July 9 – 11, 2026: Keynote speaker at the International Meeting on Experimental and Behavioural Social Sciences (IMEBESS), Prague
July 25 – August 14, 2026: Keynote speaker at Zanzalu, Zanzibar
September 25 – 26, 2026: Keynote speaker at the WZB Annual Address on Migration and Diversity, Berlin
September 28 – 30, 20226: Keynote speaker at the International Behavioural Public Policy Conference, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
In May, I gave a talk titled “Cultural Evolution and Alignment” at the Post-AGI Workshop: Economics, Culture and Governance hosted at Lighthaven in Berkeley, California.
In my presentation, I drew on the Cultural Brain Hypothesis and human evolutionary history to argue that we have already lived through a cognitive-outsourcing event: human brains shrank in volume over the Holocene as cognition moved into externalized stores, institutions, and distributed networks. I argued that AGI represents a phase transition because tools do not deliberate, but AGIs act as self-replicating agents subject to multi-agent evolutionary selection regimes.
Rather than focusing solely on aligning individual AI models, I emphasized that civilizational alignment is a property of the selection landscape itself. Preserving human flourishing requires either maintaining human utility within competing AGI lineages or engineering a new cultural-overlay equivalent for AI populations.
My sincere thanks to the organizers, David Duvenaud, Raymond Douglas, and Jan Kulveit, for putting together such an interdisciplinary and forward-looking workshop!
In May, I had the pleasure of attending the 2026 Cultural Evolution Society Conference (CES 2026) at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat, Morocco.
I organized and chaired a special thematic session titled “From Theory to the World: Four Decades of Cultural Evolution”, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Robert Boyd and Peter Richerson’s seminal 1985 book, Culture and the Evolutionary Process. The panel brought together three of Rob Boyd’s former students, Joseph Henrich, Cristina Moya, and Sarah Mathew, alongside Rob Boyd himself to reflect on how the field has transformed from a provocative hypothesis into a unifying framework across the human sciences.
In my talk introducing and closing the session, I focused on the applied frontiers of cultural evolution. I discussed how these models are moving beyond academic theory to inform real-world policy and social design. They are also shaping decisions in domains ranging from education to global development, and demonstrating how cultural evolutionary frameworks can help design better futures.
My sincere thanks to Rob, Joe, Cristina, and Sarah for an incredible session, and to the Cultural Evolution Society, AIRESS, and UM6P for hosting a memorable conference!
I had the opportunity to speak at the inaugural Washington Area Meeting of Economic Scientists (WAMES), hosted by the Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science (ICES) at George Mason University’s Arlington Campus.
In my talk, “Introducing the Centre for Human Progress,” I discussed our work toward understanding and supporting human flourishing, institutional innovation, and societal progress.
My sincere thanks to ICES and George Mason University for hosting the event and bringing together researchers across behavioral and experimental economic sciences!
I had the opportunity to speak at the 2025 Behavioral Exchange Conference hosted by the Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) and the Behavioral Science Group at NYU Abu Dhabi. This year, the conference focused on New Frontiers in Behavioral Science, bringing to life the latest developments in the field and hearing from the people behind them.
In my talk, I explored how AI can allow us to solve the current problem of the lack of generalizability and specificity in behavioral science. I also participated in a panel on the power of social connections and community with Michael Bailey from Meta and Wardah Malik from BEworks.
My deepest thanks to the Behavioural Insights Team and the the Behavioral Science Group for hosting the event and inviting me!
Earlier this month, I was invited to give a talk at Brunel University’s Centre for Culture and Evolution in London. In my talk, I discussed the cultural evolution of intelligence, including insights from my book A Theory of Everyone and from my previous work in these papers:
My thanks to the Centre for Culture and Evolution for inviting me and organizing the event!
I was recently invited to give a talk at Google. During this talk I discussed cultural evolution and AI, as well as my work measuring and mapping scales of cultural and psychological distance.
More information about these topics can be found below:
My deepest thanks to Google for having me!
In October, I was invited to speak at the Department of Ecomonics at Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa. You can find a video of the talk here.
My thanks to Stellenbosch University for having me!
Last month I was invited to speak at the 2024 Wallace Wurth Lecture at the University of New South Whales in Sydney, Australia. In conversation with UNSW Scientia Professor Rob Brooks, I discussed my book, A Theory of Everyone, and how cultural evolution and social learning shape everything from our daily decisions to the fate of entire civilizations.
Thank you to UNSW for having me!
I had the honor of being invited to speak at the Human Flourishing Forum at Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
My talk explored the intersection of AI, cultural understanding, and human flourishing, emphasizing how technology should enhance human innovation rather than drive it. I discussed the challenges in measuring flourishing across diverse cultures and the importance of moving beyond Western-centric models of success.
My sincere thanks to Tim Lomas for chairing the panel, and speakers Mila Aliana, Brandon Vaidyanathan, Victor Counted, Monica Aleman, and Tomas Björkman for their insightful perspectives.
My talk can be found here, and the full discussion can be found here.
I was honored to be the keynote speaker at this year’s Khazanah Megatrends Forum. You can watch my talk here.
Thank you to the Khazanah Nasional Berhad for organizing the event and inviting me!
I recently gave an invited talk at the Center for Humans and Machines at the Max Planck Institute of Human Development in Berlin, Germany.
My presentation focused on the limitations of relying on WEIRD samples in research on human cognition and behavior, and the need to move beyond these populations. I shared new data from my research in Namibia and Angola, drawing on the framework from my book, A Theory of Everyone, to emphasize the importance of strategic sampling based on theory and cultural distance.
In the talk, I also discussed best practices for cross-cultural research, including the use of online tools like Besample, cross-cultural collaborations, and considerations for field research.
My deepest thanks to the Max Planck Institute of Human Development for inviting me and organising the event.
Some of my relevant papers on the topic can be found here:
I was honored to deliver a keynote at the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) World Conference 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In my presentation, based on the concepts from my book, A Theory of Everyone, I discussed the ongoing scientific revolution transforming the psychological and behavioral sciences. I also discussed how the dual inheritance theory provides a comprehensive framework for understanding human behavior and its applications in real-world interventions and policy.
My deepest thanks to the ACBS for inviting me and organising the event, and to Lori E. Crosby, Mavis Tsai and her team for their insightful talks and workshop.
I attended the Inaugural Cohesive Capitalism Summit at the London School of Economics. This summit was the public launch of the new LSE Programme on Cohesive Capitalism, a major multi-disciplinary initiative to investigate new politico-economic paradigms, institutions and policies that could serve the common interest.
My thanks to the London School of Economics for hosting the event!
I was invited to talk at the Charter Cities Week in Fumba Town, Zanzibar.
I explored the themes from my book, A Theory of Everyone, focusing on how startup cities like Fumba Town can catalyze economic and social development. I discussed the critical interplay of culture, psychology, and economics in shaping urban projects, emphasizing the role of cultural and psychological insights as foundational elements in designing and building new urban environments.
The full talk can be found here, and you can check out my book here.
My sincere thanks to the Charter Cities Institute for inviting me and hosting the event.
This month, I was invited to deliver a keynote at the Global Solutions Summit by the World Policy Forum to the G20 and G7, on “Paradigm Shift: Reorienting Economics and Economic Policy Solution Dialogues”.
My talk focused on rethinking economic frameworks for the G20 nations, highlighting the need for a new paradigm that addresses global challenges like inequality and political instability.
My sincere thanks to David Sloan Wilson for moderating the panel, and to fellow speakers Karla Hoff, Guru Madhavan, and Tania Singer for their insightful contributions.
In April, I was invited to speak at a workshop on “An Aspirational Approach to Planetary Futures” by the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report Office at the University of Oxford.
I presented work from my book A Theory of Everyone, and from the papers below:
My deepest thanks to the University of Oxford for having me!
I was recently invited to give a talk at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. In my talk I discussed my book A Theory of Everyone: The New Science of Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going.
Thank you to the Booth School for having me!
I was invited to deliver a keynote address at the Rebuilding Macroeconomics conference on Polycrises and Policy Frameworks. In my talk, I explored how human evolution, shaped by both genetic and cultural factors, has contributed to our ability to address complex challenges. I focused on my research on cultural transmission, and how it enables humans to innovate, cooperate, and respond to crises.
I also tackle these concepts in my book, A Theory of Everyone, which you can check out here.
The talk also included an insightful discussion between myself, speakers Clara Mattei and Alan Kirman. Those interested can view the full discussion here.
My deepest thanks to the Insitute for Global Prosperity for inviting me and for organizing the event.
I recently organized and hosted the 2024 Comity Conference hosted by the London School of Economics and the John Templeton Foundation. Within the conference, we discussed the underpinnings of comity and the factors that can enhance or undermine societal cooperation.