The Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement

AI and Enlightened Disagreement Summit

October 16-17, 2026

2026 Ai & enlightened Disagreement summit

Oct. 16-17

Kellogg Global Hub  Room 5101
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL



Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how people encounter information, form judgments, and engage across deep moral and epistemic divides. What might these changes mean for our ability to disagree constructively—and how might AI be designed and deployed to help rather than hinder?

The AI and Enlightened Disagreement Summit, hosted at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management by the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement, brings together an interdisciplinary group of invited guests from academia, industry, and beyond to explore these questions. Through a highly interactive, solutions-oriented conversation, the summit will examine the emerging intersection of AI and enlightened disagreement: what we know, what we don’t, and where the most promising opportunities lie.

 

Downloadable Resources:

Full Summit Schedule


Summit Agenda

  • 8:00-8:30

    Breakfast

    8:30-9:15

    Welcome, Agenda Overview, and Introductions

    9:15-11:00
    Session 1: An Urgent Challenge

    President Mung Chiang, Northwestern University  
    Opening remarks 

    Hahrie Han, Johns Hopkins University 
    Designing infrastructure for optimal civic engagement 

    Alec Litowitz, Qstar Capital 
    The Paradox of Abundance: AI, Judgment, and Agency

    Robert Willer, Stanford University 
    Simulating minds, bridging divides: AI and the future of political disagreement 

     

    11:00-11:15

    Coffee break

    11:15-1:00

    Session 2: Governing the Information Commons

    Joshua A. Tucker, New York University 
    How state media control influences large language models—and why you should care 

    Leila Zia    , Wikimedia Foundation 
    Wikipedia’s human-centered AI strategy and the future of shared knowledge 
     
    William J. Brady    , Northwestern University 
    MirrorView: An AI tool for democratized content moderation 

     

    1:00-2:00

    Lunch

    2:00-3:45
    Session 3: AI as Epistemic Partner — or Epistemic Hazard 

    Thomas Costello, Carnegie Mellon University 
    DebunkBot 

    Morteza Dehghani, University of Southern California 
    The shrinking landscape of linguistic diversity in the age of large language models 

    Jay J. Van Bavel, New York University 
    Sycophantic AI increases attitude extremity and overconfidence 

     

    3:45-4:00

    Coffee break

    4:00-5:00
    AI, Enlightened Disagreement, and National Security

    Avril Haines, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

    5:00-6:00

    Cocktail hour

    7:00-9:00

    Dinner at LeTour (625 Davis St, Evanston, IL 60201)

    *Hotel guests can meet in the lobby at 6:50 to walk over to the restaurant

  • 8:30-9:00
    Breakfast
    9:00-10:45
    Session 4: Designing Better Disagreement

    Lisa P. Argyle, Purdue University 
    Democratic skill-building using an AI-assisted training app 

    Steven L. Franconeri    , Northwestern University 
    Cultivating sharp and calm disagreement: Reflex training at scale 

    Julia A. Minson    , Harvard University 
    Incorporating the science of disagreement into AI tools 

    10:45-11:00

    Coffee break

    11:00-12:15
    Session 5: Cultivating a Healthier Civic life

    Beth Goldberg, Humanity AI 
    Discerning public opinion with scale and nuance 

    James S. Fishkin    , Stanford University 
    Deliberative democracy at scale 

    12:15-1:15

    Lunch

    1:15-2:30
    Group Discussion: AI and Enlightened Disagreement in a Post-HuggingFace World
    2:30-2:35

    Break

    2:35-4:30
    Agenda-Setting: The Future of AI and Enlightened Disagreement 
    6:00-6:30

    Hotel shuttle to Guildhall Restaurant (Shuttle will pick up guests at the hotel entrance) 

    6:30-8:30

    Dinner at the Guildhall Restaurant (694 Vernon Ave., Glencoe, IL 60022) 

    8:30-9:00

    Restaurant shuttle to the hotel 

  • Rideshare

    The Litowitz Center will reimburse any rideshares you purchase for the duration of the conference. Alternatively, if you are staying at the Hyatt House hotel, you can choose to call the front desk to arrange your rideshare. You can call from your room or text 847-750-5489. Please provide your pick-up time and plan to be in the lobby promptly. You can also order your rideshare from the front desk. 

    We encourage you to coordinate rides with your colleagues. 

    Parking

    For anyone driving, you may park in the North Campus Parking Garage (2311 N. Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208) and validate your parking at the front desk of the Global Hub on Friday. Parking on Saturday is free on any campus lot.

    Walking Directions 

    The route to the Kellogg Global Hub from the hotel is an enjoyable walk, weather permitting. Please allow 20-25 minutes. We will provide a map of the walking route to those staying at the hotel.

    Reimbursement Procedure
    After the summit, please send your receipts — including flights and other transit/rideshares — to Nick Benson (nicholas.benson@northwestern.edu). He will be in touch about any other necessary details to make sure you are reimbursed as soon as possible. 

Summit Attendees

Click on a picture to see their bio

Contact us about the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement

Email the Litowitz Center
litowitzcenter@northwestern.edu