Every leader trying to navigate the AI landscape faces a similar challenge: how to keep up with technology that moves faster than our institutions, policies, and economic framework.
Entrepreneur, former presidential candidate, and best-selling author Andrew Yang has been at the forefront of the conversation about the impact of artificial intelligence before it becomes mainstream.
As a keynote speaker at MAICON 2026, Yang will bring a perspective shaped by years as a leader in the discussion. He has made artificial intelligence a centerpiece of his presidential platform, and through his nonprofit work and writing, he has brought complex technology to the attention of millions of Americans.
The man who saw it coming
When Yang launched his 2020 presidential campaign, his central argument was simple and alarming: AI and automation were about to fundamentally disrupt the American workforce, and no one in Washington was prepared for it.
Most political observers rejected it. The economy was humming. The disturbance seemed abstract.
Not anymore.
“I personally am very confident that artificial intelligence will eat up many American jobs,” Yang wrote in a blog post entitled: “I am personally very confident that artificial intelligence will eat up many American jobs.” “AI and the rest of us” In 2024. “I spoke a few days ago with someone who said they had 15 designers suggesting different ideas for graphics and clothing.
“They recently fired them all because they are now using AI for the same task. A lot of creative work is being changed to use AI, which often means fewer workers. What was virtual 4 years ago is now real-time.”
What makes Yang’s voice special isn’t just that he got into this conversation early. He has a rare ability to take the most technically and economically complex dynamics of the AI era and make them digestible, urgent, and actionable for everyday audiences and decision-makers.
Proven track record of getting it right early
Yang’s 2020 campaign brought universal basic income into the American mainstream, a program that pays every adult in the United States $1,000 per month. His national bestseller, Onward, provides a comprehensive critique of the institutional failures that prevent America from navigating the challenges of the 21st century, including artificial intelligence.
Since then, he has interviewed leading technologists and researchers on the front lines of AI policy. He also co-founded the Independent Imam Party, has held talks across the political spectrum, and continues to push for the kind of structural reforms that would enable workers to benefit from AI, rather than displace it.
“I traveled around the United States to make clear that artificial intelligence will come and change everything, and that we need to develop our economy, and adopt measures such as universal basic income, to prepare for the future,” Yang said in a speech. 2025 TED Talk.
Why is this important for AI leaders now?
Yang’s argument is not anti-technology. He is clear about the potential of AI to improve healthcare, advance scientific breakthroughs, and expand human capabilities in meaningful ways.
But it focuses just as much on what happens when a transformative technology outpaces the systems it is supposed to govern.
“If left alone, there will be some major downsides,” he wrote. “If we want more good and less evil, it will be up to us and our leaders.”
For leaders responsible for AI strategy, adoption, and management, these risks are real and immediate. They influence decisions about workforce planning, vendor evaluation, risk management, and long-term positioning.
Yang offers something rare: a straightforward approach to thinking about those decisions that is grounded in economics, politics, and a realistic understanding of where this technology is headed.
What Yang will explore at MAICON
Yang’s keynote speech, “The People-Centered Economy: Building a Future That Works for Everyone,” You will explore:
- How exponential technologies, including artificial intelligence, are transforming the economy. This is happening faster than our systems can adapt. Drawing on his pioneering presidential campaign, his best-selling books, and his political work with his nonprofit Humanity Forward, Yang makes a compelling case for a reimagined economy that puts people at the center, not corporations or algorithms.
- There is an urgent need to rethink traditional economic models. It will deliver bold, actionable solutions like universal basic income, data as a property right, and a modern safety net to support workers in an age of disruption.
- The need for optimism, practicality and empathy in the age of artificial intelligence. This is Yang’s signature: the ability to look for the positive, realism, and compassion as we navigate the changes that artificial intelligence will bring. Yang empowers audiences to embrace innovation while ensuring progress is inclusive, sustainable and deeply human.
Whether you’re talking to corporate leaders, technology experts, policymakers, or students, Yang’s message resonates as a roadmap for how to achieve success in the workplace of the future.
Join us at MAICON 2026
Yang, host of the Andrew Yang Podcast, headlines MAICON 2026 alongside more than 50 AI and business leaders. While much of the program focuses on implementation, Yang explores how AI is reshaping the workforce and the economy, and the implications for leaders navigating this transformation.
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If you’re responsible for how your organization prepares for, adopts, and governs AI, this is the keyword for you. Yang will give you an honest and grounded framework for understanding the forces that shape workplace decisions and the choices available to us. C
Join us at MAICON 2026 to hear from Yang and over 50 other business and AI leaders.
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