Is the Next Big Idea Already Here?
Where do we find innovation? This edition of our Through the Global Lens newsletter showcases some of the compelling breakthroughs supported by Columbia Global. From musical machines to bold new ideas on disaster recovery and digital rights, innovation is reshaping what is possible.
Who is an artist? Musician or machine
A conversation with George Lewis on sound, technology, and creative disruption.
Long before ChatGPT, composer, technologist, and Institute for Ideas and Imagination Fellow George Lewis blurred the lines between human creativity and machine intelligence. His pioneering work in computer-generated music challenges how we define originality, authorship, and the tools we use to create.
In an interview with Through the Global Lens, Lewis reflects on why imitation is not innovation, what it really means to create with a machine, and why the most radical musical ideas might still come from a live room, not a dataset.
→ Step inside George Lewis’s world of sound and technology
"New music comes from new entities with new ideas, whether machine or human."
- George Lewis, Fellow at the Institute for Ideas and Imagination, Columbia Global
Crtl+alt+reform
Are we losing control of our rights online? With the Digital Governance for Democratic Renewal initiative, researchers from Columbia and the Hertie School in Berlin answer exactly that, building real-world frameworks to make tech fairer, smarter, and more accountable.
→ See what it takes to govern tech — from someone who helps make it happen
Who gets a say in AI’s future? At Columbia Global Center Athens, scholars and leaders ask tough questions about the power, ethics, and exclusions behind the tech shaping our lives.
→ Watch global voices discuss AI
Can computers and algorithms fight fire? At the Athens Center, experts also explore AI’s role in climate resilience, asking questions about energy use, bias, and risk.
→ Watch what Columbia’s climate scholars are saying
From rubble to reinvention
Can a disaster zone become an innovation hub? In Turkey, post-earthquake recovery redefines what it means to rebuild — through trauma-informed care, inclusive city planning, and health systems designed for equity, led by Columbia researchers at Columbia Global Center Istanbul.
→ Read how recovery gets reimagined
Can flipping a switch power economic opportunity? In Uganda, Columbia World Projects helps shift energy investment away from just lighting homes, and toward powering farms, businesses, and jobs.
→ See how data is turning on the lights
Why are Americans still living with raw sewage? In rural Alabama, Columbia World Projects helps redesign a broken wastewater system — one that could change national policy.
→ Meet the community fixing their sewers
Healing goes beyond a hospital
Could healing begin with human connection? From incarcerated individuals as public health advocates to hip-hop music that boosts stroke awareness in Harlem, to training community health workers in rural India, Columbia Global Center Mumbai convenes leaders in health care to show that care works best when it meets people’s unique needs.
→ See how bold ideas are saving lives
Where leaders go further
What does leadership look like at 17? In China, the Fellowship for Change empowers high school students to lead community-driven projects with global relevance. Through mentorship, workshops, and hands-on innovation at Columbia Global Center Beijing, these teens learn to drive change from the ground up.
→ See what young leaders are creating
Who is building bold solutions around the world? The Columbia University Obama Foundation Scholars tackle some of today’s toughest global challenges, including refugee rights, gender equity, and digital empowerment. Their nine-month residency with Columbia Global sharpens their leadership and expands the impact of their work back home.
→ Meet the 2024-25 Obama Scholars
