On October 14, 2026, MIT professor and bestselling author Sherry Turkle will join mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn for a live conversation at All Souls Church in New York City. The event celebrates Turkle's new book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines, published September 29 by Little, Brown and Company. The discussion, produced by Steve Stein and WisdomFeed Publishing, marks the third time Turkle and Kabat-Zinn have come together, following two online episodes of the StreetSmart Wisdom Podcast.
Turkle's book arrives at a critical moment. As artificial intelligence moves beyond information and productivity into companionship, empathy, advice, loneliness, and relationships, it raises urgent questions about what it means to be human. In a prior conversation, Turkle called this a "break the glass moment," asking, "How are we going to govern? How are we going to think about the challenge we face?" Kabat-Zinn framed the stakes through the collision of the digital and analog worlds, warning that we must "realize the full dimensionality and potential of the analog world before... we lose it to... fake empathy from machines."
The significance of this live event lies in its timing and its focus. Artificial Intimacy examines what happens when people turn to machines not just for tasks but for emotional connection once reserved for human relationships. Turkle has asked, "Is pretend empathy enough?" and challenged us to consider how we connect given our "extraordinary gift for real empathy." These questions are no longer theoretical; conversational AI is already entering everyday life, shaping how people seek comfort, counsel, and companionship.
By bringing together Turkle's decades of research on technology and identity with Kabat-Zinn's decades of work on mindfulness and presence, the conversation promises to cut through hype and offer a grounded look at the human costs and possibilities of artificial intimacy. The event also marks a shift from online dialogue to an in-person gathering at 80th Street and Lexington Avenue, literally bringing the conversation to street level. It will be held before a live audience and via livestream, with Turkle signing copies of her book afterward. Information and registration are available at https://wisdomfeed.thrivecart.com/artificial-intimacy/.
Why does this matter? Because the questions Turkle and Kabat-Zinn raise are not confined to academic debate. They touch on how we govern emerging technologies, how we preserve genuine empathy, and how we decide what kind of society we want. As AI becomes more integrated into emotional lives, the choices we make now will shape future generations. This event is a rare chance to hear two leading thinkers in person, exploring the crossroads of technology and mindfulness. It underscores that the most important conversation about AI may not be about what machines can do, but about who we become when we talk to them.
