About the IAPP

Léa Steinacker is a journalist, entrepreneur and social scientist with a Ph.D. in the social dimensions of artificial intelligence systems. Her work focuses on how technology interacts with people, practices and the planet.

She has published on topics such as automated facial recognition, synthetic voice generation, quantum computing and an original framework of “Code Capital.” With her expertise in emerging technologies and their wide-ranging effects, she is a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, teaching courses such as “Social and Economic Impacts of Artificial Intelligence.” 

In 2018, Steinacker co-founded and became the chief innovation officer of ada Learning, a learning and development community that prepares leaders from diverse operations for the future through content, live experiences and practical innovation projects. Since its inception, ada has connected and worked with thousands of fellows from DAX companies, subject matter experts, governments and non-governmental organizations.

Previously, Steinacker served as the chief innovation officer of WirtschaftsWoche, Germany's leading business magazine, where she covered the future of work and socio-technological change. Prior to joining Handelsblatt Media Group, she worked with social justice NGOs in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was selected as a Forbes 30 Under 30 leader, one of Medium Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 journalists, a BCG Thought Leader and an Atlantik Brücke Young Leader. In 2011, she was awarded the Henry Richardson Labouisse Prize for independent research. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Ph.D. from the University of St. Gallen.