Author of seven New York Times bestsellers and TED speaker who helps people navigate life's major transitions.
ET
The Antidote to a Lonely Life of Screens
The Antidote to a Lonely Life of Screens
How to connect and find meaning in the age of AI
Every great technological revolution transforms more than the economy. It changes how people live, relate, gather, and find meaning.
The printing press shattered old monopolies on knowledge and reshaped everyday life. The Industrial Revolution uprooted people from farms, dramatically expanded cities, and gave rise to new forms of community and collective identity. Today, artificial intelligence is already triggering another profound transformation—not only in how we work, but in how we connect to one another.
Much of the debate surrounding AI focuses on productivity, jobs, innovation, and power. Far less attention is being paid to a deeper question: What happens to human beings when more of life is mediated by screens, algorithms, and intelligent machines?
As traditional institutions weaken and digital life expands, people around the world are searching for new ways to create belonging, mark life's transitions, and build meaningful connections. The result, argues New York bestselling author and four-time TED speaker, Bruce Feiler, is the emergence of an unexpected and largely unreported phenomenon: a global renaissance of ritual gatherings.
In his widely read New York Times essay, "This Is the Antidote to a Lonely Life of Screens," and his new book, A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World — and How It Can Save Us, Feiler explores how ordinary people are creating new ways to build communities to counter isolation and fragmentation. Drawing on decades of research, interviews across six continents, and proprietary data from hundreds of life stories, he argues that ritual is one of humanity's oldest responses to disruption and one of the most powerful tools we have for navigating what comes next.
This Forecast explores one of the most important and least discussed questions of the AI era: how will humanity respond to transformational technological change. In this conversation, we will discuss:
Why the growth of technology is creating an epidemic of loneliness and isolation
What kinds of human interactions are most effective at countering this widespread dislocation
What social institutions will people build when traditional sources of identity and belonging no longer meet their needs
What you can do in your communities, organizations, and families to promote intentional gatherings
Join the conversation and submit your questions to be chosen to ask live.
Every great technological revolution transforms more than the economy. It changes how people live, relate, gather, and find meaning.
The printing press shattered old monopolies on knowledge and reshaped everyday life. The Industrial Revolution uprooted people from farms, dramatically expanded cities, and gave rise to new forms of community and collective identity. Today, artificial intelligence is already triggering another profound transformation—not only in how we work, but in how we connect to one another.
Much of the debate surrounding AI focuses on productivity, jobs, innovation, and power. Far less attention is being paid to a deeper question: What happens to human beings when more of life is mediated by screens, algorithms, and intelligent machines?
As traditional institutions weaken and digital life expands, people around the world are searching for new ways to create belonging, mark life's transitions, and build meaningful connections. The result, argues New York bestselling author and four-time TED speaker, Bruce Feiler, is the emergence of an unexpected and largely unreported phenomenon: a global renaissance of ritual gatherings.
In his widely read New York Times essay, "This Is the Antidote to a Lonely Life of Screens," and his new book, A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World — and How It Can Save Us, Feiler explores how ordinary people are creating new ways to build communities to counter isolation and fragmentation. Drawing on decades of research, interviews across six continents, and proprietary data from hundreds of life stories, he argues that ritual is one of humanity's oldest responses to disruption and one of the most powerful tools we have for navigating what comes next.
This Forecast explores one of the most important and least discussed questions of the AI era: how will humanity respond to transformational technological change. In this conversation, we will discuss:
Why the growth of technology is creating an epidemic of loneliness and isolation
What kinds of human interactions are most effective at countering this widespread dislocation
What social institutions will people build when traditional sources of identity and belonging no longer meet their needs
What you can do in your communities, organizations, and families to promote intentional gatherings
Join the conversation and submit your questions to be chosen to ask live.