Sherry Turkle and Jon Kabat-Zinn Discuss Artificial Intimacy at the Crossroads of Technology and Mindfulness, Live in New York City

October 14 New York City event celebrates Turkle's new book and brings the two bestselling authors together for their third StreetSmart Wisdom conversation

NEW YORK, NY, October 03, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- MIT professor and bestselling author Sherry Turkle will join mindfulness pioneer and bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn on October 14 at All Souls Church in New York City for a live conversation celebrating Turkle's new book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines.

Published September 29 by Little, Brown and Company, Artificial Intimacy examines what happens as artificial intelligence moves beyond information and productivity and increasingly enters the deeply human territory of companionship, empathy, advice, loneliness and relationships.

The October 14 event marks the third conversation between Turkle and Kabat-Zinn produced by Steve Stein and WisdomFeed Publishing. Their first two conversations took place as online episodes of the StreetSmart Wisdom Podcast, exploring what happens as the analog world collides with the digital one, including questions of artificial intelligence, empathy, mindfulness, human connection and the future of humanity.

This third conversation was timed to coincide with the publication of Artificial Intimacy, putting Turkle's new book at the center of their continuing dialogue.

During their first StreetSmart Wisdom conversation, Turkle described the urgency of the moment:
"This is a break the glass moment. How are we going to govern? How are we going to think about the challenge we face?"

Kabat-Zinn approached the same moment through the relationship between the digital world and our analog humanity:
"What is happening now is the convergence of the analog and the digital in such a way that we had best... realize the full dimensionality and potential of the analog world before... we lose it to... fake empathy from machines."

Those questions are at the heart of Turkle's new book. Artificial Intimacy examines what happens when people begin turning to machines not simply to accomplish tasks, but for forms of companionship, counsel and emotional connection once associated with human relationships.

In that earlier conversation, Turkle posed a question that has become increasingly central as conversational AI enters everyday life:
"The question for me is, is pretend empathy enough? And how do we as people who have this extraordinary gift for real empathy because of... the arc of a human life... How do we connect?"

After two online StreetSmart Wisdom Podcast conversations, Turkle and Kabat-Zinn will meet in person at 80th Street and Lexington Avenue, bringing their conversation literally to street level in New York City, before a live audience and via livestream.

The October 14 conversation brings together Turkle's decades of research into our evolving relationship with technology and Kabat-Zinn's decades of work on mindfulness, awareness and presence. Turkle will sign copies of Artificial Intimacy following the program.

WisdomFeed Publishing extends special thanks to All Souls for opening its beautiful Upper East Side sanctuary to this conversation and the New York community.

EVENT DETAILS
Sherry Turkle in Conversation with Jon Kabat-Zinn
Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
All Souls Church
1157 Lexington Avenue, New York City
In-person and livestream attendance available
Information and registration: https://wisdomfeed.thrivecart.com/artificial-intimacy/

ABOUT SHERRY TURKLE
Sherry Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT and an internationally recognized scholar of the relationship between people and technology. She is the author of numerous books exploring identity, conversation, relationships and life in the digital age. Her new book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines, was published September 29 by Little, Brown and Company.

ABOUT JON KABAT-ZINN
Jon Kabat-Zinn is a scientist, bestselling author and meditation teacher who founded Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His work has played a major role in bringing mindfulness into medicine, health care and mainstream culture.

ABOUT STEVE STEIN
Steve Stein is the founder of WisdomFeed Publishing and BetterListen!, a publisher, producer, longtime media and technology innovator, and a founding member of the Audio Publishers Association. His current projects include The Sneaker Tree and the newly launched Brooklyn Playdate, the Original Analog Activities Nostalgia Kit and No Phone Zone.

ABOUT WISDOMFEED PUBLISHING
WisdomFeed Publishing creates audiobooks, podcasts, journals, courses and live experiences at the intersection of technology and humanity. With StreetSmart Wisdom Podcast: IRL, WisdomFeed is proud to bring Sherry Turkle and Jon Kabat-Zinn together in New York City for the third chapter of their continuing conversation, furthering its mission:
taking ancient ideas down to street level.

Read the full story here: https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/539280/sherry-turkle-and-jon-kabat-zinn-discuss-artificial-intimacy-at-the-crossroads-of-technology-and-mindfulness-live-in-new-york-city

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