Leading Cross-Sector Collaboration for Human Flourishing

The key question that animates my work in cross-sector collaboration and interdisciplinary research is: How might we design our technologies, businesses, and economies to serve human flourishing?

My current mission is to ensure that new technologies like advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems are designed and used in ways that truly enhance human well-being and our shared social life that facilitates our thriving. While many experts focus on different aspects of AI systems or human well-being, my contribution is bringing diverse experts and practitioners together to collaborate, align on transcending human values, and create strategies that ensure AI systems serve human ends. 

The Challenge

Before we dive headlong into AI-driven solutions, we need to organize the humans behind the technologies. AI systems can’t align the people who build and govern them—this requires intentional coordination, a shared understanding of human flourishing, and most importantly, authentic, trusting relationships.

The Work: Cross-Sector Collaboration

With two decades of experience, I’ve facilitated collaboration across public, corporate, philanthropic, and academic sectors. I’ve learned from both failures and successes what makes cross-sector and interdisciplinary collaboration positive and impactful. One has to understand the different languages, measures of success, and cultural values that animate each group. I have also learned that our shared humanness can connect us across classic divides. 

My work is centered on finding common ground and then using that alignment to create multi-sector solutions that drive social impact. Whether through strategic partnerships, policy influence, or fundraising for high-impact initiatives, I specialize in aligning diverse stakeholders to prioritize human flourishing alongside dominant frameworks like profit and national security.

As a facilitator, I lead complex discussions, strategic planning efforts, and develop conceptual frameworks that ensure our technologies, businesses and economies support human flourishing.

HumanConnections.AI: Shaping the Future of AI for Social Connection and Human Flourishing

The mission of HumanConnections.AI is to ensure that artificial intelligence actively fosters human flourishing and strengthens social bonds—rather than disrupting them. Through the HumanConnections.AI Salon, co-hosted by the Harvard Human Flourishing Program and Preston-Werner Ventures, and supported by Omidyar Network and Einhorn Collaborative, we brought together leaders from tech, academia, policy, and philanthropy to chart a path for AI that nurtures mental well-being and healthy relationships.

This collective effort now focuses on practical solutions, including new funding streams for AI start-ups, tools to measure AI’s impact on relational well-being, risk mitigation tools for investors, standards to protect young people, and public dialogues to guide future policy and product design.

“This event on AI + Human Connections was great as expected. Conversations since then have been the real surprise. I’ve found so many technologists who want to talk about these issues, responsible AI, etc. It is a markedly different tone than the early days of social for instance, when the harms weren’t on people’s minds. This frame around “human flourishing” has been particularly interesting since it’s a positive goal, vs. simply avoiding problems (typical Trust & Safety or algorithmic bias frames). It gives something inspiring to work toward.”
— Ian Cairns, CEO of FreePlay.Ai and former leader at Twitter
“It was such an honor to join an incredible panel at HumanConnections.AI Salon, hosted by The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and Preston-Werner Ventures, discussing one of today’s most pressing questions - “How can we build tech that fosters true social connectedness?” We dove into hard-hitting topics, like rethinking business models for user well-being and the urgency of not experimenting on vulnerable populations, especially kids. TL;DR AI should amplify our humanity, not replace it. As we forge new paths, mindful, human-centered design is essential!”
— Jigyasa Grover, 10x AI + Open Source Award Winner | Google Advisory Board Member + Google AI Expert
“When a space is anchored by norms of mutual respect, curiosity, and candor, good things become possible. I especially loved learning from founders and investors. Turns out we all care fiercely about the wellbeing of babies, children, and teens.”
— David Hsu, Senior Director at Omidyar Network
Learn more about HumanConnections.AI

Speaking Engagements and Press

Highlights

“Have you ever said “thank you” to Alexa? Or “goodbye” to a customer service chatbot? Integrating AI into our daily routines has sparked discussion over whether it has led to increased feelings of loneliness. After all, as technology develops and more jobs become automated, we have less contact with humans than ever before. One way developers are trying to combat this? Deploying applications of AI that can imitate the voices of loved ones. So is AI making us more or less lonely? In this discussion, hear from experts who will talk about the effects AI can have on our everyday lives.”

This Financial Times story highlights the ongoing debate on the role of artificial intelligence in addressing complex social issues like loneliness, underscoring the importance of thoughtful engagement and the cautious integration of technology in fostering genuine human connections.

  • Synthetic Intimacy, Sifted/Financial Times Newsletter, May 14, 2024

    In my article for Sifted, I explore the growing trend of AI-powered companions designed to provide emotional or intimate connections between chatbots and users. By replicating a human’s personality and looks and speaking directly to the users needs and interests, these chatbots offer a sense of personalized interaction at scale. While they open up new revenue streams for businesses and investors, they raise risks of increasing social isolation, the decline of our in-person social capabilities and potential negative health impacts. I raise questions about the business models and incentives behind these new companies and how we might evaluate their impact on human flourishing.

“I appreciate Renate’s, as well as Ron Ivey’s, leadership speaking about the dangers of the AI fake girlfriend/boyfriend industry and the risk of this leading to greater loneliness.”
— Andrew Ng, Founder of DeepLearning.AI; Managing General Partner of AI Fund; Exec. Chairman of Landing AI

Research

Invited Talks / Speaking Engagements

  1. Pontifical Academy of Sciences: Humanizing Digital Networks. Vatican. June 2023.
    https://dornsife.usc.edu/iacs/2023/06/15/humanizing-networks-human-fraternity-in-the-digital-age/

  2. Human Flourishing Forum, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Vatican. Keynote: Human Flourishing: A Guiding Principle for AI Systems Design. May 2024.
    https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5185045

  3. South by Southwest Europe (SXSW Europe). Speaker on AI and human flourishing. March 2023.

  4. Global Solutions Initiative Summit: Panel on AI and the Future of Work. T20 Advisory Body to the G20. May 6, 2025.

  5. MIT Media Lab Seminar Series: Designing AI to Help Kids Flourish. September 4, 2025.
    https://www.media.mit.edu/events/aha-speaker-series-ron-ivey/

  6. SHINE Conference at Harvard University. Keynote: Humanizing Tech Adoption. September 25, 2025.
    https://shine.hds.harvard.edu/

  7. House of Lords AI, Faith and Civics Roundtable: AI, Human Values, and UK Opportunities. Cross-sector dialogue on AI, youth flourishing, faith, civics, and interfaith collaboration related to artificial intelligence. October 15, 2025.
    https://www.noesiscollaborative.org/2025-sf-salon-url-copy/house-of-lords-ai-faith-and-civics-roundtable-ai-human-values-and-uk-opportunities

  8. Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture: Technology and the Human Person in the Age of AI. Baylor University. Invited speaker and participant on AI, faith, ethics, and culture. February 26–28, 2026.

  9. The Civic AI Summit at Rhodes House, Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford. March 25, 2026.
    https://www.oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk/about-the-institute

  10. AI and the Ethics of Care. Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford. Invited participant and contributor on AI ethics, Civic AI, and ethics of care approaches to artificial intelligence. March 25, 2026.

  11. South by Southwest (SXSW) Lighthouse Event. Speaker on AI, human flourishing, and the future of technology. 2024/2025.

  12. House of Beautiful Business. Panel participant on AI and Human Connection. 2023.
    https://houseofbeautifulbusiness.com/contributors

  13. Notre Dame Summit on AI, Faith, and Human Flourishing. Speaker on AI, faith, and human flourishing.
    https://ethics.nd.edu/programs/faith-based-frameworks-for-ai-ethics/the-notre-dame-summit-on-ai-faith-and-human-flourishing-keynote-livestream/

  14. Templeton Global Flourishing Forum. Speaker on AI, human flourishing, philanthropy, and social connection.
    https://www.humanflourishing.org/

Noēsis Convenings

  1. HumanConnections.AI Salon. San Francisco. Cross-sector gathering on AI, human flourishing, governance, and emerging technologies. 2024.

  2. AI & the Future of Higher Education. Jesus College, University of Cambridge. Convening on shaping the future of AI policy for youth well-being. October 14–15, 2025.

  3. HumanConnections.AI gathering of researchers, technologists, investors, policymakers, and philanthropic leaders exploring how we might build, fund, and evaluate AI systems that strengthen social relationships and advance human flourishing. January 13–15, 2026.

  4. Cambridge 2026 Convening. University of Cambridge / Jesus College. Dialogue on AI and the Future of Higher Education. March 31, 2026.

Publications

  • Ivey, R., & Shevlin, H. (2026, May 4th). Designing AI Policy for Child and Youth Flourishing. Noēsis Collaborative & Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge. SSRN. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6712518

  • Lomas, T., Ivey, R., Lee, M. T., Kobau, R., VanderWeele, T. J., Worthington, E. L., & The Global Flourishing Study Consortium. (2025). Systemic drivers and personal outcomes of flourishing: Integrating Harvard and SAGE frameworks through analysis of the Global Flourishing Study and the Gallup World Poll. SSRN. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5240436

  • Case, B., Corbin, I. M., Ivey, R., Teubner, J., Bachiochi, E., Cowden, R., Cratty, F., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2025). Reconnecting our communities: Social flourishing on the far side of “our epidemic of loneliness and isolation”. International Journal of Wellbeing, 15(4), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v15i4.4839

  • Ivey, R. M. (2024, May 14). Synthetic intimacy: Is AI solving the loneliness epidemic or making it worse? Sifted / Financial Times Newsletter. https://sifted.eu/articles/ai-companions-intimacy-onlyfans/

  • Ivey, R. (2022, February 20). Society Inc.: The perils and opportunities of ESG investing. American Affairs, 6(1), 3–17. https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2022/02/society-inc/

  • Ivey, R., & Shirk, T. (2021, November 16). Let’s leave trickle-down behind for ‘gush-up’ economics [Opinion]. Newsweek. www.newsweek.com/lets-leave-trickle-down-behind-gush-economics-opinion-1643564

  • Ivey, R. M., & Teubner, J. D. (2025). Policy brief: Designing AI to help children flourish. Global Solutions Journal, 7(11), S12–S23. https://www.global-solutions-initiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/v7_WS_GS_journal_11_S12-23.pdf

  • Lomas, T., Snower, D., Case, B., Padgett, R. N., Felton, C., Ivey, R. M., Teubner, J., Corbin, I. M., Ortega, F., Eichstaedt, J., Pawelski, J., Mayer, C., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2025). Systemic drivers and personal outcomes of flourishing: Integrating Harvard and SAGE frameworks through analysis of the Global Flourishing Study and the Gallup World Poll. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7810593/v1 (Pre-Print)

  • Lomas, T., Teubner, J., Ivey, R. M., & Case, B. (2025). Into the metaverse (with Lex Fridman and Mark Zuckerberg): Exploring the ontological adventures, potentials, and risks of a new dimension of being. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19326.09286 (Pre-Print)

  • Smith, M. L., Racoosin, J., Wilkerson, R., Ivey, R. M., Hawkley, L., Holt-Lunstad, J., & Cudjoe, T. K. M. (2023). Societal- and community-level strategies to improve social connectedness among older adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, Article 1176895. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1176895 (PubMed)

  • Ivey, R., & Pabst, A. (2021, September 20). National voluntary service: A path to a culture of solidarity. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/national-voluntary-service-path-culture-solidarity-opinion-1630291

  • Ivey, R., & Shirk, T. (2021, August 20). Ending America’s antisocial contract. American Affairs, 5(3), 44–65. https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2021/08/ending-americas-antisocial-contract/

  • Pabst, A., & Ivey, R. (2021, April 7). Why we must build a new civic covenant. New Statesman. https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2021/04/why-we-must-build-new-civic-covenant

  • Smith, M. (2021, June 7). Infrastructure funds can transform lonely places into convivial cities. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/infrastructure-funds-can-transform-lonely-places-convivial-cities-opinion-1597176

Read more publications

Blog