October 14, 15, and 16, 2025
What is the potential of AI to alleviate suffering, advance equity, and support human and planetary flourishing—and what risks does it pose to health, work, education, politics, and climate action? And how might we infuse AI with ethical values so that it benefits the well-being of all life on Earth?
In this dialogue, leading scientists, scholars, contemplative practitioners, business leaders, and policymakers will explore the nature of the human mind as a foundation for considering five key topics and a set of generative questions about AI—drawing on diverse wisdom and knowledge traditions:
- Ethics – What is intelligence? What distinguishes living minds from artificial minds?
- (Dis)entanglement and meaningful relationships – How are human minds intimately entangled with artificial minds? What ethical considerations emerge from the deep entanglement of human and machine? What are the potential benefits?
- Collective narratives and possible futures – Could the stories we tell about AI potentially lead to the replacement of humans? What are the risks regarding the replacement of human rationality and awareness?
- Diversity and ethics – How could a more complex understanding of intelligence impact the AI systems we develop and the regulations we put in place? Is it possible to embed ethical values into AI?
- Education – What are the risks of AI to young people? How is it shaping in the youngest minds in terms of attention, concentration, cognitive biases, emotion regulation?
We invite you to watch this multi-day event, viewable live or as a replay at a time convenient for you.
Session Times and Topics
Tuesday, October 14 | Broadcasting Live from Dharamsala, India
- 12:00 am New York | 6:00 am Paris | 9:30 am Dharamsala
- Morning Welcome
- 12:30 am New York | 6:30 am Paris | 10:00 am Dharamsala
- Minds | His Eminence Khangser Rinpoche, Shaun Gallagher, and Murray Shanahan, with Marc-Henri Deroche as facilitator
- 4:00 am New York | 10:00 am Paris | 1:30 pm Dharamsala
- (Dis)Entanglement & Meaningful Relationships | Peter Hershock, Anat Perry, and Geshe Lodoe Sangpo, with Kate Nave as facilitator
- 6:00 am New York | 12:00 pm Paris | 3:30 pm Dharamsala
- Contemplative Practice | Jack Kornfield
Wednesday, October 15 | Broadcasting Live from Dharamsala, India
- 12:00 am New York | 6:00 am Paris | 9:30 am Dharamsala
- Morning Welcome
- 12:30 am New York | 6:30 am Paris | 10:00 am Dharamsala
- Collective Narratives & Possible Futures | Thupten Jinpa, Luc Steels, and Emily Bender, with Molly Crockett as facilitator
- 4:00 am New York | 10:00 am Paris | 1:30 pm Dharamsala
- Diversity & Ethics | Iason Gabriel, Merve Hickok, Geshe Thabke, and Sasha Luccioni, with Geshe Lodoe Sangpo as facilitator
Thursday, October 16 | Broadcasting Live from Dharamsala, India
- 12:00 am New York | 6:00 am Paris | 9:30 am Dharamsala
- Morning Welcome
- 12:30 am New York | 6:30 am Paris | 10:00 am Dharamsala
- Education | Ani Choyang, Robert Cummings, and Chiara Mascarello, with Marieke van Vugt as facilitator
- 4:00 am New York | 10:00 am Paris | 1:30 pm Dharamsala
- Closing Summary | facilitated by Luc Steels
- 6:00 am New York | 12:00 pm Paris | 3:30 pm Dharamsala
- Contemplative Practice | Ani Choyang, Geshe Sangpo, Geshe Thabkhe
Presenters
Emily M. Bender, PhD University of Washington
Ani Choyang, Jangchub Choeling Nunnery
Molly Crockett, PhD, Princeton University
Robert Cummings, PhD, University of Mississippi
Marc-Henri Deroche, PhD, Kyoto University
Iason Gabriel, PhD, Google DeepMind
Shaun Gallagher, PhD, University of Memphis
Peter Hershock, PhD, East-West Center
Merve Hickok, Center for AI and Digital Policy
Thupten Jinpa, PhD, Mind & Life Institute Board Chair; Compassion Institute Founder; English Translator of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
His Eminence Khangser Rinpoche, Gyuto Monastery, Thangkar Dechen Choling Monastic Institute
Sasha Luccioni, PhD, Hugging Face
Chiara Mascarello, PhD, University of Padua
Kate (Kathryn) Nave, PhD, University of Edinburgh
Anat Perry, PhD, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Geshe Lodoe Sangpo, Gaden Jangtse Monastery
Murray Shanahan, PhD, Imperial College London, Google DeepMind
Luc Steels, PhD, University of Brussels
Geshe Thabkhe, Sera Jay Monastery
Marieke van Vugt, PhD, University of Groningen
For this event, we extend special thanks for the support of The Dalai Lama Trust, the Hershey Family Foundation, and Adam J. Weissman Foundation. In this Year of Compassion, and in celebration of the 90th year of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, we offer deep gratitude for all the benefactors who make our work possible.
Support the legacy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and help advance the dialogue between science and contemplative wisdom with a gift to the Mind & Life Institute.
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