Conversations Before
Midnight
Join the Bulletin community for an extraordinary night of action, insight, and connection on November 12, 2025.
Foresight, courage, and responsibility can still change the course
Each year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists convenes an exceptional community of leaders — in science, policy, business, and philanthropy — for an evening focused on the most urgent issues shaping our shared future.
Conversations Before Midnight is not simply an event; it is a space for serious, solutions-focused dialogue on the defining challenges of our time: nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies.
This annual gathering reflects the Bulletin’s unique mission: to connect evidence-based research with public engagement, and to translate scientific insight into societal impact. Attendees are not passive observers — they are partners in shaping responsible paths forward at a moment of global consequence.
- Location: The Blackstone, 636 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
- General Reception: 6:00-6:30 pm
- Dinner: 6:30-9:00 pm
This year's speakers
Blaise Agüera y Arcas
Blaise Agüera y Arcas is a Vice President and Fellow at Google, where he is the Chief Technology Officer of Technology & Society, and founder of Paradigms of Intelligence (Pi). Pi is an organization working on fundamental research in Artificial Intelligence and related fields, especially the foundations of neural computing, active inference, sociality, evolution, and Artificial Life. In 2008, Blaise was awarded MIT’s TR35 prize.
Jaan Tallinn
Jaan Tallinn is a founding engineer of Skype and Kazaa. He is a co-founder of the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, the Future of Life Institute, and philanthropically supports other organisations tackling existential and catastropic risk. Jaan serves on the Board of the Center for AI Safety, and the Board of Sponsors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He has previously served on the AI Advisory Body at the United Nations, on the High-Level Expert Group on AI at the European Commission, as well as on the Estonian President’s Academic Advisory Board.
Alexandra Bell
Alexandra Bell is the President and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Prior to this, Bell served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Affairs in theBureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability (ADS) at the U.S. Department of State. From 2017 to 2021, she was the Senior Policy Director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and the Council for a Livable World.
John Mecklin
John Mecklin is the editor-in-chief of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Miller-McCune (subsequently renamed Pacific Standard), an award-winning national magazine that focused on research-based solutions to major policy problems. Over the preceding 15 years, he was also: the editor of High Country News, a nationally acclaimed magazine that reports on the American West; the consulting executive editor for the launch of Key West, a regional magazine start-up directed by renowned magazine guru Roger Black; and the top editor for award-winning newsweeklies in San Francisco and Phoenix.
Why attend Conversations Before Midnight?
Engage in high-level, exclusive conversations with leading experts and policymakers across disciplines.
Support the Bulletin’s mission to reduce existential threats through informed, collaborative action.
Connect with peers who share a deep commitment to safeguarding the planet and future generations.
Thank you to our current event sponsors
PLATINUM
Governor Jerry Brown and Anne Gust Brown
Lee Francis & Michelle Gittler
GOLD
The Crown Family
David Kuhlman & Martha Esch
Donald Maclean
William & Eleanor Revelle
Joan & James Shapiro
SILVER
John & Carol Balkcom
Alvin H. Baum Family Fund
Kennette Benedict & Robert Michael
Robert LoPrete & David Germaine
Steve Ramsey & Ann Jones
The Bulletin needs you. Join our sponsors list today!
Questions? Reach out
For inquiries about Conversations Before Midnight, partnership opportunities, or media requests, please contact Marina Barbera, the Bulletin's advancement services coordinator.
Explore past Bulletin annual events
From hosting Academy Award-winning director Christopher Nolan in 2023 to featuring Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko in our virtual 2022 event, the Bulletin’s annual gatherings consistently deliver powerful insights on the world’s most pressing existential threats.