm with informal drinks and networking, followed by Mei’s talk. Sacha Wright and Finn Macleod will then introduce the series and the thinking behind it: a forum for knowledge sharing on AI and technology across the islands.

Date: Tuesday 29 September 2026

Time: 6pm–8pm (drinks and networking from 6pm)

Venue: ICNZ Hub, The Charles Clouston Building, Orkney Research and Innovation Campus (ORIC), Back Road Stromness KW16 3AW

Cost: Free