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Jacob Ward helps organisations navigate AI risks and automation ethics through investigative insight. Jacob works with Fortune 500 companies and global audiences as an AI keynote speaker, author of The Loop, and former NBC News correspondent covering technology accountability across six continents.

Trusted by NBC News, CNN, PBS

Jacob Ward
Jacob Ward

Jacob Ward

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Jacob Ward's biography

At a glance

  • AI journalist and author of The Loop
  • Correspondent for NBC News CNN PBS and BBC
  • Former editor in chief of Popular Science

Jacob Ward is a journalist and author who has spent more than a decade investigating how artificial intelligence exploits human behaviour, and what corporations, governments, and individuals can do about it. He is the author of The Loop, which predicted the current AI crisis nearly a year before ChatGPT launched. He has served as a correspondent for NBC News, CNN, PBS, BBC, and Al Jazeera, and as editor-in-chief of Popular Science. Jacob's reporting spans six continents and takes him inside rooms most speakers never enter. He has sat with addiction scientists advising app makers on how to hook users, visited families cut off from housing and food by automated systems no one could explain, and interviewed CEOs who dismiss product harm as statistical noise. This depth of firsthand experience allows him to translate complex AI risks into clear, human terms that audiences can act on immediately. Audiences leave Jacob's sessions with a concrete understanding of how AI systems exploit predictable patterns in human decision-making, practical strategies for recognising when automation is overriding human judgment, and a framework for personal accountability rooted in his own candid reflections on bias and vulnerability. Book Jacob Ward to give your audience the rare combination of investigative rigour and emotional clarity that this moment demands.

Why we recommend booking Jacob

Jacob Ward brings investigative access that translates AI exploitation into boardroom strategy, drawing on firsthand reporting with addiction scientists and automated system architects across six continents. His work predicted the current crisis before ChatGPT launched, giving leadership teams practical frameworks for recognizing when automation overrides judgment and protecting organizational decision-making from algorithmic bias.

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Trusted by NBC News, CNN, PBS

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Jacob Ward - The Loop book cover

frequently asked questions

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How do I book Jacob Ward for my next event?

To book Jacob Ward for your event, email jacob.ward@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you ASAP to confirm Jacob Ward's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.

What is Jacob Ward's speaking style like?

Jacob Ward draws on firsthand investigative reporting — including access to addiction scientists, automated-system casualties, and tech CEOs — to build sessions around case-based evidence gathered across six continents. He structures his talks around a framework that connects documented AI behaviours to predictable patterns in human decision-making, grounded in his own stated bias and vulnerability.

What topics does Jacob Ward focus on?

Jacob Ward speaks on artificial intelligence and human behaviour, AI ethics and governance, and the exploitation of predictable decision-making patterns by automated systems. He is the author of The Loop, published ahead of the mainstream AI crisis, and has reported for NBC News, CNN, PBS, BBC, and Al Jazeera, and served as editor-in-chief of Popular Science.

Does PepTalk charge a booking fee?

No, PepTalk doesn't charge a booking fee. You pay the speaker's fee plus any travel and expenses, which PepTalk confirms upfront in your quote. The shortlist, contracting and event-day logistics are included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.

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What does the typical fee range mean?

The typical fee range on a PepTalk speaker profile is a guide to what that speaker usually costs for an in-person event in their home market, shown in their local currency. The final fee depends on format, location, date and session length. Virtual and shorter sessions usually cost less, and international travel and peak dates cost more. PepTalk confirms the exact fee in your currency once it has your brief.

Have all the speakers on the website worked with PepTalk before?

No. PepTalk represents 15,000+ speakers, hosts, comedians and entertainers, some booked directly and others through their agents and agencies worldwide. The process is the same for all of them: PepTalk checks availability, negotiates the fee and manages the contract and logistics.

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