Freedom Dialogues 2026: AI & Ethics

Every August, Samanvaya has held a public event bringing face to face some of the most amazing grassroot workers to the citizens of Chennai through the SAMANVAYA FREEDOM LECTURE. (more about the event here -  https://www.samanvaya.com/initiatives/samanvaya-freedom-lecture ) 
 

We have had social entrepreneurs, educators, industrialists, doctors, technocrats, volunteers, journalists and celebrities come together with organic farmers, monks, young activists, rural women entrepreneurs and many more. 
 

Many of these lectures have shaped the social discourse on some of the most pressing issues of that time and have left a lasting impact on the audience in the city. 

This is the 28th year of Samanvaya (we started on Aug 15th of 1998), and we celebrate it yet again by not focusing on ourself or our work, but, another pressing issue of our times - AI. It is being both pitched as the making of a new algorithmic world and a unraveling of the human world, depending on which side you come from. 
 

We bring voices from diverse perspectives into the dialogues with a common concern for the future of humanity. As Gandhi long back said, "does it give us control over our lives", in the Talisman. We interrogate this technology. It is supposed to determine whether we have a say in our extinction or not. 

We have already conducted a series of videos on this subject - 

Here is an snippet of the interview with Dr. Helena Norberg-Hodge, international elder and conscience keeper on local economy and local futures - https://youtu.be/b8OlR4f8IC0?si=64U16lNXpWCJaXkM 

Here is a snippet from an interview with Fr. Cedric Prakash on the Encyclical of the Pope Leo XIV that is addressing the issue of AI and its Ethical development - https://youtu.be/CIWxjs0Dv1c?si=7THroReGBo0D7PIT 

more interviews and snippets coming up shortly. 

We watch with horror as a handful of oligarchs who don't sound like any of us, profess a world on behalf of all of us. A world in which our water, land, life and labour is being re-prioritized to suit their profits with an urgency in their voice more driven by competitive greed than either concern for humanity or accountability for their tech consequences. 

We discuss on several topics with thought leaders and young stake holders coming together during these dialogues. If you are interested to join the dialogue, please write a mail to contact@samanvaya.com