Post-Anthropocentric Snuggles: Intimate Relationships in the AI Era

Join Esalen's Sam Stern for an evening of provocative inquiry into the emotional and philosophical dimensions of our relationships with artificial intelligence. As digital companions become increasingly sophisticated, what does it mean to form real bonds with non-human entities? Can AI offer us love, therapy, healing, or are we just projecting onto clever code?

The talk will open with a lightning-fast overview of the legacy of humanistic psychology's relational therapies, like Gestalt and Encounter Groups—practices popularized at Esalen Institute and designed to midwife authenticity through connection. From there, we’ll move into the strange terrain of contemporary techno-intimacies: from AI lovers and therapeutic chatbots, to robot caregivers and digital twins. Expect critical reflections and open dialogue with the audience. The goal is not to provide easy answers, but to stretch our collective thinking about what it means to relate, to be seen, and to be real in an increasingly synthetic world.

This event will be in-person and streamed online.

Sam Stern is a writer, artist, and senior content creator at the Esalen Institute. As the longtime host and producer of the Voices of Esalen podcast, he’s conducted a score of in-depth interviews with the thinkers, seekers, and visionaries who’ve shaped the human potential movement. Sam lectures regularly at the Esalen Institute on topics including the altered states, creativity, and AI . He is a cum laude graduate of Brown University and received an MFA in Critical Studies and Integrated Media from CalArts.

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