AI Futures Keynote: Isabelle Hau
Relational Intelligence (RQ): Building a Relational Future in the Age of AI
Date & Time
January 27, 2027, 1:00 PM - January 27, 2027, 2:00 PMLocation
Michigan Union - Pendleton Room (2nd Floor)
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The Industrial Revolution elevated IQ, the cognitive abilities needed for an economy built around knowledge and analytical skill. The late 20th century expanded our understanding through EQ, recognizing the importance of understanding ourselves and others. Now, the AI revolution calls for another evolution in human intelligence: Relational Intelligence (RQ), our capacity to build trust, make meaning together, connect across differences, collaborate, navigate conflict, and repair.
Universities have a critical role in this transition. As they prepare students for an AI-shaped future, they must revisit not only what we teach and how we learn, but how we relate, developing AI fluency alongside the deeply human capacities that will matter even more in an age of intelligent machines.
This session explores the asks a defining question: If AI changes what it means to be intelligent, how should education evolve what we teach, what we measure, and what we value?
About Isabelle Hau
Isabelle C. Hau is Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, where she harnesses learning sciences, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence to improve learning across the lifespan. Previously, she led U.S. education investments at Omidyar Network and was a founding partner of Imaginable Futures. She is the author of Love to Learn and a pioneer of Relational Intelligence (RQ). A Harvard Business School 100 Most Innovative Alumni honoree and a 2026 ISTE impact awardee, she serves on the boards of EDC and Design Tech High School. She champions innovative, effective, and inclusive solutions for deeper learning and human flourishing.
About AI Futures Keynote Speaker Series
The Center for Academic Innovation is convening leading voices in academia to examine emerging applications of artificial intelligence in higher education. The AI Futures keynote speaker series is a critical examination of how artificial intelligence is reshaping teaching and learning as we consider the future of life changing education at Michigan.