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WASHINGTON—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has tapped artificial intelligence (AI) innovator Noelle Russell to be a keynote speaker at its CONVERGENCE ‘24 event, which will take place Oct. 9–11 in Salt Lake City at the Grand America Hotel.
Russell, founder and Chief AI Officer at the AI Leadership Institute, will speak at a session called “The Future of AI in Your Industry.” Scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, October 10, the session will include an immersive deep dive into generative AI and other emerging technologies that are changing the ways we live, work, and do business. Russell will provide real-world examples and insights on responsible, ethical, and inclusive applications.
A panel discussion, “Applying AI Technologies to the Dietary Supplement Industry,” will follow Russell’s address. Participants will include Jim Flatt, co-founder and CEO of Brightseed, and Akash Shah, co-founder and CEO of IngredientAI, and other senior executives from the supplement industry. The panel will discuss how AI is revolutionizing the identification and development of bioactive compounds in supplements, accelerating personalized nutrition, and innovating across an array of industry applications. Panelists will candidly reflect on AI’s potential and limitations, offering a balanced view of AI’s promise and the challenges ahead.
Jim Jones, FDA deputy commissioner for Human Foods, will deliver the opening keynote—his first address to the dietary supplement industry since his appointment last year. Jones’s remarks about FDA’s priorities for dietary supplement oversight will come just days after the agency’s official reorganization of the Human Foods Program and the creation of a new “super-office” that includes dietary supplement regulation.
A session called “Navigating the News Cycle—Making Sense of the Headlines” will feature political analyst Chris Cillizza, a former CNN Politics reporter and editor-at-large. Cillizza will share insights on politics' constantly evolving state and its impact on cultural and business landscapes. With less than a month before the presidential election, he will examine the national climate and international events driving voter decision-making.
“DSHEA—what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it,” will be the final session on Friday, Oct. 11. It will feature Cara Welch, the director of FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, who industry representatives will join to discuss potential legislative changes and regulatory enhancements to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the industry’s foundational law, 30 years after its passage.
“CRN’s CONVERGENCE presents a unique opportunity for dietary supplement professionals to come together as a community to learn and discuss exciting cutting-edge technologies shaping our future, alongside real talk about the critical regulatory challenges we face,” said CRN President & CEO Steve Mister. “Open to CRN members, as well as non-members, CONVERGENCE will inspire reflection on the supplement industry’s growth propelled by DSHEA and what’s needed for the future to assure the continued advancement of our industry, which is so essential to consumers’ health and wellness.”
CONVERGENCE ‘24 kicks off with a reception on the evening of Oct. 9. Before the CONVERGENCE programming begins, CRN will present Science in Session and WellComms starting the morning of October 9. These events offer content and networking for targeted audiences with a focus on nutrition science or marketing and communications. That same afternoon, CRN will present its first-ever Innovation Exchange, a series of 25-minute presentations on ingredient innovations.
Registration spanning the different options is available with special pricing for packages, groups and CRN members. Learn more at crnusa.org/2024events.
