Human Flourishing Must Be the Compass Guiding AI, Panel to Argue

The webinar, "AI and Human Flourishing" will ask how technology can be designed to expand human agency, empathy, and dignity rather than replace them.

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, August 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) and the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation will convene a panel of leading voices on artificial intelligence, ethics, and human wellbeing on Thursday, August 6, for a live webinar on whether AI can strengthen, rather than erode, what makes us human. Titled “AI and Human Flourishing,” the session asks how technology can be designed to expand human agency, empathy, and dignity rather than replace them.

Mark Graves, one of the webinar’s speakers, put the point plainly:

“Human flourishing is an activity each person performs, not an outcome that technology delivers, so conversational AI should be judged by whether it expands a person’s agency to carry out the activities that constitute a flourishing life,” Graves said.

Fellow speaker Ali Khan struck a more optimistic note:

“AI will change much, but it need not diminish us,” Khan said. “Our task is to understand and strengthen what protects and elevates humanity: care, empathy, courage and hope.”

For speaker Iliana Grosse-Buening, the responsibility is a shared one:

“If we want AI to serve humanity,” Grosse-Buening said, “flourishing, for people and planet, can no longer be an afterthought; it must become the compass guiding how we design, deploy, measure and govern AI.”

The free webinar takes place Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12 p.m. EDT and will be moderated by Audrey E. Kitagawa, J.D., Chair of the IF20 Anti-Racism Initiative and President of the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation. The session is the sixth of eight webinars in IF20’s AI Webinar Series, which continues with “AI and Education” on August 13 and “AI and the Future” on August 20.

Register free at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oSp0FMD8Rfm5GfznAWutrg#/registration.

Speakers will include:

● Audrey E. Kitagawa, J.D. (Moderator) — President and Founder of the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation and Chair of the G20 Interfaith Forum Anti-Racism Initiative, where she also chairs the Gender Equality Working Group and serves as Vice Chair of the IF20 Communications Committee. A retired attorney and former Advisor to the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, she is a UN Representative for the United Religions Initiative and President of the Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family. Her work centers on interfaith cooperation, human dignity, and the intersection of faith and global policy.

● Mark Graves — Research Director at AI and Faith and Research Associate Professor of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, psychology, and moral theology. A computer scientist and theologian, he uses natural-language processing to study human morality and how that understanding can shape more humane AI. He is the author of Mind, Brain, and the Elusive Soul and Insight to Heal.

● Iliana Grosse-Buening — Co-Founder and CEO of Deeply Human Innovation and Chair of the IEEE Global AI Systems Flourishing Initiative. She is an Adjunct Professor for Digital Wellbeing at IE University and an affiliate of the IE UNESCO Chair for AI Ethics and Governance. An entrepreneur, author, and advisor, she works with organizations worldwide on digital wellbeing, AI ethics, and responsible innovation that keeps human and planetary flourishing at the center.

● Ali Khan — Founder and CEO of SHAPE Global, a Visiting Professor at the University of Huddersfield, and an advisor to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His work makes the human drivers of flourishing — trust, relationships, purpose, and contribution — visible and measurable, and increasingly examines how AI shapes those same conditions at work and in society. He is a frequent speaker and writer on the science of human flourishing.

● Angela Nielsen Redding — Executive Director of the Radiant Foundation and the Faith & Media Initiative, which work for more accurate, nuanced representation of all faiths across news, entertainment, and AI. A global innovator and thought leader with a background in media innovation and management consulting, she focuses on how religion and spirituality are portrayed as these technologies increasingly shape public understanding.

About the G20 Process

The Group of Twenty, or G20, is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, bringing together the leaders of Earth’s most prosperous economies. Collectively, G20 members represent around 80 percent of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of the global population and three-quarters of international trade. Throughout the year, representatives from G20 countries gather to discuss financial and socioeconomic issues as well as broader humanitarian issues targeted by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

About the G20 Interfaith Forum

The G20 Interfaith Forum seeks global solutions by collaborating with religious thought leaders and political representatives to help shape the overall G20 agenda. It draws on the vital roles that religious institutions and beliefs play in world affairs, reflecting a rich diversity of institutions, ideas, and values. Through its extensive network of networks, it helps prioritize key global policy goals and point toward practical means of implementation at every level of society.

About the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation

The International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation (IAMC) is a platform for international scholars, religious and faith leaders, activists, and humanitarians working to advance a purposeful and hopeful vision for humanity, grounded in the highest ethical and culturally informed perspectives. The Academy envisions a world where peace and well-being replace conflict and discord, and it brings together a global coalition to promote diverse viewpoints, education, and cross-cultural understanding along a path toward justice, security, and shared well-being. Learn more at www.multiculturalcooperation.net.

For more information, please visit www.g20interfaith.org.

Marianna Richardson
G20 Interfaith Forum
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