The DELTA Summit, hosted by the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, is a unique gathering bringing together technologists, ecumenical faith leaders, educators, scholars, students, and policymakers for three days of events organized around the theme of navigating the AI transition in a way that centers human formation.
For the first time, the gathering will also bring together over 50 young adults, ranging in age from 14-25, who are part of the emerging GenDELTA Network. Recognizing that current high school and college students will be disproportionately impacted by both the promise and peril of AI and other emerging technologies, the Network brings together young adults interested in wrestling with tough questions about AI and exploring how to tangibly support human flourishing and the common good as they navigate this transition.
The program will spotlight real-world applications of the DELTA framework (Dignity, Embodiment, Love, Transcendence, and Agency), a faith-based approach to AI ethics launched at last year’s inaugural 2025 Summit on AI, Faith, and Human Flourishing.
The Summit program will include several keynote speakers, small group breakout sessions, and workshops led by the DELTA Faith and AI Rapid Response Grant Recipients.
The DELTA Summit supports the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good’s integral mission to convene a multidisciplinary community of scholars, students, and leaders to advance moral understanding and develop compelling responses to the most pressing ethical issues of our era.
Watch the Summit Live
Each event will be live streamed directly to this page.
Questions? Reach out to Hannah Heinzekehr, Senior Program Director of Engagement, at hheinzek@nd.edu.
Opening Mass
Monday, September 21, 2026 | 5:15 p.m. EDT
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, preaching and presiding, with Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., president, University of Notre Dame, concelebrating
Opening Dinner
Monday, September 21, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. EDT
Remarks by Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., President, University of Notre Dame, and a blessing from Cardinal Blase J. Cupich.
One Year of DELTA: Stories, Epiphanies,
and Prophecies
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | 9:00 a.m. EDT
Keynote reflections from Meghan Sullivan, Lead DELTA Architect, Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy and Director, Institute for Ethics and the Common Good and Ethics Initiative, University of Notre Dame
Professor Sullivan will open with reflections on what we’ve learned since the DELTA framework was launched into the world at last year’s Summit, and what to expect in the days ahead (hint: it involves doubling down on centering human dignity).
DELTA in The Last Judgment: How Sacred Art Can Illuminate the DELTA Framework
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. EDT
Keynote address by Elizabeth Lev, Art Historian, Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
As artificial intelligence pushes us to re-examine age-old questions of human identity, sacred art offers an enduring window to our souls. In this address, art historian Elizabeth Lev explores how Michelangelo’s monumental masterpiece, The Last Judgment, allows us to visually experience and deeply internalize the five DELTA principles, deepening our understanding of human dignity, physical embodiment, and transcendent purpose.
GenDELTA: AI as an Agent of Change
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. EDT
A discussion featuring Nathaniel Cook, Chief Information and Technology Officer, and Conal Fagan, Senior Manager for Global Strategic Partnerships, Special Olympics International, reflecting on both the promise and peril of the AI transformation.
The GenDELTA cohort at the Summit refers to emerging leaders in high school and college who will disproportionately live through the impact of AI and other emerging technologies.
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