2nd HumanConnections.AI Salon
January 14-15, 2026
The Light House, San Francisco
Co-Hosted by Noēsis Collaborative, Tom Preston-Werner of Preston-Werner Ventures, and the Harvard Human Flourishing Program.
This invitation-only salon will bring together a small, select group of leaders in AI from technology, academia, venture, and civil society to explore a central question: how we might build, fund, and evaluate AI systems that strengthen social relationships and advance human flourishing?
Day 1 (Jan 14): Begins with lunch at 12 pm, followed by panels and lightning lectures from leading experts, concluding with dinner starting at 6 pm.
Day 2 (Jan 15): Breakfast at 9 am, interactive breakout workshops, followed by lunch and concluding at 1:30 pm.
The HumanConnections.AI Salon is a rare opportunity to be in the room with some of the most thoughtful, influential voices shaping how AI can foster genuine human-to-human connections.
Through candid conversations, collaborative sessions, and featured panels, participants will share perspectives, challenge assumptions, and surface actionable ideas for building AI solutions that enhance connection and well-being. See last year’s Salon, here.
Confirmed Speakers
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Tom Preston-Werner
Co-founder of Github & Preston-Werner Ventures
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Sherry Turkle, PhD
Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT and Founding Director, MIT Initiative on Technology and Self
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Jaron Lanier
Prime Unifying Scientist at Microsoft’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer
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De Kai, PhD
Pioneering AI Inventor, Professor HKSUT & UC Berkeley and Author of Raising AI
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Scott Heiferman
Co-Founder and former CEO, Meetup
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Jennifer Carolan
Co-Founder & Partner,
Reach Capital -
Jodi Halpern, PhD
Professor and Chair of Bioethics and Medical Humanities at UC Berkeley
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Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Social Connection & Health Lab at Brigham Young University
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Ravi Iyer, PhD
Managing Director, USC Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making
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Julia Freeland Fisher
Director of Education at the Clayton Christensen Institute
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James Donovan
Head of Learning & Cognitive Outcomes Research at OpenAI
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Pat Patara-nutaporn, PhD
Co-director of the MIT Media Lab Advancing Humans with AI (AHA) Research Program
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Forough Poursabzi-Sangdeh, PhD
Principal Applied Scientist in the Office of Chief Scientific Officer at Microsoft
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Amanda McCroskery
Model Policy + Research, Google DeepMind
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Nate Fast
Director of the Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making
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Julie Cachia, PhD
Co-founder, Flourish Sciences
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Josh Nesbit
Co-founder, Relational Tech Project
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Michelle Culver
Founder, The Rithm Project
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Carrie Varoquiers
Chief Impact Officer, Workday
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David Hsu
Senior Director of Programs and Policy, Omidyar Networks
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Jonathan Gruber
Strategy Lead, Einhorn Collaborative
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Ian Marcus Corbin, PhD
Founding Director of Harvard’s Public Culture Project
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David Price
Co-founder & General Partner at Preston-Werner Ventures
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Ron Ivey
CEO and Founder, Noēsis Collaborative
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Jonathan Teubner, PhD
Program Lead, Harvard Flourishing and AI Initiative
Day 1 Salon Agenda
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 12:00 - 12:30pm | Arrival & Lunch |
| 12:30 - 12:50pm | Opening Remarks |
| 12:50 - 1:30pm | Fireside Chat |
| 1:30 - 2:15pm | Panel 1: Understanding the Impact of AI on Human Relationships |
| 2:15 - 2:35pm | Break and Connecting |
| 2:35 - 2:45pm | Lightning Talk 1 |
| 2:45 - 3:30pm | Panel 2: Beyond the Turing Trap - Redefining Product Design to Augment Social Capabilities |
| 3:30 - 3:40pm | Break and Connecting |
| 3:40 - 4:25pm | Panel 3: Building Connection - How Entrepreneurs Can Design Technology for Human Relationships |
| 4:25 - 4:35pm | Break and Connecting |
| 4:35 - 4:45pm | Lightning Talk 2 |
| 4:45 - 5:30pm | Panel 4: Funding the Future of Social Connection - Investment Theses for Profit and Flourishing |
| 5:30 - 5:50pm | Closing |
| 6:00 - 8:00pm | Dinner |
Day 2 Workshop Agenda
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 9:00 - 9:30am | Breakfast & Connecting |
| 9:30 - 9:35am | Welcome & Opening Remarks |
| 9:35 - 9:45am | Lightning Talk 3 |
| 9:45 - 9:55am | Lightning Talk 4 |
| 9:55 - 10:05am | Lightning Talk 4 |
| 10:10 - 11:30am |
Workshop Groups Break Out Simultaneously:
|
| 11:30 - 11:40am | Break and Connecting |
| 11:40 - 12:30pm | Workshop Share Out |
| 12:30 - 1:30pm | Lunch, Reflections, and Close |
Thank you to our sponsors
This event is supported through the generous funding of the following philanthropies.
Past Participating Organizations
We Are At A Historic Inflection Point
The Challenge
We are living in a moment of profound disconnection. Rising loneliness, isolation, and the fracturing of our social fabric have harmed public health, eroded wellbeing, and weakened the foundations of our shared prosperity. In a landscape already crowded with technologies designed to capture our time and attention, new AI systems are emerging to fill the social void.
For the first time in history, we are building technologies that can speak to us, relate to us, and enter the intimate spaces where trust, vulnerability, and meaning once lived. Millions are now turning to AI companions and other technologies to meet their fundamental need for connection and belonging. Consequently, AI is quickly becoming a social actor with agency in our relational lives.
The Opportunity
However, the negative consequences of these trends are not inevitable. Although some earlier technologies were introduced without accounting for their social consequences, we are still early enough in AI’s development to imagine how it might strengthen, rather than displace, the connections that help us flourish. As AI becomes more embedded in daily life, the choices we make today about how it is designed, governed, and deployed will shape its impact on our social connectedness for a generation. Determining which path we take will require collaboration across sectors to decide whether AI can be a force that brings us together or if we will repeat the mistakes made in the era of social media.
Why Attend
Be a Part of the Change: Take an active role in shaping the future of AI and its impact on humanity. Collaborate on groundbreaking tools, frameworks, and initiatives that drive meaningful change.
Connect with Key AI Influencers: Engage with leading figures from top tech companies, venture firms, prestigious research institutions, and unique voices across civil society.
Discover Breakthrough Research: Delve into the latest studies on human flourishing and social connection, and explore innovative ways AI can help address these pressing issues.
Chatham House Rules:
We use the principles of mutual respect, curiosity, vulnerability, and openness to ground a conversation between sides that don't often meet in a collaborative setting. This include Chatham House Rules, ensuring a trusted environment for sharing insights and ideas.
Highlights from the HumanConnections.AI Salon on October 8th, 2024.
Last Year’s Impact
Last year, at our inaugural HumanConnections.AI Salon, we were able to turn our conversation into actionable impact including:
Developing a Social AI and Human Connections white paper that is now shaping philanthropic strategy and investment across the field
Presenting policy recommendations to the G20 focused on responsible, human-centered AI innovation
Creating a set of design principles for AI chatbots, developed in collaboration with academic and industry partners
A cross-sector convening to advance dialogue on AI governance and youth wellbeing
Advising U.S. Congress on oversight hearings and policy focused on AI chatbots and youth
Organizers & Sponsors
Building on the success of last year’s HumanConnections.AI Salon, this initiative continues the critical dialogue on how we might design AI systems to support connection and human flourishing.
This salon is co-hosted by Preston-Werner Ventures and the Harvard Human Flourishing Program with support from Einhorn Collaborative, Omidyar Network, and Workday Foundation.
Driving meaningful conversations.
How might we design AI systems to support connection and human flourishing?
What People are Saying
HumanConnections.AI was great. Conversations since the event have been the real surprise. I’ve found so many technologists who want to talk about these issues, responsible AI, etc.
This frame around “human flourishing” has been particularly interesting since it’s a positive goal, vs. simply avoiding problems (typical Trust & Safety or algorithmic bias frames). It gives something inspiring to work towards.
Ian Cairns, Founder and CEO of FreePlay.AI and former product leader at Twitter
It was such an honor to join an incredible panel at HumanConnections.AI Salon, hosted by The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and Preston-Werner Ventures, discussing one of today’s most pressing questions - "How can we build tech that fosters true social connectedness?" We dove into hard-hitting topics, like rethinking business models for user well-being and the urgency of not experimenting on vulnerable populations, especially kids. TL;DR AI should amplify our humanity.
Jigyasa Grover, 10x AI + Open Source Award Winner | Google Advisory Board Member + Google AI Expert
