INSEAD AI Forum Americas 2026 - INST
About this Event
AI’s Next Frontier: Agents, Robots, and the Physical AI Economy
Having mastered language, AI is now moving into the physical world—from diagnosing disease and redesigning supply chains to defending nations and reimagining cities. As intelligence moves beyond the screen, mistakes are no longer simply wrong answers; they carry real-world consequences.
The Forum will bring together the builders, leaders, and thinkers preparing for this shift—and ask what role humans should play within it.
As a leading global business school, INSEAD is uniquely positioned to convene conversations about the relationship between human and machine intelligence and AI’s impact on people, businesses, and society.
The newly established Human and Machine Intelligence Institute (HUMII) advances this work through three areas:
Research: Supporting ambitious, thematic research programs focused on human and artificial intelligence.
Learning innovation: Providing resources for experimentation and new approaches to learning in the age of AI.
Impact: Translating knowledge into initiatives that enhance human capability, intelligence, and agency.
The INSEAD AI Forums 2026 series brings these conversations to communities around the world. The Americas edition will take place at the INSEAD San Francisco Hub for Business Innovation on September 18–19, 2026.
Ticket Information
September 18 — An alumni-led community day featuring practical workshops and discussions.
September 19 — AI Forum Americas, produced by INSEAD HUMII, featuring INSEAD faculty, industry leaders, alumni, and distinguished guests.
Save the dates and join us in San Francisco for two days of important conversations about the future of AI.
Please note that the schedule is subject to change.
DAY 1 - FRI, SEPT 18
?: 09:00 AM - 09:45 AM
Registration
?: 09:45 AM - 10:00 AM
Opening Remarks and launch of the INSEAD Future Council
Host: Vic Woo
?: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Forefront of AI- Drug Discovery
Host: Amaka Uzoh
Info: Fireside Chat.
?: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Automation and Augmentation - Designing the Future of Work
Host: Josh Cohen
Info: Organization and AI: Exploring how Apple uses its 4-A Framework to structure and advance AI adoption.
?: 11:45 AM - 01:00 PM
Networking Lunch
?: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Thinking with Machines
Host: Ruchi Soparkar - Moderator
Info: How LLMs are reshaping how people reason, work, and decide.
What it means for humans, for business and for the world when the machine becomes a thinking partner
?: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
INSEAD Future Council (IFC) Presents: The Innovation Pendulum & Shared Wisdom
Host: Heinz Blennemann
Info: How does industry (startups and incumbents) rely on universities for innovation and vice-versa. How does shared wisdom, more so than individual contributions, enable innovation. How does AI accelerate education and learning? As AI impacts careers, is it better to be a generalist or a specialist? "Humanity's greatest strength has never been raw individual intelligence but the ability to share experience and turn it into collective understanding." Quote from Shared Wisdom, Alex Pentland.
?: 03:00 PM - 03:15 PM
Coffee Break
?: 03:15 PM - 04:15 PM
IFC Presents: Bifurcation and Collaboration - Geopolitics and Physical AI
Host: Jing Liao - Moderator
Info: How are the world’s innovation hubs responding differently to AI? This session explores shifting geopolitical dynamics, tighter knowledge security, regional approaches to Physical AI, and how automation is reshaping talent and work.
Schedule is subject to change.
?: 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM
Agentic AI in Healthcare
Host: Sabeen Shaikh - Moderator
Info: From drug discovery to the operating room: how autonomous agents and surgical robots are reshaping medicine - and where AI's practical limits still bind.
?: 05:15 PM - 06:15 PM
Board AI Governance: Power Steering, Not a Brake
Host: Robert Maciejko - Moderator
Info: The company has become AI-first. The boardroom has not. What boards should actually do about it, and how to show they did.
?: 06:15 PM - 08:00 PM
Welcome Reception
Info: An evening of conversation, cocktails, and community.
DAY 2 - SAT, SEPT 19
?: 08:30 AM - 09:15 AM
Registration
?: 09:15 AM - 09:30 AM
Opening Remarks and Introduction to INSEAD Future Council
Host: Vic Woo
?: 09:30 AM - 10:30 AM
INSEAD Future Council Presents: Future of Learning & Research
Host: Heinz Blennemann - Moderator
Info: A special fireside chat with Yossi Matias, Head of Google Research.
?: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Future of Learning: Organization Design & Implementation
Host: Mike Lee - Moderator
Info: Mike Lee, Maz Brumand and Martin Gonzalez present frameworks for building AI-ready learning organizations from the ground up.
?: 11:30 AM - 01:30 PM
Networking Lunch
?: 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
The Model Isn't the System: The Design of AI Workflow
Host: Xinyu Liang
Info: Xinyu Liang - Assistant Professor of Technology & Operations Management, INSEAD
?: 02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Physical AI How Waymo is Bringing Intelligence to the Streets
Host: Vidya Sarma
Info: Physical AI extends beyond humanoid robots to autonomous vehicles, industrial systems, surgical robots, drones, and defense—bringing AI into machines that perceive and act in the physical world.
?: 03:30 PM - 03:45 PM
Coffee Break
?: 03:45 PM - 04:30 PM
Beyond Job Loss: How AI and Automation Reshape Careers, Orgs, and Society
Host: Pinar Yildirum
Info: Empirical and theoretical approaches to job losses through the lens of the nuanced, structural consequences of intelligent technologies on human capital, career progression speed, internal firm decision-making, and even broader political/social responses.
?: 04:30 PM - 05:00 PM
In Conversation with Robot.com
Host: Carlos Oliveros
Info: Carlos Oliveros, Head of Product at Robot.com, shares a look at the future of robotics, physical AI, and what it takes to bring intelligent machines into the real world.
?: 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Vivienne Ming: Decoding the Future of Work
Host: Vivienne Ming
Info: A signature keynote from one of the most original thinkers at the intersection of neuroscience, AI, and human potential, sharing her insights on how AI will reshape industries and redefine human potential, emphasizing inclusivity and innovation.
Schedule is subject to change.
?: 06:30 PM - 09:30 PM
AI Forum Closing Party: Celebrating Humans & Machines
Info: Join us for an evening of networking and celebration as we close out the conference—honoring the synergy between human ingenuity and artificial intelligence, with special live robotics demonstrations. MUST PURCHASE SEPARATE TICKETS
Schedule is subject to change.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 55.20
