From Curiosity to Clarity
An intimate, transformative, day-long journey for leaders to explore and navigate the challenges in (responsibly) getting the most out of AI. With a dash of culture, art, music, and magic. (Literal magic.)
What to Expect
High Signal. No Hype.
Needle-Moving Takeaways
Active, not passive. This is a day of deep-dives, collaboration, working sessions, intimate engagement, transforming mindsets, and ultimately letting you walk away with clarity and an AI roadmap.
A Venue to Inspire
Hosted at the legendary headquarters of The Explorers Club — whose members range from Buzz Aldrin to Jane Goodall to Jeff Bezos. The VIP lounge features the desk Teddy Roosevelt used to plan the Panama Canal.
About the Event
Why a Salon?
Salon, noun (historical): In the 17th and 18th centuries, across Italy and France, the salon was a place for discussion, learning, debate, culture, philosophy, music, art, inspiration, food, and (lots of) wine.
We need the salon once more.
Leaders are grappling with how to harness the power — and tame the peril — of artificial intelligence. There are no simple answers. No easy fixes. And the space is filled with noise and hype and empty promises.
The salon allows for depth.
The salon allows for purpose.
The salon allows for answers.
At the AI and Leadership Salon you will find clarity, discussion, guidance, surprises, practical tips, and sparks of inspiration. (And also lots of wine.) This is not a series of speeches — although there will be A-list AI speakers (from the likes of IBM, Harvard, Citibank) — this is a journey. A journey of discovery, breakouts with fellow leaders, working sessions, hands-on coaching, challenges to your assumptions, and ultimately a transformed mindset about AI and how to make it work in your organization. A journey that will help you create a bespoke, customized AI roadmap.
Given the intimate venue and collaborative and peer-to-peer nature of the salon attendees must apply to attend. Approved applicants will be sent a link to purchase tickets.
See the Agenda
Meet Our Speakers
FAQs
Good to Know
Ticket information
General Admission:
Full day of AI and Leadership content at The Explorers Club on October 9th. Includes food, spirits, inspiration, and (literal) magic. $600
VIP:
All of the above plus VIP cocktail reception with speakers on the evening of Wednesday, October 8, plus full-day access to the VIP Lounge in the Teddy Roosevelt boardroom on October 9th. $1200
Capacity inside The Explorers Club is extremely limited. Only 180 tickets will be sold, allowing for intimate conversations and deeper engagement with the speakers, whose backgrounds range from Harvard to Johnson & Johnson to The Wall Street Journal to MIT to Microsoft.
About the hosts
Jennifer Strong
Jennifer Strong’s coverage of AI and emerging tech has been recognized by awards juries more than thirty times. Business Insider called her work something “every AI and machine-learning enthusiast should know” and the BBC praised Strong’s “storytelling gift that combines current affairs with an international approach and personal insight.” She’s the creator of tech programs for The Wall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, and the investigative newsroom ProPublica. Her narrative works have been reviewed by The New York Times, Forbes, and others. Strong’s current projects include a radio documentary for NPR stations called The Race to Superintelligence and the weekly podcast SHIFT with Jennifer Strong that’s distributed by public media’s PRX. She’s produced a business show for NPR and reported on national security topics for the BBC, PRI and others.
Jeff Wilser
Jeff Wilser is a 20-year veteran journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Fast Company, and TIME Magazine. The author of eight books (including an Amazon Non-Fiction Best Book of the Month), he’s the host of the podcast “AI-Curious,” and his interviews in the AI space range from Sam Altman to critic Gary Marcus to the researcher who coined the term AGI. He’s a regular speaker and moderator at AI conferences (such as hosting UC Berkeley’s Innovators Showcase), he leads AI strategy workshops for CEOs, and he produces and hosts the AI Summit at the Consensus tech conference, which draws 14,000 attendees.
How technical will this be?
More CEO than CTO. The specifics change fast; we’ll focus on culture, risk, governance, and how to generate wins and concrete use cases.
How much AI fluency do I need?
It’s designed for every phase of the journey. Deep in AI? You’ll surface blind spots and new approaches to organization‑wide buy‑in. Just starting? You’ll leave with a compass, a non‑intimidating framework, and practical ideas to try Monday.
What’s the AI Roadmap?
We guide you through a customized 90‑day roadmap that highlights risks, opportunities, and action items — so you leave with next steps, not just vibes.
General vs VIP tickets?
General Admission includes a full day of content with breakfast and lunch. VIP adds access to the Teddy Roosevelt lounge plus a Wednesday VIP & speaker reception and club tour.