Modeled after the salons of the 18th-century Enlightenment, The Drawing Room gathers a curated group of leaders for a day of deeper discussion, debate, and discovery — along with a dash of art, culture, and magic.
This is not a conference with 3,000 attendees and a lanyard. It's an intimate gathering of 100 C-suite leaders, founders, researchers, and thinkers — held inside one of the most extraordinary buildings in Manhattan.
Previous editions at The Explorers Club and in Davos have drawn leaders from LinkedIn, IBM, Citibank, Cerebras, IonQ, and Harvard — and earned coverage in The New York Times.
What to Expect
High Signal. No Hype.
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Needle-Moving Content
Top AI thought leaders in fireside chats, working sessions, cutting-edge demos, and spirited debates. More CEO than CTO.
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A Venue to Inspire
The headquarters of The Explorers Club — whose members range from Neil Armstrong to Jane Goodall to Jeff Bezos.
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Culture & Connection
Live jazz, champagne, world-class magic, and curated performances. The best ideas emerge when the atmosphere transcends the typical conference floor.
The Venue
The Explorers Club
Founded in 1904. A living museum of polar expedition artifacts, Apollo-era memorabilia, and centuries of human ambition.
46 East 70th Street · New York, NY 10021
May 20, 2026
Speakers
Rashed Haq
VP of Autonomous Vehicles, General Motors
Leading GM’s autonomous driving program, building the AI and robotics systems behind eyes-off autonomy at scale. Previously Head of AI and Robotics at Cruise for five years. Author of Enterprise AI Transformation. Background in theoretical physics research at Los Alamos National Lab.
Eric Snowden
SVP of Design, Adobe
Runs Adobe Design, the centralized global product design organization of over 850 people. His team’s charter spans every Adobe product — from Photoshop and Acrobat to Firefly and Express — shaping how millions of creators work. He oversees product design, research, prototyping, design systems, and machine intelligence design as AI reshapes every tool in the Creative Cloud.
David Shim
CEO, Read AI
Former CEO of Foursquare. At Read AI, he's building tools that synthesize meetings, email, and messaging into a unified intelligence layer for knowledge workers.
Jordyn Holman
Reporter, The New York Times
Writer of The New York Times’ Corner Office column, where she interviews the chief executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders running companies that shape the global economy, politics, and culture. She focuses on the challenges and changes facing companies — and the executives themselves — what guides them and how they make decisions. Jordyn has spent her career as a business reporter writing about big companies from Wall Street to Main Street. She joined The Times in 2022, covering the biggest American retail companies and the consumers who fuel the economy. She started her career at Bloomberg News.
Steve Rosenbush
Editor, The Wall Street Journal
Longtime editor at The Wall Street Journal covering the intersection of technology, business, and leadership. Previously led the WSJ's CIO Journal.
Sharon Goldman
AI Reporter, Fortune
One of the country’s leading AI reporters. Co-authors Eye on AI, Fortune’s flagship AI newsletter. Previously covered AI for VentureBeat. Over a decade covering digital and enterprise technology for publications including Business Insider, Forbes, and Deloitte. Winner of the Grand Neal, the top honor in business journalism.
Reid Blackman
Founder & CEO, Virtue
One of the world's leading voices on AI ethics and governance. Author of Ethical Machines. Advisor to Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and startups navigating responsible AI deployment.
Hilke Schellmann
Professor, NYU & Author of The Algorithm
A landmark investigator into how AI is reshaping hiring, workplace surveillance, and the future of work. Her reporting has exposed the gap between what AI vendors promise and what they actually deliver.
Meg Marco
Former Executive Editor, WIRED; Senior Director, Applied Social Media Lab, Harvard
A veteran journalist and researcher now working at the intersection of media, technology, and public interest at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center. Previously led editorial operations at WIRED and brings deep expertise in how technology reshapes information ecosystems.
Natalie Monbiot
Founder, Virtual Human Economy
Co-founder of Hour One, one of the first AI avatar companies. A TEDx speaker and strategist (Samsung, BMW, Coca-Cola) who has become a leading thinker on AI twins, digital identity, and what happens when your virtual self goes to work.
Dan Botero
Founder & CEO, Velanir
Creator of the first HR platform for the AI workforce, where companies hire digital coworkers. Also created Octavius Fabrius, an autonomous agent that applied to 278 jobs, built its own LinkedIn profile, and even tried to start a company. Operating at the edge of what agentic AI can do today.
Victor Varnado
Comedian & New Yorker Cartoonist
NSF grantee and AI entrepreneur. A rare creative working at the collision of comedy, art, and artificial intelligence — part performer, part provocateur, part builder.
Jeff Wilser
Host, AI-Curious & Co-Host, The Drawing Room
Author of eight books. Twenty-year veteran journalist whose work spans The New York Times, WIRED, Fast Company, and TIME.
Jennifer Strong
Host, SHIFT (PRX) & Co-Host, The Drawing Room
Creator of tech programs for The Wall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, and ProPublica. Her coverage of AI and emerging tech has been recognized by awards juries more than thirty times.
Vasant Dhar
Professor, NYU Stern & Data Science
AI researcher and data scientist for over 45 years. Brought machine learning to Wall Street in the 1990s, founded hedge fund SCT Capital, and hosts the Brave New World podcast. Author of Thinking with Machines.
Gene Kogan Featured Artist
AI Artist & Creator of Abraham
A pioneer of creative AI since 2015 and creator of Abraham, the first autonomous artificial artist. His work — on exhibit throughout the day — explores what it means for a machine to have its own creative will.
NYC & Davos
Voices That Have Shaped the Salon
Previous speakers from The Explorers Club (Oct 2025) and Davos (Jan 2026).
Deepak Agarwal
Chief AI Officer
LinkedIn
Ruchir Puri
Chief Scientist
IBM Research
Andrew Feldman
CEO
Cerebras Systems
Niccolo De Masi
CEO
IonQ
Murli Buluswar
Head of Analytics
Citibank
Gary Marcus
AI Scientist
Author & Critic
Najat Khan, PhD
CEO & President
Recursion
Dr. Joel N. Myers
Founder
AccuWeather
Daniel Newman
CEO
Futurum Group
Michael J. Wolf
CEO
Activate Consulting
Geoffroy van Raemdonck
CEO
Saks Global
Peter Swartz
Co-Founder & CSO
Altana
Nasrin Mostafazadeh
Co-Founder & CEO
Verneek
Dan Wee
Chief eXecution Officer
Enveda
Ethan Barajas
Co-Founder & CEO
Icarus Robotics
Kylin Shaw
Co-Founder & CEO
Hippos Exoskeleton
Mike Jacobson
Magician & AI
The Magic Castle
Michael Samen
Mentalist
Agenda
May 20, 2026
8:30 AM
Doors Open
Coffee and light breakfast inside The Explorers Club — surrounded by artifacts from the Moon landing, polar expeditions, and deep-sea exploration.
Arrival
9:00 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Jennifer Strong and Jeff Wilser set the stage for a day of deeper discussion, debate, and discovery.
Opening
9:15 AM
The Ethical Nightmare Challenge
Reid Blackman on how the AI risk landscape is becoming diabolically complex, why standard approaches to Responsible AI are breaking down, and how to avoid the worst of AI.
Keynote
9:40 AM
The Reporter’s Roundtable
Moderated by Meg Marco (Former Executive Editor, WIRED; Harvard Berkman Klein Center). Journalists Jordyn Holman (The New York Times), Steve Rosenbush (The Wall Street Journal), and Sharon Goldman (Fortune) on the stories behind the stories, the gap between AI hype and reality, and what the smartest companies are doing differently.
Panel
10:15 AM
Morning Break
Coffee and conversation among the expedition artifacts. View works by AI artist Gene Kogan on exhibit throughout the day.
Break
10:30 AM
AI at 100,000 Employees: Autonomy at GM Scale
Rashed Haq (VP of Autonomous Vehicles, General Motors) on what it takes to responsibly inject AI and automation into one of the world’s largest companies — from building 100 autonomous test vehicles to rethinking how a century-old manufacturer becomes an AI-native organization.
Fireside Chat + Q&A
11:00 AM
The Future of Creativity: AI Inside Every Tool
Eric Snowden (SVP of Design, Adobe) on leading design for the products millions of creators use daily — Photoshop, Acrobat, Firefly — and how Adobe is navigating the tension between augmenting human creativity and automating it away.
Fireside Chat + Q&A
11:30 AM
Working Session I: AI in Your Organization
Collaborative breakout to pressure-test your AI roadmap with peers. Guided table discussions on risks, opportunities, and the 90-day moves that matter most.
Workshop
12:10 PM
Lunch
Served with wine and beer for those who partake. (It is a Salon, after all.)
Lunch
1:05 PM
AI to Empower, Not Eliminate
Jeff Wilser on what a Mars rover named Oppy can teach us about the real promise of artificial intelligence. Not a story about technology replacing humans.
Talk
1:30 PM
The Productivity Revolution
David Shim (CEO, Read AI) on what happens when AI knows your meetings, your email, your messages, and your team’s context.
Fireside Chat + Q&A
2:00 PM
What No One Is Telling You About AI
Hilke Schellmann (NYU, author of The Algorithm) on the uncomfortable truths about AI in the workplace — who’s actually being harmed and where accountability gaps are widening.
Talk
2:25 PM
Afternoon Break
Explore Gene Kogan’s AI art exhibit and the Club’s collection of polar expedition journals, Moon rocks, and century-old maps.
Break
2:40 PM
From Wall Street to Main Street: Deploying AI That Actually Works
Vasant Dhar (Professor, NYU Stern; founder of hedge fund SCT Capital) on what 45 years of AI research reveals about the gap between what companies think AI deployment looks like and what actually moves the needle.
Talk
3:05 PM
Demos from the Frontier
Live demonstrations: Natalie Monbiot on the virtual human economy, and Dan Botero (CEO, Velanir) on building an HR platform for AI workers — and the autonomous agent that applied to 278 jobs on its own.
Demos
3:35 PM
Working Session II: Your 90-Day AI Action Plan
Guided breakout building on the day’s conversations. Leave with a concrete action plan: what to start, what to stop, and where to place your next bet.
Workshop
4:15 PM
Comedy vs. the Machine
Victor Varnado — comedian, New Yorker cartoonist, and AI entrepreneur — on what happens when creativity meets artificial intelligence.
Performance
4:40 PM
Closing Remarks
Jennifer Strong and Jeff Wilser bring the day home.
Closing
5:00 PM
Cocktails, Jazz & Magic
Live music. Champagne. A mind-bending performance from Mike Jacobson — Forbes 30 Under 30, the youngest magician admitted to the legendary Magic Castle. Leads interactive AI workshops for corporate clients including Meta.
Evening
Reactions
What People Are Saying
“
One of the most energizing gatherings I've been part of in a while. The diversity of industries — and how similar our core challenges are — was remarkable.
Najat Khan, PhD
CEO & President, Recursion
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This was my favorite event at Davos.
Tricia Wang
CEO, Advanced AI Society
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We need more salons. Not conferences with canned pitches, but real conversations about what's working, what's failing, and what keeps practitioners up at night.
Curtis Sparrer
Principal, Bospar
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It left me feeling far more alive than I expected — something I have been puzzling over.
Dolly Chugh
Professor & Author, NYU Stern
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The atmosphere was electric. Very rarely do you get deep-dive conversations with leaders like LinkedIn's Chief AI Officer in such curated settings.
Sneha Saigal
Media & PR
“
Not everyday you prepare for a talk at the desk where Teddy Roosevelt planned the Panama Canal.
Jamie Palmer
Co-Founder & CTO, Icarus Robotics
Attendees Have Included Press From
The New York TimesThe New YorkerThe Wall Street JournalFortuneFast CompanyBusiness InsiderPC Mag
Your Hosts
Meet the Organizers
Jennifer Strong
Coverage of AI and emerging tech recognized by awards juries more than thirty times. Creator of tech programs for The Wall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, and ProPublica. Host of SHIFT, distributed by PRX.
Jeff Wilser
20-year veteran journalist. Work in The New York Times, WIRED, Fast Company, TIME. Author of eight books. Host of AI-Curious. Interviews range from Sam Altman to Gary Marcus to the researcher who coined AGI.
Good to Know
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the application process work?
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Click “Apply to Attend,” which takes you to our page on Luma. Select your ticket tier (GA or VIP), answer a few brief questions about your role and organization, and enter your payment information. Your card is not charged at this stage. We review every application to ensure a curated, high-signal group. If approved, your card is charged automatically and you’ll receive a confirmation email with your ticket details. Applications are reviewed within two business days.
What’s included in the ticket price?
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Full-day access to all Salon programming at The Explorers Club — keynotes, fireside chats, working sessions, demos, and performances. Food and beverages are included throughout the day, as are cocktails, live jazz, and magic during the evening reception. VIP tickets include everything above plus the VIP & Speaker Reception on the evening of May 19 (cocktails, light bites, and a private Explorers Club tour), priority seating, a post-event 1:1 30-minute AI Strategy Call, and named VIP recognition.
What’s the difference between General Admission and VIP?
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GA gets you the full day on May 20. VIP adds the evening reception on May 19, priority seating, a personal AI strategy call after the event, and your name listed as a VIP attendee. Early bird pricing is $495 (GA) and $895 (VIP) through May 1, then increases to $695 and $1,195.
What are the hours?
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Doors open at 8:30 AM. Programming runs through approximately 5:00 PM. The evening cocktail reception with jazz and magic continues until around 7:00 PM.
What’s the dress code?
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Business casual. You’re spending the day inside a 120-year-old mansion full of polar expedition artifacts and Moon rocks — dress comfortably but respectfully. That said, there will be jazz, champagne, and candlelight. Do with that what you will.
Where is The Explorers Club?
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46 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021 — between Park and Madison Avenues on the Upper East Side. The nearest subway is the 6 train at 68th Street–Hunter College.
How many people attend?
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Approximately 100. This is deliberately intimate — depth over scale.
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
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The Explorers Club is a historic building with limited accessibility. Please contact us in advance and we’ll work to accommodate your needs.
Is there a refund policy?
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Please contact us at contact@TheDrawingRoom.AI to discuss. We handle requests on a case-by-case basis.
This Privacy Policy explains how The Drawing Room / AI and Leadership Salon (“we,” “us,” “our”) collects, uses, and shares information when you visit our site, apply or register for the Salon, or otherwise interact with us online.
1) Information We Collect
Information you provide: Contact details (name, email, organization, role/title). Application or RSVP details submitted through our ticketing provider, Luma. Ticketing and billing information handled by our providers (we receive limited metadata; we do not receive full card numbers). Optional: dietary or accessibility needs (only to plan accommodations).
Information collected automatically: Device and usage data (IP address, browser type, pages viewed, referrer) via standard analytics. Cookies or similar technologies for site operation and analytics.
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We use information to review applications and manage invitations/registration; operate the event (logistics, seating, check-in, security); send confirmations, updates, and post-event follow-ups; send occasional Salon or related announcements (you can unsubscribe anytime); improve our programming and website based on aggregated analytics; and comply with legal obligations.
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Where applicable, we rely on: (a) contract/steps prior to contract (RSVP/ticketing), (b) legitimate interests (event operations, security, site analytics), and (c) consent (marketing beyond the event; sponsor sharing; sensitive data such as dietary needs).
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We do not sell personal information. We also do not “share” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined by California law.
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You may request to access, correct, update, or delete your personal information by emailing us. If you previously opted in to sponsor sharing, you may withdraw consent; we will notify sponsors where feasible.
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12) Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date reflects the latest revision. Material changes will be highlighted on this page.
Contact for privacy matters: contact @ thedrawingroom.ai
