AI Meets Mindfulness: Global Forum Launches in Zurich as Artificial Intelligence and Human Consciousness Converge
As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes daily life, it also brings heightened anxiety, disorientation and urgent ethical dilemmas.
On 1 October, the newly established World Meditation Day Committee, in partnership with the World Meditation Foundation (WMF) and the ETH AI Center in Zurich, hosted the inaugural international forum “AI + Mindfulness: Elevating Human Awareness”. The event also marked the official launch of the Committee. Alongside the discussions came a global call to action: to join a synchronised meditation on 21 December, aimed at fostering balance and resilience in the human mind.
Forum Overview
Held as part of the Zurich AI Festival—one of Europe’s leading gatherings on artificial intelligence—the forum explored the intersection of technology and mindfulness. Organised by ETH Zurich, the festival convenes influential voices from academia, industry, and policy.
This was the first time that meditation and AI had been brought together on the international stage. The forum not only drew widespread attention but also signalled the Committee’s commitment to engaging in global debates on AI governance and cognitive science.
Establishment of the World Meditation Day Committee
In 2024, the World Meditation Foundation proposed to the United Nations that 21 December be recognised as World Meditation Day. The UN formally endorsed the initiative, creating a new global consensus.
Following that milestone, the Foundation spent a year preparing for the launch of the Committee, which was formally announced in Zurich. The move marks a shift from international advocacy to coordinated global action.
The Committee consists of five sub-committees: the Expert Committee, the Scientific Research Committee, the Humanities, Arts and Ethics Committee, the Global Meditation Retreat Centres Alliance, and the World Meditation Foundation itself. Each of the five sub-committees is respectively tasked with setting standards, advancing scientific research, fostering cultural and ethical dialogue, promoting resource sharing and innovation, and ensuring resource support. Together, they aim to make meditation a central force in global action.
Expert Voices
In the Al era, a central challenge is leveraging its benefits while mitigating risks such as manipulation, replacement, and cognitive decline from overreliance. Meditation, as an ancient practice, has regained scholarly attention, with experts across disciplines agreeing on its potential to enhance human wisdom and psychological resilience.
Our meditation research draws on China's profound cultural heritage and employs modern science to validate its benefits for humanity,embodying cultural confidence while fostering respectful cross-cultural exchange and mutual contribution.
——Professor Donghong Cui
It's very interesting, I've never been to an event with meditation in it, and the scope of the research is incredibly broad. I've never been in a room with so many different types of researchers. It's great. It is my hope that events of this kind will be carried forward and held again.
——Professor Elliott Ash
Most people who are in the paradigm of thinking as a means to solution are very strongly attached to it. To the extent that they are obsessed with it. AI is nothing more than a technology expansion of composed thinking: just go through everything, you will find the best solution by probability. And meditation is entirely different. True meditation will let you get rid of this obsession with thinking.
——Marc Jose Reinhardt
Proceedings of the Forum
The forum brought together meditation teachers, sociologists, psychiatrists, and AI researchers from Australia, China, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Liechtenstein, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the United States, and across Africa, in alphabetical order.
The programme featured keynote speeches, research presentations, meditation practices, a tea ceremony and roundtable dialogues. It opened with a brief silent entry, symbolising the need to turn inward amid accelerating technological change.
Speakers included Elliott Ash, Director of the Institute for Economic Research at ETH Zurich; Enrico Somma, from Liechtenstein—the UN sponsor of the World Meditation Day proposal—and Fei Yu, representatives of the World
Meditation Foundation. Together, they emphasized the global significance of the initiative and urged academics, industry leaders, and the public to address the psychological and social impacts of AI.
Professor Elliott Ash examined the relationship between “human intelligence and machine values”, arguing that while AI is reshaping decision-making and the distribution of resources, mindfulness can help humanity cultivate wisdom to guide this transformation.
Associate Professor Jagpreet Chhatwal of Harvard University presented research on “AI + Meditation for Public Health”, showing clinical results of mindfulness interventions and suggesting AI-driven personalised meditation plans to ease the burden on healthcare systems.
Zikai Wang, Chief Technology Officer of the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, addressed the forum virtually, calling for mindfulness to “calm the AI storm” by reducing societal anxiety and ethical panic.
Professor Petra Ahrweiler of Johannes Gutenberg University proposed a framework of “contemplative intelligence”, positioning meditation as a moral compass for AI governance and development.
Following a short tea break, Professor Patrick Francois of the University of British Columbia analysed the role of consciousness in shaping collective behaviour and social cooperation, suggesting meditation could enhance trust and improve public decision-making.
Professor Donghong Cui of Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s School of Medicine shared her latest research on “AI, Meditation and Precision Mental Health”, showing how meditation can help young people overcome depression and anxiety—achieving recovery even without long-term medication.
Interfaith and Cross-Cultural Dialogue
Beyond academic exchange, the forum became a platform for interfaith dialogue. Representatives from Islam, Christianity and Buddhism gathered to highlight the universal value of meditation.
Sufi teacher Marc Jose Reinhardt led a guided meditation; Professor Petra Ahrweiler brought insights from the Catholic tradition; Professor Chia-ju Chang of Brooklyn College shared perspectives from Mahāyāna Buddhism; while teachers from France and Sri Lanka introduced Theravāda practices.
The diversity of traditions showcased the depth and variety of meditation worldwide.
Meanwhile, doctoral researcher Hengqiu Hu presented a Sino-Japanese study, offering fresh international perspectives for meditation research.
Reflections and Outcomes
Experts agreed that artificial intelligence is reshaping thought, work and social structures at speed. Meditation, they argued, must serve as an anchor—helping individuals withstand the storms of anxiety brought about by AI and guiding the technology from a tool of efficiency and control into a partner for social and human development.
The Committee underlined that, in the age of AI, meditation is key to cultivating wisdom, balance and empathy. The outcomes of the forum will inform future global initiatives, bringing meditation into education, public policy and even AI design.
Significance and Outlook
This was the Committee’s first international appearance, marking its transition from an initial proposal into global action.
The Committee announced plans to launch a synchronised worldwide meditation on 21 December, inviting millions across time zones to take part. It will also collaborate with research institutions to study the wider impact of meditation on humanity and the planet.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Fei Yu
Board Member
World Meditation Foundation
Email: fei@worldmeditationfoundation.org
Website: www.worldmeditationfoundation.org
About the World Meditation Foundation
The World Meditation Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the practice and benefits of meditation worldwide. Through advocacy, education, and collaborative initiatives, the Foundation seeks to create a more mindful, compassionate, and sustainable world.