From 31 August to 5 September 2026, Orientation in a Volatile World brings together a selected group of young participants at Holzmarkt in Berlin for an intensive programme exploring identity, society, technology, and the transformations shaping the future.

Over six days, the programme combines lectures, workshops, group exercises, sports, meditation, reflection, music, discussions, and informal exchange. The programme is designed to create space for participants to engage with questions around the impact of artificial intelligence, changing industries, human behaviour, communities, education, business, and the future of society.

Architecture & AI

As part of the programme, Elke Presser, Founder and CO CEO of STERLING PRESSER Architects & Engineers, will contribute a session titled “Building a House in the Future: Architecture & AI.” The session explores the relationship between architecture and artificial intelligence and considers how emerging technologies may influence the way we imagine, design, and build the spaces of the future.

The architecture session is part of a wider programme dedicated to understanding the implications of AI across different areas of life and work. Other sessions address topics including AI and its implications for human beings, AI and psychology, AI and medicine, law and AI, HR and AI, brand building and marketing in the age of AI, and the future of education.

A multidisciplinary programme

The camp brings together speakers from a wide range of professional and creative backgrounds. Among them are Tom Tykwer, filmmaker known for Run Lola Run, Cloud Atlas, Babylon Berlin and other works; Jona Carmon, AI and Psychology Researcher at the Max Planck Institute and Founder of Senze.ai; Jochen Sengpiehl, author, advisor and former Global Chief Marketing Officer at Volkswagen and Chief Marketing Officer China at Hyundai; and Dr. Klaus Stöckemann, Managing Partner at Peppermint Venture Partners.

The programme also features Kai Lanz, CEO and Founder of Krisenchat, together with therapist Richard Haas, exploring social and psychological questions around loneliness in a digital world. Other contributors include Christine Danziger, Partner at LOH Law Firm and AI lead in her firm, specialising in copyright, media, and data protection law, as well as Alexandra Krammer, Consultant at Beyond Bias.

The programme extends beyond technology and AI. Sessions include the Future of Education, Future Enterprise Fitness, New Age, New Communities, Brafe. Space and communities for entrepreneurs and builders, as well as discussions around psychology, medicine, creativity, marketing, and social change.

Learning, reflection and exchange

Alongside the lectures, participants take part in guided meditation and mindfulness sessions, group exercises, sports activities including boxing, yoga, strength training and pilates, as well as dedicated periods for reflection and informal exchange.

The final day focuses on reflection and group discussion, asking participants to consider what actions they see for themselves in the new age of AI and whether the experience should become the starting point for something that goes further.

The programme takes place across several spaces at Holzmarkt, including the Salöön, Spreelunke, and Sonnendeck, creating an environment that combines learning, discussion, community, and leisure.