Agenda

The Future of Childhood: How AI is shaping the next generation of children

Today’s children are the earliest and most frequent users of AI and digital devices, yet the long-term impact on their development remains unclear. This panel will explore how technology is reshaping childhood and influencing social, psychological, and physical development. Experts will share insights and strategies to safeguard children’s developmental needs in our rapidly evolving digital age.

Human Change House Opening Reception

The Human Change Foundation returns to Davos for our third year at the Human Change House — a space that has become known for asking the big questions about where humanity is headed amid the race for AI dominance and the current impact to children, our future leaders. As technology continues to shape our world, it is imperative that we question the business incentives behind AI models and ensure that we use these systems to promote humanity’s best interests, rather than erode the foundations of society.

The Disconnect Paradox: How hyper-digitalization is contributing to the loneliness epidemic and fracturing families and societies

From Chatbot Suicides to AI Psychosis: Addressing new frontiers in the youth mental health crisis

The rise of AI companions and chatbots is opening new and troubling frontiers in youth mental health. This panel will examine how generative AI can destabilize young people’s well-being by fueling paranoia, eroding trust in reality, and even contributing to severe outcomes like psychosis and suicide. Experts will share research-driven insights and propose solutions to safeguard young people's cognitive autonomy and resilience in an AI-driven world.

The Detox Crusade: How parents, young people, and community advocates are promoting screen-free childhood

Across the globe, grassroots movements like smartphone-free schools, No Social November, and offline clubs are pushing back against screen saturation and advocating for a return to real-world connection. This panel will share insights from successful parent, youth, and school-led campaigns, exploring what it takes to scale these efforts and why they matter. Attendees will gain practical strategies to launch local initiatives that promote healthier, screen-free childhoods.

Smartphone Free Childhood: from Viral Moment to Global Movement - Invite-Only Roundtable

As governments struggle to keep pace with the realities of digital childhood, Smartphone Free Childhood offers a compelling, real-world example of how citizen-led movements can effect change at speed and scale. This session charts the rapid growth of SFC from a spontaneous viral moment to a global movement with active chapters in over 40 countries, mobilising hundreds of thousands of parents. Co-founders Daisy Greenwell and Joe Ryrie will share insights from building the movement in the UK and beyond, and explore how coordinated parent power can meaningfully challenge Big Tech and help rebalance the systems shaping modern childhood. This intimate roundtable session will gather civil society leaders, advocates, and leaders from education, media, and entertainment to share strategies and insights in the shared global effort to safeguard childhood.

Human Change House Reception: "Your Attention Please" Documentary - Exclusive Excerpt Screening

Join Human Change Foundation for an exclusive screening and reception featuring an excerpt from the forthcoming documentary, 'Your Attention Please' Your Attention Please is an independent feature documentary that traces the cultural backlash against addictive tech, and explores how we can regain our focus, creativity, and genuine human connection. It is directed by Sara Robin, and written & edited by Jack LeMay. Your Attention Please is produced by Vagrants Originals, and proudly presented by the Human Change Foundation. The film features interviews with leading experts in the space, including Tristan Harris (The Social Dilemma), Vivek Murthy (Former Surgeon General), Frances Haugen (Facebook Whistleblower), and Cal Newport (Author: Digital Minimalism). It is set to release in early 2026. For more information visit the film's website at yourattentionplz.com

Aligning AI with Humanity: Using technology to enable human flourishing

How do we align Generative AI systems and commercial incentives with the safety, wellbeing, and healthy development of children—and what would it take to create AI that genuinely serves human flourishing? Children are becoming some of the earliest and most frequent users of algorithmic systems as Gen AI is rapidly being deployed and adopted into education, entertainment, online platforms, and family life. Yet AI models and digital ecosystems are often optimised for engagement, scale, and monetisation—not safety, children’s developmental needs, or long-term wellbeing. This panel explores how to shift from reactive harm mitigation to proactive alignment, ensuring AI is built alongside psychologists on principles that protect children, respect their rights, and support healthy psychological and cognitive development.

The Religion of Tomorrow: Emerging technology’s impact on faith, culture, and traditions

As AI accelerates, its influence on faith, culture, art, and traditions raises profound questions about authenticity, creativity, and belief. This panel will explore how emerging technologies could generate more religious content than ever before, reshape cultural narratives, transform the role of art as a uniquely human expression, and even challenge the role of human authorship and teaching. Experts will examine whether society is entering a “religion of technology” and discuss how the fields of religion, art, and culture can respond to this transformative shift.

The Automated Generation: How AI's impact on entry level work is transforming the early career pipeline

Automation and AI are transforming entry-level roles, threatening the early career pipeline for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. This panel will examine how digitalization is eroding training opportunities and the transfer of institutional knowledge, raising urgent questions about human dignity and purpose at work. Experts will explore the societal consequences of excluding a generation from meaningful employment and share strategies to safeguard the future of work.

Human Change House Wednesday Evening Reception

The Human Change Foundation returns to Davos for our third year at the Human Change House — a space that has become known for asking the big questions about where humanity is headed amid the race for AI dominance and the current impact to children, our future leaders. As technology continues to shape our world, it is imperative that we question the business incentives behind AI models and ensure that we use these systems to promote humanity’s best interests, rather than erode the foundations of society.

Tech as a Tool, Not the Teacher: Putting humanity back in the classroom

AI and digital tools are rapidly reshaping classrooms and the school experience, often without clear evidence of real learning gains. This panel will examine how emerging technologies influence educational outcomes, from cognitive offloading to critical thinking skills, and explore the risks and opportunities they present. Experts will share practical guardrails and strategies to help educators harness AI responsibly while preserving essential social and emotional learning.

Protecting What is Human - Invite-Only Business Roundtable

How to deliver AI that helps children flourish, preserves human connection, and uplifts the next generation Curated roundtable session hosted by Human Change Foundation and the Future of Life Institute While AI can bring about incredible benefits, its unchecked advancement comes with tremendous risk to families and children’s wellbeing. Chatbots and AI companions are already triggering mental health crises around the world, rampant automation threatens human interaction and connection, and ubiquitous digitization pulls children deeper into an increasingly unhuman world. There is another path however. Leaders today can step up and ensure AI is developed with the safeguards and oversight necessary to keep children safe, preserve human connection, and empower - rather than enfeeble - future generations. We can leverage incredible and reliable AI tools to cure diseases, revolutionize education, and boost productivity - and at the same time protect what’s human. This roundtable will bring together a small group of leaders from industry, technology and civil society to evaluate the implications of current AI trajectories and share practical steps for protecting families while building more secure and prosperous futures for all.

Monetizing Attachment: Is the race for Artificial Intimacy changing how we relate to one another?

AI is no longer just competing for our attention- it’s racing to win our affection, trust, and loyalty. This panel will examine the business incentives driving the shift from attention to intimacy and the profound implications on human relationships, especially for children who are increasingly turning to devices for support. Experts will share evidence-backed insights and design principles to ensure AI systems could be built to deepen and encourage human relationships rather than replace them.

Incentivizing the AI Future We Want Our Children to Inherit

We all imagine a better future for our children. While carefully designed AI could be an incredible gift to the next generation, the current race to roll out AI is not steering us towards those futures. Instead society is taking on real risks: concentration of power, governance capture, widespread economic disruption, AI-enabled surveillance, psychological destabilization, and more. So how can we intervene to create a better future for our children? In this session, panelists will examine the pressures driving the current trajectory, lay out the major risks of the current path, and explore the different paths to fixing the incentives and charting a course towards a better future.

Human Change House Closing Reception

Join us to reflect on a week of conversations about where humanity is headed amid the race for AI dominance and the current impact to children - our future leaders.