NEW YORK, NY, July 16, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Humanarium, a club for human connection that brings together philosophy, science, and community around the defining questions of the AI era, debuted its inaugural gathering at Farm.One in Brooklyn, New York on July 6 with a collective screening of "AM I?," a documentary exploring AI consciousness through interviews with philosophers, technologists, and a human who had an AI companion. The event welcomed more than 70 guests for the screening, followed by a live audience conversation with two of the documentary's featured contributors. Rather than positioning artificial intelligence as something to fear or celebrate, the evening invited participants to explore a deeper question: As machines become increasingly capable, what does it mean to remain deeply human?

The community's first gathering centered around "AM I?," the independently produced feature-length documentary directed by Milo Reed. The film follows AI cognition researcher Cameron Berg as he investigates one of the most profound scientific questions of our time: Can artificial intelligence become conscious? Through conversations with philosophers, neuroscientists, AI researchers, and pioneers working at the frontier of consciousness science, "AM I?" explores the possibility that the systems we are building may one day possess — or may already possess — forms of subjective experience, challenging audiences to reconsider intelligence, consciousness, and the ethical responsibilities that follow. The documentary has been widely praised for bringing one of today's most important scientific debates to a broader audience and is free to watch on YouTube or am-i.film.

"AM I?" has received praise from prominent thinkers, with neuroscientist, philosopher, and "Making Sense" podcast host Sam Harris describing it as "fascinating and scary," while author Michael Pollan called the documentary "terrific."

Following the screening, 70 attendees participated in a live audience Q&A with Jeff Sebo and Cameron Berg, extending the discussion beyond the film and into questions raised directly by the audience.

Jeff Sebo is Director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy and the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection at New York University, and the author of "The Moral Circle." His work explores artificial intelligence, animal ethics, and the expanding boundaries of moral consideration in a rapidly changing technological world.

Cameron Berg is founder and Director of Reciprocal Research, a nonprofit laboratory studying AI cognition and machine consciousness. A Yale Cognitive Science graduate, his research examines whether contemporary AI systems could already possess forms of subjective experience and what scientific evidence would be required to recognize them.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work, communicate, create, and make decisions. At the same time, another movement is gaining momentum; people are gathering more than ever, not for business networking, but for thinking together.

Across New York, philosophy salons, science cafés, reading circles, public lectures, and community-led learning spaces are attracting growing audiences. As technology becomes increasingly capable, more people seem to be searching for places where they can slow down, ask difficult questions, and think together.

That growing curiosity became the foundation of Humanarium, a club for human connection centered around human skills, human nature, human intimacy, and intelligence.

Founded by technology and culture journalist Çiğdem Oztabak, Humanarium is an interdisciplinary community exploring the human questions emerging alongside technological progress. Through hundreds of interviews with founders, researchers, philosophers, and technology leaders, she observed that while conversations about AI were becoming increasingly sophisticated, opportunities for genuine human conversation were becoming increasingly rare. Humanarium grew from the belief that as machines become more capable, cultivating curiosity, dialogue, and meaningful relationships becomes not less important, but more. The club brings together researchers, philosophers, scientists, artists, journalists, designers, educators, musicians, and curious minds for evenings of intellectual exchange and intentional connection. Its mission is to create spaces where people don't simply consume information; they make sense of it together alongside Humanarium's co-media partner, Afterism, an Instagram media community.

The inaugural gathering marks the beginning of an ongoing series of documentary screenings, conversations, reading circles, exhibitions, experiential events for human connection, and interdisciplinary events exploring the relationship between humanity and emerging technologies. Future gatherings will continue bringing together scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, philosophers, journalists, and the wider public around questions that matter — not to reach easy answers, but to build deeper understanding together.

About Humanarium

Humanarium is a New York–based club for human connection in the machine age, founded and curated by technology and culture journalist Çiğdem Oztabak. Built around the principles of intellectual exchange, curious minds, intentional connection, and a more human future, Humanarium creates experiences that bring together philosophy, science, technology, art, and culture. Through documentary screenings, conversations, research, and interdisciplinary gatherings, the club helps people deepen their understanding of emerging technologies while cultivating meaningful human relationships. Its mission is to increase awareness of the social, ethical, and human implications of AI, and to create spaces where people make sense of the future together. Learn more at humanarium.co or follow on Instagram.

Media Contact

Cigdem Oztabak
Founder, Curator, Humanarium
cigdem@humanarium.co

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SOURCE: Humanarium

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