Axios What’s Next Summit 2024: AI, air travel & CFP TV rights dominate headlines

Axios held its third annual What's Next Summit on March 19 in Washington, D.C., convening top newsmakers, innovators and policymakers for conversations on the future of key issues shaping our world.

What they're saying: Rapidly advancing technologies like AI and air taxis, cultural shifts in media consumption, and partisan disagreements on consequential policy decisions are dominating the world today and will shape how people work, live and play for years to come.

Catch up quick: Here are our biggest takeaways from the day…

Sports rights are an increasingly valuable asset for networks in a competitive media landscape and streaming-dominated future.

• ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro broke news on the Axios stage and announced the network will retain the TV rights to the College Football Playoff through a 6-year extension deal.

Artificial intelligence holds massive potential as both a threat and a useful tool – while AI chatbots are already spreading misinformation about upcoming elections, the technology is also being used to help citizens and governments.

• Former OSTP director Alondra Nelson, an author of the White House's Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, said that more than half of AI chatbots monitored in a recent survey provided inaccurate election information.
• Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani called out the need for "aspirational AI" when describing her newly created tool, Paidleave.ai, which aims to help families navigate the confusing system and take full advantage of family leave benefits.
• The Department of Homeland Security is one of many government agencies implementing AI across all of its domains. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that agency use cases include border detection technologies and employee training simulation programs.

A pattern of partisan fighting and a handful of narrowly avoided government shutdowns have stalled congressional action on several key legislative issues like agency funding and U.S. aid for Ukraine.

• Mayorkas called a recent deal between the White House and Congress to fund the agency and avoid a government shutdown "no cause for celebration."
• Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said that continued congressional inaction on passing further aid to Ukraine will result in the "worst atrocity in history."

As the leading legacy company of the aviation industry struggles to maintain consumer confidence amidst quality and safety concerns, a new option for air travel via electric air taxi is scaling up manufacturing and awaiting FAA certification.

• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that "there are real concerns with quality control at Boeing" following a series of safety issues and incidents with the company's planes.
• Joby Aviation founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt aims to eventually make electric air taxi travel "accessible to everyone" at a price point similar to an Uber.

Behind the scenes: We also gathered intimate groups of high-level leaders for a series of Expert Voices roundtable discussions looking at what's next for the future of the clean energy transition, the use of AI in fintech and the e-commerce revolution.

Go deeper: Check out the day's full interviews and listen to Niala Boodhoo's '1 big thing' podcast episode on her interview with Sen. Joe Manchin.

Thank you to Bank of America, Constellation, Danone, Project Liberty and Zip Co. for sponsoring this event.