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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Isabelle C. Hau

With AI in education, how do we build tools, environments, and policies that center human connection—and accelerate learning?

Speaker on AI and Education | Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning

Lavin Exclusive Speaker

Educators are racing to adopt AI, and the stakes could not be higher. If we design AI systems that mirror outdated, industrial-era models of education, we will automate the past instead of inventing a more equitable and creative human future. Enter the work of Isabelle C. Hau, a visionary leader who is transforming the way we nurture and educate our children—and helping to build the future of learning. A go-to advisor for AI companies and director of the world-renowned Stanford Accelerator for Learning, she is uniquely positioned to connect cutting-edge science, real-world practice, and ethical, human-centered AI innovation. In keynotes that combine storytelling grace and deep research, she discusses relational intelligence (the skill of the future) in the age of artificial intelligence. What truly drives learning? And how can we build environments, tools, and policies that center human connection?

“Isabelle is a visionary who combines intellect, heart, and action. She doesn’t just ask what’s next in learning—she helps us build it, wisely.”—Sal Khan, Founder of Khan Academy

Isabelle C. Hau has spent her storied career at the intersection of learning, innovation, and impact. As a successful impact investor, Isabelle previously led the US education practice at Omidyar Network and Imaginable Futures, where she invested in mission-driven organizations. She is currently the Executive Director of one of the world’s most future-facing education initiatives, the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, where she leverages brain science and technology to champion innovative, effective, and inclusive learning solutions. Also at Stanford, she teaches the class “Design to Equip Learners in Under-Resourced Communities.” Her essays and talks on AI, relational intelligence, and early childhood are widely shared. In all her work, she reminds us that the best learning opportunities are rooted in relationships, safety, and joy.

Isabelle is the author of Love to Learn: The Transformative Power of Care and Connection in Early Education and writes a popular weekly newsletter, “Small Talks.” She was named one of the 100 Most Inspiring Women at Harvard Business School. A mother of two, she co-starred with Grover of Sesame Street, and serves on the board of EDC and Sonen, and on the steering committee of the EdSAFE AI Alliance and the Brookings Institute Global AI Taskforce. Her lifelong professional goal is to bring the love of learning to each and every child.

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Derek Thompson

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Clint Smith

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Speech Topics

Education

Love to LearnReimagining Learning in the Age of AI

In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, Isabelle C. Hau, Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, invites us to reimagine the future by returning to what matters most: human connection. Her talk will shine a light on relational intelligence—our capacity to love, listen, and build trust—as the most essential skill of the AI era. Focusing on early childhood, where relationships literally wire the brain for learning and lifelong wellbeing, Isabelle will make a bold, research-backed case: if we want to raise thriving humans in a digital age, we must start by centering love and connection in how we teach, care, and lead. In this revelatory talk, she gives you: a new language for talking about learning, intelligence, and human development; a clear, research-based framework for what truly drives learning—from birth to lifelong; a powerful reminder that relational intelligence is the skill of the future; and concrete ideas for how to design learning environments, tools, and policies that center human connection. With a warm, inspiring style that blends storytelling with research, she invites audiences to reflect, and challenges them to act — to both feel the urgency and to see the possibilities. Audiences will walk away with a completely redefined understanding of learning—as something deeply human, relational, and relevant in the age of AI.