Oxford Convergence 2026 - meetings

 Education faces deep challenges: the stranglehold of high-stakes examinations, endemic teacher burnout, the reduction of learning to measurable outcomes. Students increasingly turn to AI to get work done, to take shortcuts that risk bypassing genuine learning. This student use of AI exposes a deeper crisis. If machines can write essays, solve problems, and produce correct answers, what does it mean to be educated? What is distinctively human about thinking? These are not merely practical questions about how to prevent cheating. They are existential questions about what we are educating humans for. AI forces us back to first principles. What is education actually for? What kind of thinking, what kind of formation, what kind of human flourishing are we pursuing? These questions cannot be answered by better technology or stricter policies. They require us to articulate what is genuinely valuable in education and whether our current practices serve those values. Instead of a purely theoretical discussion, we want to focus on real experiences that already suggest positive and creative ways to address these challenges. Therein lies the opportunity for renewal. 

The devastating impact of violent crime extends beyond the clinical sequelae. 

The propagating effects of despair, cynicism, and a self-destructive trajectory cannot be fixed by simply healing the injury. 

The Clinical Director for the Violence Reduction Programme, both in London and for the UK, is a trauma surgeon who works at The Royal London Hospital. 

Since 2015, he has instigated programmes that aim to understand the patient’s story that preceded their injury. The objective is no longer just “patch people up” and discharge them to the same toxic milieu that led to the injury but to provide a network of support that will alter their trajectory. 

Part of this programme is the work done by the St Giles Trust, who make contact with anyone affected by serious youth violence. In their own words, they approach the patient at “the teachable moment – [when] they are seriously hurt and at their most vulnerable and recognise they need help”. 

A presentation by members of the Violence Reduction Programme and the St Giles Trust would showcase the work they do to turn lives around.

  Being Human in the Context of War: Seeds of Hope 

In the light of today’s global crises, this panel examines how, even within contexts dominated by war, the human capacity for solidarity and acts of humanity can generate tangible forms of hope. By shifting attention to moments where humanity persists and where solidarity takes root even amidst violence, it reflects on how hope is not merely aspirational but a concrete social reality that endures beyond conflict.

 Generative AI has rapidly become the most prominent and heavily invested technological frontier, often adopted hastily by companies driven by fear of falling behind. As progress accelerates, fundamental questions emerge: should we be concerned, are humans at risk of becoming obsolete, and what truly defines human intelligence? These questions have also engaged the Catholic Church. Pope Francis has met with leading AI innovators, and in January 2025 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published Antiqua et Nova, reflecting on the relationship between artificial and human intelligence, its opportunities, and its risks. Pope Leo XIV further underscored AI’s epochal significance by likening it to the Industrial Revolution and committing to moral guidance in this new era. 

This technological revolution brings both promise and challenge. Antiqua et Nova stresses that technology is good only when it serves the human person and the common good. Beyond policy, human freedom, responsibility, and dialogue are essential to ensure AI enhances relationships rather than deepening isolation or marginalisation. 

Seeing Through the Lens: A Conversation with Gregory Halpern

Gregory Halpern’s photographs don’t shout—they linger. His images capture fleeting moments that feel both intimate and distant, revealing a world of quiet connections where solitude and belonging intertwine. A man on a corner, the light catching his face just so. A street at dusk, empty yet alive. His work invites us to look again, to notice what’s hidden in plain sight. In conversation with Luca Fiore, this panel explores how photography sharpens our perception of reality and deepens our understanding of one another. Through the artist’s eye, we may find ourselves closer to the truth—and to each other.