Speakers
Aimee Rinehart – Senior Product Manager, AI Strategy, Associated Press
Aimee is focused on shaping the future of journalism through strategic, collaborative innovation. As Senior Product Manager for AI Strategy at the Associated Press, she leads cross-functional initiatives that integrate generative AI into news and operational workflows with journalistic integrity. She co-founded Humans in the Loop, a networking group for news innovators that meets regularly. She spearheaded collaborative initiatives on verification of online content in Brazil, France, the U.K., and the U.S. Aimee serves on advisory boards and councils at CUNY, Indiana University and Penn State University. Her work foregrounds agency, accountability, and human-centered design in news and technology.
Christine Boyd – AI Transformation Office, CBC
Christine Boyd is the AI Advisor for CBC/Radio-Canada’s Transformation Office, where she helps the national public broadcaster navigate the intersection of generative AI and media. Drawing on her extensive background as a journalist at the CBC, The Globe and Mail, and the Ottawa Citizen, Christine leads initiatives that empower staff to adapt to a shifting digital landscape.
Her work combines strategic governance with hands-on application. She leads the CBC’s AI literacy training for leadership, co-chairs the Generative AI Community of Practice, and helps drive generative AI pilots designed to support content intelligence, accessibility, and news gathering and production. Christine is dedicated to the responsible adoption of tools that enhance creativity and accessibility without replacing the journalist.
Nicholas Hune-Brown – Executive Editor, The Local
Nicholas Hune-Brown is a writer and the Executive Editor of The Local, an online non-profit publication that tells in-depth stories from corners of Toronto too often overlooked. In its first six years, The Local has been recognized as one of the country’s best new journalism outlets, earning some of the industry’s highest honours. As a magazine writer for publications like The Walrus, Toronto Life, and The Guardian, Nicholas has won a number of awards, including multiple National Magazine Awards, the Canadian Association of Journalists award, and the 2022 Hillman Prize.
Moderator
Nikita Roy – Founder, Newsroom Robots Lab
Nikita Roy is a data scientist, journalist, and Harvard-recognized AI futurist. She is the founder of Newsroom Robots Lab, an AI training and advisory firm for media organizations, currently incubating at Harvard Innovation Labs. She also hosts Newsroom Robots, a globally charting podcast on AI and the future of journalism. As a Knight Fellow at the International Center for Journalists, she led global efforts to accelerate AI adoption in journalism, including launching the AI Journalism Lab at the City University of New York, supported by Microsoft. Nikita also serves on the national board of the Canadian Association of Journalists and is co-chair of its 2026 national conference in Ottawa. She was named one of twelve pioneers and power players shaping the future of news in the 2025 Future Today Strategy Group Tech Trends Report
