Stanford Faculty Club, California.
“Scientific advancement must be evaluated not just through economic outcomes but through a broader lens of economy, ecology and ethics… If traditional knowledge is not properly understood, all those scientific inquiries of the past will be concluded as only superstitions,” said Dattatreya Hosabale Ji, Sarkaryavah (General Secretary) of RSS.
Speaking on the panel “Science, Knowledge Systems and Civilizational Leadership,” Dattatreya Hosabale Ji delivered a powerful call for ethical integration of technology and tradition at THRIVE 2026, held April 16–17, 2026 at Stanford University Faculty Club.
The conference focused on three core pillars — artificial intelligence, sustainability, and health. The attendees include by Nobel laureates, global policymakers, visionary technologists, and ethicists to advance dialogue at the intersection of cutting-edge science and technology.
The opening session at the Computer History Museum featured a fireside chat with Ram Shriram and Vinod Khosla, setting the tone for high-level discussions.
The April 16 session also included an intimate engagement with Consuls General representing over 20 countries, who shared global perspectives on technology policy and governance.
The main conference on April 17 hosted over 20 high-impact roundtables spanning AI and technology, health, sustainability, and civilizational leadership.
These sessions produced concrete, actionable outcomes, including the Human Agency Standard, Trustworthy AI Audit Model, Edge AI Deployment Framework, Human-AI Work Design Model, and policy blueprints for ethical governance, all aimed at ensuring that technology serves humanity, promotes equity, and supports long-term civilizational flourishing.
Distinguished participants and speakers included –
- Prof. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate in Physics and former U.S. Secretary of Energy
- H.R. McMaster, former U.S. National Security Advisor
- Ram Shriram, American Businessman, Founding Board Member Google, USA
- Dattatreya Hosabale, Sarkaryavah (General Secretary) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharat
- Prof. Dame Juliet Gerrard, Former Chief Scientific Advisor to PM of New Zealand
- Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures and pioneering technology investor
Ram Shriram, American Businessman, Founding Board Member Google, USA, during his fireside chat, spoke about the future of education with AI. “Knowledge is going to be free and democratized and widely available, some of it happened with internet but with AI now it will happen at a greater pace and it’s adaptive learning customized to each user.”
Prof. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate in Physics and former U.S. Secretary of Energy, reflecting on the summit’s fusion of science and policy noted… “Technology revolution: AI is going to replace many, many jobs; how do you marry replacing jobs with a declining population? This transition is a huge challenge.”
Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures and pioneering technology investor, in his fireside conversation opening the proceedings explored intersection between AI, Health and Sustainability, observed – “My general view is we should strive for the cheapest technology to also be the most sustainable and that’s achievable if we put our mind to it”.
Juliet Gerrard, New Zealand Chief Science Advisor, remarked during the health panel, “You could take the politics out of long term wellness and health by having bipartisan non-political bodies across the world to have decision making authority”.
Prof. Anurag Mairal, the Chair of the Conference, in his opening remarks highlighted that GSIF was a forum focused on enabling global collaboration among scientists, engineers, and innovators to address the biggest problems our world faces, anchor the solutions in the cultural and civilizational context of the local communities, and to ensure that everyone benefits from the solutions.
He recognized the willingness of the top global minds from every continent to participate in the conference and to contribute to charting a new path for solving our collective challenges.
Expressing gratitude for the overwhelming response from the scientific and technology innovation community that participated in the conference, GSIF organizing committee co-chair Dr. Yashodhan Agalgaonkar stated, “THRIVE 2026 was conceived as a global convening of scientists, technologists, and policymakers to advance international cooperation in technology and promote the harmonization of policy frameworks. The 20+ white papers coming out of the conference are evidence of that cooperation”.
The summit was supported by a number of organizations, including the Global Indian Scientists and Technocrats Forum USA (GIST Forum USA), a premier non-profit platform that unites Indian-origin scientists, technologists, innovators, and thought leaders worldwide to advance ethical science, technology, and innovation for global challenges while bridging modern progress with civilizational wisdom.
“We are proud to be a sponsor of the conference. It was truly remarkable and brought together a synthesis of ancient wisdom and modern science to address emerging challenges for humanity,” said Dr. Yelloji Rao Mirajkar, International Coordinator, GIST USA.
“The Global Science Innovation Forum – THRIVE 2026 brought together global leaders in technology and policy to address critical governance challenges across AI, health, and sustainability.
As a sponsor, Palo Alto Networks is proud to contribute to advancing important conversations on the societal values shaping technology policy.” said Kelly Waldher, Chief Marketing Officer of Palo Alto Networks, which cosponsored the event. Other academic, industry, and not-for-profit organizations supported the event.
Nobel Laureate Prof. Steven Chu, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, speaking on the Energy Security panel.
Ram Shriram sharing his perspectives on the future of AI.