The first International Telecommunications Society (ITS) webinar of 2026 is entitled, “How AI Changes Us”. The one-hour webinar will take place February 19 at 9:30am (Eastern).
What happens to the human mind when we begin sharing the world with new kinds of intelligence?
I have been supporting the ITS webinars for a number of years now. These free one-hour sessions present global experts to an audience around the globe for interesting insights and discussion of topical issues. The last session, held in mid-November, looked at “The Productivity Paradox and the Promise of Co-Intelligence”. February’s session will include a conversation discussing “Psychology, Morality, and Meaning in an Age of Intelligent Machines”, bringing psychology to the centre of the AI debate.
The presenters for the February event are two leading psychologists working at the intersection of human behaviour, trust, and artificial intelligence:
- Paul Bloom: Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and author of numerous books, among them The Sweet Spot and Against Empathy. Professor Bloom is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost thinkers on moral psychology, meaning, and human motivation.
- Azim Shariff: Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and Director of the Centre for Applied Moral Psychology. Professor Shariff is a global expert on morality, religion, and the ethics of emerging technologies, including AI.
Why do we trust some machines and fear others? Does AI change what we value and how we find meaning? How will children develop when they grow up with AI tutors and companions? What can moral psychology teach us about human-centric AI and alignment?
The webinar is scheduled for one hour, with 30 minutes dedicated to presentations and 30 minutes to question and answer.
This folks at ITS are saying “How AI Changes Us” is for anyone thinking seriously about AI, ethics, mental health, education, or the future of human flourishing in an age of intelligent machines.
Long time readers will recall that I come from a family of mental health professionals, so the theme of this upcoming webinar resonates with me. I hope to see you online on February 19.
And, please remember that Bell Let’s Talk day is coming up next week, January 21.