Christopher Lafayette is an emergent technologist and humanitarian deeply engaged in the sectors of the metaverse, AI, med-tech, education, Web3, and applied sciences. Gatherverse, a brainchild of Lafayette's, is an inspired response to an age of unprecedented technological growth. He saw a critical need to go beyond the technical aspects of creating the metaverse and emerging technologies to include humanity in the conversation about the intertwining of technology and the human experience.

Reginé Gilbert is a user experience designer, educator, and author with over ten years of experience working in technology. She has a strong belief in making the world a more accessible place that starts and ends with the user. Professor Gilbert's areas of research focus are digital accessibility, inclusive design, and immersive experiences. In 2019, her first book, Inclusive Design for a Digital World: Designing with Accessibility in Mind, was released through Apress publishing. Professor Gilbert and Doug North Cook are working on a book titled Human Spatial Computing, which Oxford University Press will publish in 2023.

Herbert Swaniker is a senior lawyer at the international law firm Clifford Chance. He advises global organisations on technology-related issues and policy matters, particularly concerning emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, cyber security, privacy, and commercial law.

Joshua Citarella is an artist and internet culture researcher based in New York City. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts as well and the Rhode Island School of Design. He is the author of Politigram & the Post-left (2021) and co-founder of Channel, a three-pronged media collective. He’s also an expert contributor to the Guardian, the New York Times, and Dazed.

Anastasiia Fedorova is a senior insights editor at Canvas8. A writer, curator and cultural strategist, she specialises in art, fashion, design, technology and visual culture. Her personal work explores sexuality, identity and queer communities while interrogating our place in a world shaped by rapidly changing technologies. As an avid sci-fi fan since teenage years, she is always interested in thinking about multiple and diverse futures.

Rebecca Smith is the Head of Toolkit at Canvas8. With a background in psychology, she has worked with global clients such as Google, Nike, and Mars, exploring everything from what people want from a fake tan to Gen Z’s relationship with social media. Outside of work, you’ll find her binge-watching reality TV, listening to hyperpop, or with her nose buried in a fantasy novel.

Alex Strang is a senior insight editor at Canvas8 who used to be in a punk band that was signed, shaped, and spat out. He enjoys using his experience of being the product to help brands understand how to sell theirs. After studying philosophy and critical theory, he found his feet in the market research world and has been over-analysing consumer behaviour ever since, including his own. He can usually be found playing board games, watching Seinfeld, or trying too hard to make his daughter laugh.