Day 1
Judea Pearl
Professor
UCLA
Pepperdine University presents
Human Centered
AI Conference
September 25–26, 2026Elkins Auditorium · Malibu
Register NowExploring AI through
RoboticsNeuroscienceEthicsFaithPolicy
Human wisdom for an intelligent future
A leading convening on Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, held alongside the inaugural Global Summit on Faith in AI.
This event features keynote addresses, expert panels, and structured lectures examining AI through the lenses of robotics, neuroscience, ethics, and the world's religious traditions—with dedicated time for strategic discussion among participants.
AI labs, researchers, policymakers, and global religious figures will gather to advance thoughtful progress in AI research, education, policy, and practice, and to ask what enduring moral and theological wisdom contributes to the most consequential technological transition of our time.
Meet Our 2026 Lineup
Meet the researchers and leaders joining us across two days of conversation.
Day 1
Jonathan Kao
Professor
UCLA
Day 1
Katie Bouman
Professor
Caltech
Day 2
Jie Li
Professor
MIT
Day 1
Nathan Barczi
Rev. Dr.
MIT
Day 2
Paul Thompson
Professor
USC
Day 2
David Liebeskind
Professor
USC
Day 2
Leo Kristov-Moore
PhD
IACS
Day 2
Joshua Bloom
Professor · CEO of Valency
Berkeley
Day 2
Nick Vincent
Professor
Simon Fraser
Day 2
Leo Petrossian
PhD · CEO
Kandu
Day 1
Johnnie Moore
Rev. Dr. · Panel Moderator
Pepperdine
Day 1
Henry de Zoete
Speaker
AI Security Institute – UK
Day 1
Alan Beard
Spotlight Speaker
Day 1
Jeff Walling
Spotlight Speaker
Day 1
Daniel Wilson
Dr. · Spotlight Speaker
Day 1
Nancy Fulda
Professor · Spotlight Speaker
Conference Schedule
Day 1 · Faith in AI · Friday, September 25
8:00 AM9:30 AM
Check-in / Breakfast / Interviews / Photos
9:30 AM9:45 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:45 AM10:25 AM
Coexistence and Other Fighting Words
Featured TalkProf. Judea Pearl (UCLA)
10:30 AM11:30 AM
Wisdom, Tradition, and AI
PanelModerator: Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore (Pepperdine)
- Stage-setting remarks: His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, representing His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
- Panel: Rabbi Erez Sherman (Sinai Temple); His Excellency Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam (General Advisor, Zayed Award for Human Fraternity); Reverend Gregory-Telemachos Stamkopoulos (representing His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America); Father George Kaldas (representing the Coptic Orthodox Church).
- Keynote response: Archbishop and Professor Dr. Thomas Paul Schirrmacher (International Society for Human Rights).
11:30 AM12:00 PM
AI for brain-computer interfaces and neuroscience
Featured TalkProf. Jonathan Kao (UCLA)
12:00 PM1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM1:30 PM
Images of the Hidden Universe
Featured TalkProf. Katie Bouman (Caltech)
1:30 PM1:45 PM
The state of AI security by the British AI Security Institute
Featured TalkHenry de Zoete (AI Security Institute – UK)
1:45 PM2:30 PM
Spotlights
SpotlightsAlan Beard · Jeff Walling · Dr. Daniel Wilson · Prof. Nancy Fulda
- Alan Beard: More Human Than Ever
- Nancy Fulda: The Mountain Before Us: Instilling Moral Compass in AI
- Daniel Wilson: Gloo and AI Alignment
2:30 PM3:00 PM
AI & Faith: A Fireside Chat
Featured TalkRev. Dr. Nathan Barczi (MIT)
3:00 PM4:30 PM
Social Mixer @ The Light House
CommunityCake Art (Jie Li) | Hackathon Demo
Explore Our Breakout Sessions
Day 2 panels · Saturday, September 26 · 2:45 PM
Alumni Panel
Saturday, September 26 · 2:45 PM
Speakers
- Sean Wu
- Ulysse Saltiel
- Katelin Gono
- Sherry Guo
Cybersecurity &
Campus Safety
Hackathon
Build safer campuses through technology, data, and AI.
Join students, innovators, and researchers to build practical, ethical solutions that strengthen digital security and help keep the Pepperdine community safe.
Sign up for the hackathonChoose your challenge.
Cyber Threat Awareness
and Response
Help students, faculty, and staff identify and respond to digital threats. Build phishing detection, suspicious-message reporting, account security tools, or AI-assisted incident triage.
Campus Safety
Intelligence
Use data, AI, or web and mobile tools to improve campus safety. Explore emergency communications, anonymous reporting, risk visualization, or decision support—with privacy and responsible data use at the core.
From build to demo.
- Final submissions due
- In-person demo · Friday
- Winners & awards · Saturday
Elkins Auditorium
What to submit.
- An interactive website or application showcasing your solution.
- A 5-minute video covering the problem, approach, technical implementation, and expected impact.
Judging considers technical execution, creativity, real-world relevance, usability, and potential impact.
Sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.
September 25–26 · Malibu, California