2026 Program
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Day One – Tuesday 5 May, 2026
Day One: May 5, 2026
Optional pre-forum film screening for delegates
An invitation to watch 'The AI Doc', a 2026 Sundance-selected documentary born from one filmmaker's anxiety about becoming a father in the age of AI at Cinema Nova. Registrations essential.
Day One: May 5, 2026
Lanyard collection & Cloakroom service
Day One: May 5, 2026
Welcome to Country followed by opening words from Small Giants Academy co-founders Berry Liberman and Danny Almagor.
Day One: May 5, 2026
Audrey Tang (virtual) in conversation with Toby Walsh
Audrey Tang turned Taiwan into the world's most compelling experiment in digital democracy. What happens when a government actually trusts its citizens and builds technology to prove it?'
Day One: May 5, 2026
A special dinner to welcome everyone to the Wisdom & Action Forum - a chance to share a meal and get to know the Forum community
A celebration of trust, food & community
Day Two – Wednesday, 6 May
Lanyard Collection & Cloakroom service. Settle into the day with tea, coffee and morning snacks available in the Industrial school
Opening & Intention Setting
The Forum is a space to explore the defining questions of our time - holding both wisdom and action. What principles might guide us? What practices and collaborations can we build together?
Keynote by A.C Grayling
As humanity accelerates into a technological age, A.C. Grayling draws on philosophy's long tradition of sense-making to ask: what wisdom must guide the future we are in the process of creating?
Panel discussion with Indy Johar, Krista Tippett, A.C Grayling and Danny Almagor
The foundations of trust are shifting. As AI reshapes everything from information to institutions, how do we decide what to believe, who to rely on, and where to place our faith?
A 30 minute break to grab a cup of tea and move into conversation circles.
Follow what resonates and gather in smaller groups to engage, listen and reflect in one of the sessions below.
with Cameron Adams, Amie Kaufman, Edward Tsoi and Tamsin Jones
In a world of AI-generated music, art and media, can we still trust what we see, hear and share? Can we trust communication itself?
with Indy Johar, Samy Mansour and Eleanor Gammell
AI is rewriting the rules of the economy, attracting all of the capital and attention. Who and what gets left behind? Can we trust the market and its makers to keep humanity at the centre?
with A.C Grayling, Jess Scully and Kaj Lofgren
From Cambridge Analytica to TikTok politics, who's really shaping what we believe? What does trust look like when political discourse is engineered by personal data and driven by division?
with Andrew Pask, Catherine Wilkinson and Dave Ritter
From bio-engineering to planetary systems, AI is reshaping how we interact with the natural world. Can these technologies support regeneration and align with the principle that sustain living systems?
with Catriona Wallace, Matt Kuperholz, Sue Keay
Can we trust technology to drive our cars, design our cities, and make decisions for us? Algorithms now perform tasks once reserved for humans: from AI nurses to systems designed for resilience.
Nourishment by our friends at Slow Food Catering
Panel discussion with Cameron Adams, Ben Shewry and Berry Liberman
As AI reshapes how we design, write, and imagine, we explore the expanding possibilities of creativity. When intelligence is abundant, but discernment and responsibility must remain human.
A 30 minute break to grab a cup of tea and move into conversation circles
Follow what resonates and gather in smaller groups to engage, listen and reflect in one of the sessions below.
With Bryony Cole, Joel Pearson and Alexander Beiner
We are turning to AI for care, counsel and even love. When these systems listen and respond better than people, what does that mean for our relationships and humanity itself?
with Neil Durrant, Mietta Symmons-Jones and Matt Kuperholz
In a classroom where AI knows more than the teacher, how do we cultivate curiosity, empathy & discernment - and how do we nurture critical thinking & emotional intelligence?
With Nathaniel Diong, Cynthia Elachi, Toby Walsh and Mele-Ane Havea
As AI reshapes work, can Universal Basic Income protect dignity and redefine purpose in a world beyond labour? What happens to leisure, taxation, and social cohesion when the link breaks?
with Jarrel Seah, Tonya Higgins and Tamsin Jones
As AI enters the systems that care for us, from hospitals to mental health services, what happens to human care? Where can technology replace, and where must the human remain central?
Sue Keay, Cheryl Batagol, Indy Johar and Brett Kagan
AI is driving new demand for energy and water, particularly through data centres. How do we manage these impacts and where might these technologies help improve efficiency and power new solutions.
A wrap up of the day's events and conversations.
Courtyard gathering with dinner & drinks
Carry the day’s conversations into the evening with fellow delegates, speakers and partners, over delicious bites from our curated food trucks in the courtyard.
Day Three – Thursday 7 May
Lanyard Collection & Cloakroom service. Settle into the day with tea, coffee and morning snacks available in the Industrial school
with Catherine Wilkinson
Small Giants Academy CEO Catherine Wilkinson opens the final day with a brief reflection on what has emerged and orient towards the conversations ahead.
Aza Raskin (virtual) in conversation with Krista Tippett
As AI accelerates, what does it mean to build in service of life? What becomes possible when we expand our understanding of intelligence beyond the human? Insights and provocations with Aza Raskin.
Panel conversation with Julie Inman Grant, Edward Tsoi, Svetha Venkatesh & Eleanor Gammell
As AI spreads through society, privacy and security are no longer abstract - they shape trust, power, and freedom. How do we protect individuals, institutions, and nations from misuse and harm?
A 30 minute break to grab a cup of coffee/tea and move into conversation circles
Follow what resonates and gather in smaller groups to engage, listen and reflect in one of the sessions below.
with Julie Inman Grant, Lucy Thomas, Edward Tsoi and Mariam Azzo
As AI accelerates beyond our institutions, can law, ethics and democracy keep pace? How do we protect the Public, how do we protect the vulnerable?
with Svetha Venkatesh, Lizzie O'Shea and Dave Lemphers
Smart cities promise safety and connection, but at what cost to privacy? Who really governs our digital infrastructure?
with Orla Glynn, Didier Elzinga, Joel Pearson and Andrew Davies
AI promises speed, scale and productivity. But it also raises serious questions about power, displacement and oversight. This is a conversation for anyone navigating leadership and business.
with Air Vice Marshall Ben Sleeman, Toby Walsh and Danny Almagor
AI is reshaping power on a global scale, from intelligence gathering to autonomous drones. Can we trust technology to protect us, or will AI in defence and surveillance undermine global peace?
with A.C Grayling, Catriona Wallace and Matt Kuperholz
As AI systems grow more autonomous, can they ever be conscious - or deserving of rights? Exploring new frontiers in digital agency and personhood.
Nourishment by our friends at Slow Food Catering
with Krista Tippett, Didier Elzinga, Lydia Fairhall
As intelligence is automated and agency outsourced, how do we preserve what makes us human - and can we reclaim trust, meaning, and mystery before technology displaces our spirit?
A 15 minute break to grab a cup of coffee/tea and move into action sessions.
Follow what resonates and gather in smaller groups to engage in one of the practical action sessions below.
with Cortical Labs
From living neurons to functioning computers, discover the future of intelligence and ask: how do we navigate a world where life and technology intertwine? and how can we harness this new frontier?
with the Good Ancestors
Step into a near-future where artificial general intelligence is imminent, and navigate high-stakes decisions as world leaders, AI executives, and civil society with consequences unfold in real time.
with Regen Melbourne
50 years from now, what does a city look, feel & function like? Working in small groups with AI as your design partner, you'll prototype a future city across art, culture, transport, food & finance.
Immersion in what AI Can't Replace
Two embodied activities to recalibrate and reconnect with nature's intelligence Option with equine-guided meditation with Wattle Bank Farm, or an awe walk along the Yarra with Humankind Studios.
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with School of Cybernetics
Understand the core concepts that underpin today’s LLMs; peek under the hood of the most popular generative AI tools and discuss the implications working with these large language models.
15 minutes to move back to Magdalen Laundry
with Angus Hervey
The loudest AI stories come from Silicon Valley but what breakthroughs are quietly transforming health, education, and livelihoods worldwide, and which narratives will we choose to tell?
with Danny Almagor, Berry Liberman and Catherine Wilkinson
Small Giants co-founders Danny and Berry and CEO Catherine Wilkinson share what surfaced for them across two days, then open the floor. A moment to hear what landed, what shifted, and what questions
Forum After Party
The Wisdom & Action 2026 Forum has come to a close. Join us for an optional drink at Cam's as we reflect on the conversations and connections that have shaped these last few days.
Optional Events
Friday, May 8, 2026
Monday, May 11, 2026
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