In this podcast hosted by the City Bar Presidential Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies, Alona Katz, Chief of the Virtual Currency Unit at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, alongside a panel of experts, discusses the growing issue of cryptocurrency investment scams, specifically 'pig butchering,' which one guest describes as “ a confidence scam and a romance scam and an investment scam all wrapped into one.”
The panel includes Inspector Osvaldo Nunez from the New York City Police Department; Kristen Spaeth, Manager on the Global Intelligence Team at Coinbase; Jonathan Scharf, Deputy Chief of Major Economic Crimes at the Queens County District Attorney's Office; and Adrian Cheek, a disruption expert. They share insights on current trends, investigation techniques, and strategies for effective disruption and seizure of assets.
The group emphasizes education as a key tool for inoculating the public to these scams, the importance of public-private sector collaboration, and proactive measures to prevent scams and protect victims.
If you’re interested in learning more about cryptocurrency and law enforcement trends, join us for the City Bar’s Crypto Institute on March 11 (https://services.nycbar.org/EventDetail?EventKey=INS031125). Visit nycbar.org/events to find all of the most up-to-date information about our upcoming programs and events.
00:00 Introduction and Host's Welcome
00:38 Meet the Experts: Introductions
05:37 Understanding Pig Butchering Scams
12:45 Law Enforcement's Perspective
22:52 Local vs. Federal Response
29:22 Private Sector Insights: Coinbase's Role
31:53 Transaction and Blockchain Analysis
32:54 Law Enforcement Collaboration
33:42 Coinbase's Protective Measures
34:35 Scam Detection Techniques
36:35 Tech Against Scams Coalition
37:28 Disruption Strategies in Investigations
40:12 Domain and Wallet Analysis
43:34 Advice for Law Enforcement
54:04 Future of Cryptocurrency Crime Units
55:45 Final Thoughts and Collaboration
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1:01:48
Benjamin N. Cardozo Lecture: Hon. Jed S. Rakoff — "SCOTUS’ History as a Regressive Institution"
In this special episode we hear the Hon. Jed S. Rakoff – Senior Judge, United States District Court, Southern District of New York – deliver a speech to the Association entitled "The U.S. Supreme Court’s History as a Regressive Institution."
Judge Rakoff’s speech is part of City Bar’s Benjamin N. Cardozo Lecture Series, which is inspired by the legacy of Benjamin N. Cardozo "and his love for the law, passion for justice and sympathy for humanity." First presented in 1941, previous speakers in the series have included Robert H. Jackson, Felix Frankfurter, William O. Douglas, Earl Warren, William J. Brennan, Jr., Marian Wright Edelman, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among many others.
Judge Rakoff was introduced by Judge Raymond Lohier, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after a welcome from City Bar President Muhammad Faridi.
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42:36
Could Agentic AI Be Your New Legal Intern?
Presidential Task Force on AI and Digital Technologies members Wendy Butler Curtis and Robert Mahari are joined by Cai GoGwilt, founder of Ironclad, to discuss the power and potential of Agentic AI. Their conversation explores the definitions, capabilities, and notable limitations of the emerging Large Language Models. Building on Forbes’ “intern” analogy, the co-hosts highlight the ways in which Agentic AI can enhance productivity across several fields with its hyperintelligence and adaptability to complex tasks. Curtis, Mahari and GoGwilt conclude with thoughts on its future development, ethical considerations of its usage, and anecdotes of their most interesting encounters with these tools.
If you’re interested in learning more about artificial intelligence, join us for related programs at the City Bar, including the UN Summit of the Future: International Regulation of AI on November 4 (https://services.nycbar.org/EventDetail?EventKey=TFDT110424) and the Artificial Intelligence in Health Care: An Overview of Laws, Policy, and Practices webinar CLE on November 6 (https://services.nycbar.org/EventDetail?EventKey=_WEB110624). Visit nycbar.org/events to find all of the most up-to-date information about our upcoming programs and events.
00:00 Introduction to Agentic AI
05:14 Defining Agentic AI
08:11 Rapid Fire Q&A
09:07 Capabilities and Limitations of Agentic AI
13:55 Open Source and Future Prospects
21:26 AI's Limitations in Legal Contexts
22:01 Debating AI's Reasoning Capabilities
26:02 Practical Applications of AI in Various Industries
28:24 AI in Legal Practice: Current and Future Uses
31:47 Ethical Considerations and Professional Responsibility
32:34 Optimism and Concerns About AI's Future
40:10 Engaging with Generative AI: Practical Tips
41:56 Best and Worst Uses of Generative AI
45:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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46:55
Chilling the Right to an Education: Combatting Policies Hostile to LGBTQ Youth
An increasing number of states are enacting policies hostile to LGBTQ youth, like book bans and restrictions on participation in sports. Even in states like New York where there is greater state-level support for LGBTQ rights, similar policies aimed at stifling those rights have emerged at the local level. Amy Leipziger (Project Director, Free to Be Youth Project), Ashton Hessee (Legal Fellow, Free to Be Youth Project) and Gabriella Larios (Staff Attorney, NYCLU) of the City Bar’s LGBTQ Rights Committee unpack the damage to psychological and physical health that these bans and the anti-LGBTQ culture that they promote can have on LGBTQ youth – kids who are navigating the same developmental challenges as their peers while being saddled with these additional burdens. Amy, Ashton and Gabriella also speak to how queer and trans youth – and their parents and caregivers – can understand their rights and understand how to advocate for their rights in school. All three share stories from the frontlines of litigating against these bans, and share insights on the most effective strategies for pairing litigation with grassroots community organizing.
Access a transcript of this episode here: https://bit.ly/3zp9tfd
Access NYCLU’s “Your Rights as an LGBTQ Student” resource here: https://bit.ly/4euK6aC
Want to learn more about the changing state of the law governing transgender athletes' participation in sports? View the City Bar’s on-demand CLE program “Transgender Athletes: Title IX and the Dynamic Legal Landscape” (https://bit.ly/4gITn0v). Visit nycbar.org/events to find all of the most up-to-date information about our upcoming programs and events.
00:00 Introduction and Back-to-School Reflections
02:27 Challenges Faced by Students and Schools
04:06 Transgender Rights and School Policies
16:14 Impact of Discrimination on Mental Health
19:15 Statistics on LGBTQ+ Student Experiences
33:08 Community Support and Advocacy
46:35 Conclusion and Call to Action
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50:55
Tokenization of Real-World Assets: Signals from the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services
The Presidential Task Force on AI and Digital Technologies’ Bob Schwinger hosts a discussion with fellow Task Force members Don Irwin and Tyler Yagman. They identify the key takeaways from the House Financial Services Committee’s June 5th congressional hearing about the tokenization of real-world assets, its relation to cryptocurrency, and its potential to improve market efficiency and transparency. Bob, Don, and Tyler also discuss the importance of regulatory compliance, the differences between permissioned and permissionless blockchains, and tokenization's implications for future financial inclusion.
Access a transcript of this episode here: https://bit.ly/3ZxikWG
Want to learn more about emerging digital technologies and their development? Join us at the City Bar’s upcoming program: Guidelines for Users and Developers of AI Powered Technologies on October 10 (https://bit.ly/GUDAI) and view our catalogue of similar on-demand CLEs (https://bit.ly/BarCTFDT). Visit nycbar.org/events to find all of the most up-to-date information about our upcoming programs and events.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Today's Topic
01:21 Overview of Tokenization and Congressional Hearing
02:21 Detailed Explanation of Tokenization
05:09 Legislative Proposals and Industry Perspectives
07:33 Distinguishing Tokenization from Cryptocurrency
10:26 Goals and Benefits of Tokenization
16:41 Use Cases and Practical Applications
24:30 Fundamental Principles and Regulatory Concerns
33:38 Permissioned vs. Permissionless Blockchains
39:31 Tokenizing Securities and Technological Challenges
43:22 Stable Coins, CBDCs, and Financial Inclusion
48:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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