“If you’ve ever wanted to improve your ability to connect with those around you, build trust, and share authentically, attend this program.”
AI Leadership Retreat
Dates
April 9-12, 2026 + 3 optional online application sessions (dates TBD)
Scotts Valley, CA
November 6-9, 2025 + 3 optional online application sessions* (Dec 16, 2025; Jan 27, 2026; Feb 24, 2026) - Waitlist Only
Los Gatos, CA
Program Fee
$8,400 $0
The full cost of this program including room and board has been covered by our donors.
Congratulations on being nominated for the AI Leadership Retreat, supported in partnership by Leaders in Tech and the Golden Gate Institute for AI. This program is by personal invitation only, and your invitation is not transferable. If you’re interested in participating, please complete the brief application form below.
Eligible Participants
This is a private retreat for 12-13 influential leaders who have a role in shaping the course of AI and its impact on the world. Nominees have been chosen by the Leaders In Tech and Golden Gate Institute for AI communities, and include technology and product leaders working on AI, security experts, academics, thought leaders and policymakers, and those taking AI leadership roles in media and civil society groups.
Program Description
This program begins with an intensive 4-day retreat, followed by 3 optional virtual application sessions where participants can get help applying retreat learnings back into their work. It is designed to advance your leadership, communication, and self-understanding skills and help you play a positive, impactful part in shaping the future.
The program curriculum is based on T-groups, the same learning format as the legendary Interpersonal Dynamics ("Touchy Feely") program – the most popular course at the Stanford GSB for over 30 years. It will be led by experienced facilitators from that program. T-groups are small, deeply intimate groups in which participants discover for themselves how and when they are most influential, how their behaviors impact others and gain a richer toolkit for building trusting and powerful professional and personal relationships.
Participants in Leaders in Tech retreats routinely describe the experience as having a profound impact both professionally and personally (testimonials).
For clarity: while participants will all be drawn from the broader AI community, this retreat will NOT focus on discussions of AI. Instead, it is designed to build general skills that you can bring back to your daily life, helping you to navigate conversations about AI with greater self-awareness, interpersonal fluency and the ability to connect with others across differences – skills critical to both individual and collective success in navigating these complex topics.
“If you’ve never had a T Group experience, you must. What you’ll learn about yourself and others will improve all of your most important relationships and potentially change your life in just 4 days.”
Program Leadership & Facilitation
All LIT programs are steered by LIT’s co-founder and world-class teacher Dr. Carole Robin. Carole most recently served as the Faculty Director of the Interpersonal Dynamics for High Performance Executives Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB). She received the MBA Distinguished Teaching Award for her work in numerous courses, including Interpersonal Dynamics – the most popular elective course at the GSB for over 45 years. She is the co-author of “Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues,” based on the course, published by Penguin Random House.
Our AI Leadership Retreats will be taught and facilitated by our expert, Stanford-trained LIT facilitators in close collaboration Carole.
About Leaders In Tech
Leaders in Tech (LIT) is a 501c3 non-profit backed by a who’s who of industry leaders including Reid Hoffman, Accel, Greylock, Y Combinator, Lightspeed, Spark Capital, First Round, August Capital, Shasta Ventures, Foundry Group, Techstars, Evolve Foundation, and more. LIT helps founders and executives of high-growth tech companies develop the essential interpersonal skills needed to build effective and purposeful organizations that can have a positive impact in the world.
About Golden Gate Institute for AI
The Golden Gate Institute for AI is a think tank dedicated to addressing the most critical challenges of the transition to a world with powerful AI. We envision a future where institutions and experts across domains collaborate with urgency and humility to meet these oncoming challenges and opportunities, promoting security, democracy, and shared prosperity.
Our mission is to support leaders as they navigate this high-stakes period by bridging disciplines, convening experts, and publishing accessible analysis of AI’s toughest questions. When conflicting perspectives emerge on crucial questions, we serve as the organization you can turn to for clarity and insight.
AI Leadership Retreat Application Form
Please take a few minutes to complete the application below. All information will be kept confidential.