Every business relies on data. It informs decisions about hiring, marketing, pricing, and risk. But what happens when the data is flawed? When algorithms reinforce bias, overlook key factors, or create blind spots that lead to costly mistakes.
Many organizations assume that automated decision-making is more objective and efficient.
In reality, algorithms can amplify existing inequalities, push businesses in the wrong direction, and create legal and reputational risks. The challenge isn’t just about fairness — it’s about whether companies can truly trust the models they depend on.
This is why the mesh conference is bringing together leaders to tackle one of the most urgent questions in business today: how do we ensure data-driven decision-making helps rather than harms?
Ask the tough questions about AI and accountability
Cathy O’Neil has spent her career exposing the hidden risks of algorithmic decision-making. A best-selling author, mathematician, and data scientist, she’s worked in academia, finance, and tech, giving her a unique perspective on how AI and data models shape business and society.
She earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard and taught at Barnard College before moving to the private sector, where she worked as a quant for the hedge fund D.E. Shaw and later as a data scientist in the New York start-up scene.
Today, she is the CEO of ORCAA (O’Neil Risk Consulting & Algorithmic Auditing), a firm dedicated to ensuring AI and automated systems operate within ethical and accountable frameworks. She is also a member of the Public Interest Tech Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School and a regular contributor to Bloomberg.
Cathy is best known for her book, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, a New York Times bestseller that was longlisted for the National Book Award. The book exposes how unchecked algorithms reinforce discrimination in hiring, lending, healthcare, and beyond — often creating systems that reward the privileged and penalize the vulnerable. It was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, Wired, Fortune, and The Guardian, among others.
Her latest book, The Shame Machine: Who Profits in the New Age of Humiliation, explores how businesses, social media, and institutions exploit shame for profit, reinforcing power structures while deepening social divides.
At mesh in Calgary this April, Cathy will lead a fireside chat on: The algorithmic trap: how data shapes power, decision-making, and business outcomes.
From hiring and promotions to risk assessments and customer targeting, algorithms increasingly dictate who gets opportunities and who gets left behind.
This session will unpack how businesses can harness AI and data analytics effectively while avoiding costly blind spots, reputational risks, and missed opportunities. Whether you care about equity, operational efficiency, or long-term business resilience, understanding the impact of algorithmic decision-making is no longer optional — it’s essential.
mesh 2025 is where leaders make better decisions
The mesh conference is where leaders across industries come together to rethink the future of work, innovation, and technology.
This year’s theme, navigating the next: innovation, adaptation, and impact, focuses on how industries, leaders, and innovators can navigate change in an era of rapid transformation.
The conference will explore embracing emerging technologies, the necessity of agility in leadership, and the real-world effects of change, from sustainability to long-term economic resilience.
Join us in Calgary on April 29-30, 2025, for two days of learning, conversation, and connection.
