AI Anxiety + Human Flourishing Symposium at UVA’s Contemplative Commons
November 18–19, 2026 | UVA Contemplative Commons
How do we prepare the next generation to thrive in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence?
It’s one of the most important questions facing educators, technologists, parents, and young people today. And it’s at the heart of AI Anxiety + Human Flourishing, a two-day symposium hosted by the University of Virginia’s Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC) on November 18–19.
The gathering brings together leaders in emerging technology, higher education, psychology, and contemplative sciences to examine how AI is changing our relationship with work, learning, creativity, and one another.
We’re especially excited to share this event with the Tom Tom community because it builds directly on conversations that CSC brought to the Tom Tom Festival this past April, and features several speakers who have participated in Tom Tom over the years.
Continuing the Conversation from Tom Tom
At the 2026 Innovation Summit, the Contemplative Sciences Center partnered with Tom Tom to present AI + Human Flourishing: Disruptions and Deeper Purpose, a conversation examining how institutions, entrepreneurs, and governments can shape emerging technologies to advance human potential, rather than simply accelerate efficiency.
That discussion featured UVA scholars David Danks, Professor of Philosophy, AI, and Data Science; Bethany Teachman, Co-Director of UVA’s Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment initiative; and Michael Sheehy, CSC’s Director of Research. All three are participating in the November symposium.
The questions raised remain urgent. As artificial intelligence advances, how can we preserve human agency and creativity? How can emerging technologies support meaningful relationships and personal wellbeing? And what responsibilities do universities, businesses, and civic institutions have in shaping this future?
The November symposium takes these questions further, with a particular focus on the anxiety and uncertainty that young adults are experiencing as they prepare for an AI-driven world.
Familiar Faces and New Perspectives
The symposium also welcomes back Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and founder of venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, who spoke at Tom Tom in 2015.
Other featured participants include:
Paul Tudor Jones, investor and philanthropist, who will moderate a conversation on human agency.
Anton Korinek, UVA economist whose work explores the implications of artificial intelligence.
Renée Cummings, an AI ethicist and researcher at UVA’s School of Data Science.
Scott Beardsley, President of the University of Virginia.
Kelly Crace, Executive Director of UVA’s Contemplative Sciences Center.
Michael Sheehy, Bethany Teachman, and David Danks, returning contributors from Tom Tom’s 2026 AI + Human Flourishing programming.
Together, they will explore not only the risks and disruptions associated with AI, but also the possibilities for a future in which technological progress and human flourishing advance together.
Importantly, the symposium is also designed to produce tangible outcomes. It launches CSC’s AI + Human Flourishing Initiative and will help inform the development of an undergraduate course at UVA focused on AI anxiety.
