How artists can protect their work from AI
Talk given at TEDxChicago 2025 & TEDx Editor’s Pick
Chicago, September 26th, 2025
Dr. Heather Zheng
Computer Scientist
About the Talk
We are what we do — our identities are the sum of our knowledge, experiences and actions. In a world rapidly filled with AI generators, what does it take to protect our identity, and those of the generations to come? Heather Zheng, co-director of the SANDLAB at UChicago, presents bold ideas that empower individuals to restore control over their identity by changing how they share data online. Together with her partner, Ben Zhao, the two UChicago professors and their team have released Glaze and Nightshade, tools that disrupt generative AI from training on and mimicking artists without their consent.
Source: TEDxChicago
About Heather
Dr. Heather Zheng is the Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago and co-director of the SAND Lab (Security, Algorithms, Networking and Data) alongside Prof. Ben Y. Zhao. She received her PhD from University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining UChicago in 2017, she spent six years in industry labs (Bell-Labs and Microsoft Research Asia) and 12 years as a faculty at University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. Zheng was one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 in 2005, and her research on cognitive radios was featured by MIT Technology Review as one of the 10 Emerging Technologies in 2006. More recently, her work on protecting human creatives from unethical data exploration received the USENIX Internet Defense Prize, the Chicago Innovation Award, a special mention in TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2023, and the Community Impact Award from the Concept Art Association in 2024. She is a Fellow of ACM and IEEE, and has served on editorial boards and steering committees for major journals and conferences. She is a board member of the University of Chicago Laboratory School.
Source: TEDxChicago
TEDxChicago 2025
Our future feels uncertain, yet we are resoundingly called to what matters most: You and me. Us. Humanity, itself. At TEDxChicago 2025, we believe the most powerful force shaping tomorrow is our collective agency, imagination, desire for connection and laughter, dignity, and generosity. This year, our speakers and artists arrive on Chicago’s stage to share their ideas, showcasing their fierce commitment to unify science, technology, and sustainability with the essential principles of compassion, justice, and care.
This is our love letter to Chicago.
Source: TEDxChicago
Coach’s Reflections
More to come!
Dustin Huibregtse
Founding Principal
Talks & Speaker Coach
