The Deeply Human Summit

Building What the Future Deserves, Together

2–3 October 2026 · Paris Preceded by the Global Youth Imagination Day · 1 October · Online

We have the tools. Now we need each other.

Two days of listening, imagining and building: a working gathering for the questions no single field, discipline or generation can answer alone.

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Agenda

Over three days, we move from listening to imagining to committing. Young people around the world open the summit with their vision for the future.

DAY 0 — GLOBAL YOUTH IMAGINATION DAY

Thursday 1 October · 12:00–16:00 UK time · Online and in Paris

The Global Youth Imagination Day gathers youth globally to imagine the futures they want to build with AI, and to shape the Youth Dispatch: a message from the next generation that opens the summit in Paris, and that our speakers and participants respond to throughout the two days.

[Learn more about the Youth Imagination Lab →]

DAY 1 — FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER

All times CEST (Paris).

09:00–09:30 · Meditation by the Seine (Optional)

09:30–10:00 · Registration & Coffee

10:00–10:15 · Welcome: Building What the Future Deserves, Together (Iliana Grosse-Buening & Alina Kukarina, Deeply Human Innovation)

10:15–10:35 · The Youth Handover: Voice & Vision from the Global Youth Imagination Day

10:35–10:55 · Keynote: Why We All Need to Be Ethical Dreamers François Taddei

10:55–11:10 · Reflection Activity: “From You to Ecosystem”

11:10–12:00 · Panel: How to Shape a Future — The Responsibilities We Share Our speakers respond to the Youth Dispatch.

  • Uma Kalkar (moderator)

  • John C. Havens (IEEE Standards Assocation)

  • Ron Ivey (Noësis Collaborative, Harvard University)

  • Jean-Louis Arcand (President, Global Development Network)

  • Kasia Odrozek (UNESCO Business Council for the Ethics of AI)

  • Paqui Lizana (IKEA)

12:00–12:15 · Coffee Break

12:15–13:30 · Listening & Sensemaking Rooms Small rooms, big questions. Choose a theme and spend the session listening, sharing and making sense of where we are, before we start building.

  • Narratives — Daniel Stanley, Founder Future Narratives Lab

  • Music & Embodiment — Lindsey DeWitt Prat & Walter Werzowa

  • Conscious Capital & Investment — Sabine Flechet, Founder Masawa Fund

  • Wisdom & Faith — Dr Lyndon Drake, AI & Faith University of Oxford

  • Entrepreneurship — Rushab Shah, Founder OneHive.Ai

  • Participation — Annabel Gillard, Founder Conversations on AI

  • Agency — Jennifer Ybarra

  • Innovation Ecosystems - Dr. Dr. Christian Hugo Hoffmann

    And more to come…

13:30–14:30 · Lunch

14:30–14:50 · Keynote: The Power of Design — AI for Human Flourishing Pattie Maes, MIT Media Lab

14:50–15:20 · Lightning Talks: Flourishing in Action Five short talks on practices of hope.

  • Hope for Policy — Titiksha Vashist, Co-Founder, Pranava Institute

  • Hope in Innovation — Shikoh Gitau, Founder & CEO, Qhala

  • Hope for Metrics — Erika Anderson, Founder & CEO, Humane Bench

  • Hope for Design — Pascal Kolbe, Product Manager, Learning Planet Institute (IkigAI)

  • Hope for Participation — Yuting Jiang, Agora Citizen Network

15:20–15:30 · Rebuilding with Hope: Imagining AI Futures for Flourishing Shyam Krishna, RAND Europe

15:30–15:40 · We Have the Tools. Now We Need Each Other. An invitation into the afternoon's Future Rooms.

15:40–16:00 · Coffee Break

16:00–17:30 · Future Rooms 7 Thematic rooms and working circles, each led by experts and facilitators. We begin framing the work that continues on Day 2.

  • Work & Organisations — Dr Fabian Stephany, Sara Matthews, Alina Kukarina

  • Planetary Futures — Caro Ames, John C. Havens, James Martin

  • Learning & Human Development — Mel Sellick & Sofia Pires

  • Governance & Participation — Benjamin Kultgen, Salla Westerstrand, Ted Lechterman

  • Stakeholder Coordination & Collective Action — Mingzhu He, Tess Buckley, Michael Bäcklund

  • Measurement & Progress — Ron Ivey, Erika Anderson, Tamara Lechner, Shikoh Gitau

  • Narratives & Storytelling — Paqui Lizana, Daniela Bartos & Julia Stamm

17:30–17:45 · Tea & Coffee Break

17:45–18:00 · Virtual Keynote: Partnering Our Way to the Future Riane Eisler

18:00–18:15 · Close & Reflections

18:30 onwards · The Deeply Human Playground

The evening belongs to play. The campus opens up for music, games, conversations, and quieter spaces for those who need them.

  • Water Awareness Walk (18:30–19:15) — with Camila Lombana-Diaz

  • Music, Games & Fiftyquestions (18:30–20:45) — the heart of the Playground

  • Quiet Space (10:30–20:00) — journaling, reading, time outdoors, and music with HealthTunes and headphones by Phonon)

DAY 2 — SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER

All times CEST (Paris).

09:00–09:30 · Wonder Walk by the Seine An optional walking start to the day.

09:30–10:00 · Arrival & Coffee

10:00–10:15 · Welcome to Day 2: Iliana Grosse-Buening and Alina Kukarina (Deeply Human Innovation)

10:15–11:00 · Fireside Chat: “What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be?” Ada Parris, François Taddei, De Kai and Camila Lombana-Diaz

11:00–11:15 · The Systems Waking A conscious ending ceremony, held by David Drake — letting go of what no longer serves, to make room for what we build next.

11:15–11:30 · Tea & Coffee Break

11:30–13:00 · Future Rooms, Continued

13:00–14:00 · Lunch

14:00–15:30 · Finalising Our Ideas Each room shapes its ideas into something concrete — and pins it in the main hall for all to see.

15:30–17:00 · The Deeply Human Commons The main hall becomes a commons: wander between the pinned ideas, meet their makers, and see the whole of what two days have built.

17:00–18:00 · Shared Harvest & “The Vow” Closing

19:30–22:30 · The Dreamers & Idealists Party After two days of listening and shaping, Dreamers & Idealists is a celebration of the relationships, courage, and collective imagination needed to build better futures.