What to look forward to
Novelist Jane Pek, whose mystery novels *The Verifiers* and *The Rivals* were named among the Washington Post’s best mysteries of the year, will discuss how fiction explores online identity, data, algorithms, and AI with Chenda Ngak, Head of Communications at Automattic. The conversation will also examine how writers research technology and how AI is shaping creative work, followed by informal networking over drinks and light bites.
Inside the event
dev/ai/nyc Join us for a fireside chat with novelist Jane Pek and Chenda Ngak, Head of Communications at Automattic, on how fiction helps us make sense of technology. Jane is the author of The Verifiers and The Rivals, mystery novels that follow an investigator at a secret agency that checks whether people on dating apps are who they claim to be. Both were named a best mystery of the year by the Washington Post. Through Claudia Lin’s investigations, the books dig into online identity, data, and the algorithms that decide who we meet. The conversation will cover how Jane researches and writes about tech as an outsider, what storytelling shows us about AI that product launches don’t, and how writers are thinking about AI in their own work. Stay afterward to connect with technologists, researchers, writers, and creators. Agenda 5:30pm: Doors open 6:00pm: Fireside chat with Jane Pek and Chenda Ngak 7:00–8:30pm: Drinks and light bites
Meet in New York, NY
City view. The source has not supplied a venue; check the organizer for the exact location.
Open in Google Maps ↗Discovered through Cerebral Valley. Details come from the event listing; registration is managed by the organizer.
Last checked: Nov 4, 2026. Confirm current availability before making plans.