September 29 – October 1, 2026 | MIT Campus
EmTech MIT brings together leaders, researchers, and builders to explore the technologies shaping the years ahead. Since 1999, the conference has served as a space to understand innovation at the intersection of artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, energy systems, and human capability.
This year, members of the MIT Media Lab community are leading conversations on Wednesday, September 30 about the future of human-technology relationships and the role of energy in technological convergence.
11:15 AM | The Bionic Body: Hugh Herr will explore how engineering, biology, and design are reshaping human mobility through advances in biomechatronics and changing the relationship between body and machine, opening new possibilities for restoration, performance, and human capability.
11:35 AM | The Nervous System, Extended: Paul Liang will discuss how technology is connecting more closely with the body's sensory and nervous systems through AI, sensing, and human-machine interfaces to restore, extend, and understand human capability in new ways.
11:45 AM | Merging Brain and AI at the Nanoscale: Deblina Sarkar will present surgery-free nano-electronic brain-computer interfaces that can be placed inside the brain without surgery, offering new possibilities for treating neurological diseases and enabling the convergence of biological and artificial intelligence.
11:55 AM | Measuring AI's Human Impact: Pat Pataranutaporn will address new approaches to evaluating AI systems and why measuring human impact may become essential as intelligent technologies move deeper into daily life.
12:05 PM | The Human Frontier: Panel Discussion: Hugh Herr, Paul Liang, Deblina Sarkar, and Pat Pataranutaporn will come together to explore how the convergence of AI, biology, and human-machine technologies is reshaping human potential.
5:45 PM | Rethinking Our Relationship with AI: Jessica Rosenworcel and New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Cory Doctorow will join in a special guest interview for a thought-provoking look at AI today and a future in which humanity successfully harnesses the power of new AI technologies — rather than the other way around.