The AI Era & What It Means To Be Human (w/ The AI Collective)
Hosted by The AI Collective + Catherine McMillan + Jackie + Manas Ram + Tejas Ravindra
Register with organizer
What to look forward to
The AI Collective will host a participatory evening exploring how AI affects human agency, learning, connection, and wellbeing through discussion, mindfulness exercises, and small-group roundtables. Author Mohan Nair, whose book examines staying grounded in an AI-obsessed era, will lead a fireside chat alongside conversations with Catherine and Manas.
Inside the event
The AI Era & What It Means to Be Human AI is changing how we work, learn, create, and make decisions. But underneath the conversation about models, agents, and automation is a more fundamental question: what does it mean to be human in an age of increasingly capable machines? On October 23rd, The AI Collective is bringing together 100 people in NYC for an evening exploring the human side of the AI era. We’ll move beyond the usual conversation about what AI can do and look instead at what its rise asks of us: how we learn, how we maintain agency, how we relate to one another, and which distinctly human capacities become more important as technology advances. The evening will combine conversation, small-group discussion, and experiential mindfulness/wellness exercises. This is not a technical AI event. We're creating a conversation about the human layer: the trust, awareness, connection, and shared understanding we’ll need to build alongside the technology. Come curious. Expect to participate. Agenda 6:00 PM: Arrival & Welcome 6:30 PM: Opening Remarks + Experiential Mindfulness Exercise 6:45 PM: Fireside Chat: AI & the Human Condition with Mohan Nair, author of "Unreachable: How to Not Lose Your Mind in an AI-Obsessed Era." 7:15 PM: Conversation with Catherine & Manas followed by Breath-work & Meditation. 7:45 PM: Small-Group Roundtables 8:15 PM: Dessert & Networking
Food and beverages provided. Space is limited to 75 participants. Co-hosted by The AI Collective and Manas Ram with support from JQ Consulting LLC, whose work focuses on the science of human wellbeing, resilience, happiness, mindfulness, and the human condition. Please be advised: Unfortunately, space is very limited at these community events and we can not always accept everyone we would like to. If you are not accepted to this event, please keep applying! We appreciate your application tremendously and we are looking forward to seeing you at a future event very soon!
The AI Collective is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. We unite 200,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress. All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.
New York, NY
Venue listed by the organizer · New York, NY. Confirm the final address before traveling.
Open in Google Maps ↗Discovered through Cerebral Valley. Details come from the event listing and the organizer page; registration is managed by the organizer.
Last checked: Oct 14, 2026. Confirm current availability before making plans.
Organizer page checked: Oct 14, 2026. Check registration for the latest details.