Every generation gets a moment when the economy changes shape. My grandparents lived through one. My parents lived through another. We are living through ours right now, and it is moving faster than any of them.
Artificial intelligence is already deciding who gets a loan, who gets an interview, and which small business shows up first when a customer goes looking. Most working families never asked for this change, and many of them have not been invited into the conversation about it. That is the reason our theme for HOPE Global Forums 2026 is Capitalism, Tech, and AI in a Human-Centric World.
I am a capitalist. I believe in free enterprise because I have watched it lift people out of poverty when they are given the tools and the access to take part. But capitalism without the people is just a spreadsheet, and technology without the people is just a machine. Our job is to make sure the next economy is built with human beings at the center, so that progress in a server room shows up as progress at the kitchen table.
That is a big job, and it belongs to all of us. Last year we stood on the main stage at Signia by Hilton with leaders from business, government, faith, entertainment, and community, and more than 5,000 delegates from over 30 countries came to Atlanta to do the work. Out of HOPE Global Forums came real commitments, including the AI Ethics Council I co-founded with Sam Altman to make sure the communities most affected by AI have a voice in how it is built.
This December 2 and 3, we return to Atlanta for our 12th year, and registration is now open.
The Forum has grown well beyond what we imagined when we started. More people want a seat in the room every year, and we have worked hard to keep raising the quality of what happens there. To keep that going, everyone who touches this Forum is putting a hand to it, and you will notice a few changes in how registration works this year. I see that as a sign of strength. A movement that people value is a movement people invest in.
So I am asking you to come. Bring your questions about where this economy is headed. Bring your ideas about how to make it work for the people who are too often left out. Bring your hope, because we are going to need all of it.
I will see you in Atlanta.
