Being Human Together: AI, Local Community, and the Future of Human Connection
Being Human Together: AI, Local Community, and the Future of Human Connection
Among U.S. adults who use AI, 27% use it for social, emotional, and personal purposes, and a third consider their AI a friend. Once people begin using AI personally, many develop relationships that involve trust, emotional connection, and a sense of being understood.
These tools are arriving at a complicated moment for human connection. Loneliness and social isolation are widespread, and many people, especially young people, report having few or no close friends. For most of human history, our neighbors, our shared places, and the land itself have been central to how we understand ourselves, create meaning, navigate difficulty, and experience belonging. But community life is also challenging. It requires patience, repair, showing up, and the willingness to work alongside people who may see things differently than we do. AI offers something different: connection that can be frictionless and endlessly accommodating.
Here in West Sonoma County, neighbors are already choosing the richer, harder path, through various community led renewal efforts and in-person gatherings across West County. This salon is a space to ask: As AI becomes more present in our daily lives, what does it mean for how we relate to one another and to the places we share? How can we preserve and strengthen our bonds with our neighbors, our community, and the natural world?
About Resonance
Resonance programs intimate, in-person gatherings for thoughtful people across tech, art, care, community, and everyday life who want to make sense of how AI is changing everyday life, together. It's for those who feel the world shifting and want a real space to reflect, connect, and explore what kind of future we actually want to shape. Each salon includes a facilitated, Socratic-style dialogue where everyone is invited to participate, share honestly, ask questions, and think together across different perspectives. Dinner and drinks are provided; let us know about dietary needs when you register.