Manulife Announces Presenting Partnership of The Hinton Lectures™ on AI Safety

5, Oct 2026

Manulife Announces Presenting Partnership of The Hinton Lectures™ on AI Safety

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This partnership will advance public understanding of AI safety, led by Nobel Laureate Geoffrey Hinton and supported by Manulife’s commitment to Responsible AI

TORONTO, Oct. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Manulife is proud to announce a two-year presenting partnership with The Hinton Lectures™, supporting the 2026 and 2027 lecture series dedicated to advancing public understanding and scientific discourse on AI safety. The 2026 lectures, which will be held in Toronto this November, are co-founded by Nobel Laureate Professor Geoffrey Hinton, a renowned AI expert, and the AI Safety Foundation.

Hinton Lectures Poster

This partnership builds on Manulife’s commitment to Responsible AI and support for informed dialogue on the responsible development of AI. Guided by its Responsible AI Principles, Manulife is focused on developing and deploying AI in a way that creates value for customers, colleagues and society while maintaining trust, managing risk, and promoting accountability.

“Our support for The Hinton Lectures™ reflects Manulife’s commitment to advancing responsible AI,” said Jodie Wallis, Manulife’s Global Chief AI Officer. “AI is evolving quickly, and so are the questions around how we develop and use it responsibly. The Hinton Lectures bring together thoughtful perspectives from across research, industry and policy, and we’re proud to be part of that conversation.”

The Hinton Lectures™ are hosted by Professor Geoffrey Hinton and feature world-leading experts in AI safety. This year’s keynote speaker is Paul Christiano, a leading expert in AI safety and alignment. The lecture series will take place November 9-11, 2026, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto. The events are open to the public and will also be livestreamed.

Manulife senior leaders will participate throughout the series, delivering opening remarks and sharing perspectives on responsible AI, governance, trust and innovation alongside leaders from research, industry and policy.

“We’re pleased to welcome Manulife back to The Hinton Lectures, this year as our presenting partner,” said Ankesh Chandaria, CEO of the AI Safety Foundation. “Their expanded support reflects a shared commitment to advancing thoughtful conversations about the responsibilities that come with AI. We’re proud to partner with an organization that is helping drive the responsible adoption of AI and bring these important discussions to a broader audience.”

Manulife has been actively investing in and scaling AI capabilities since 2016. In the past four years, the firm has significantly increased the value enabled through AI by expanding its AI solutions portfolio and increasing efficiency through data and AI platform investments. Manulife has been named the number one life insurance company for AI maturity for the second consecutive year, and ranks among the top insurers overall in the 2026 Evident AI Index for Insurance. More information on Manulife’s AI progress can be found on Manulife.com/AI.

The public can register for tickets or the livestream online at HintonLectures.com. The event is organized by the AI Safety Foundation and hosted by Professor Geoffrey Hinton.

For additional details on the 2026 Hinton Lectures, including this year’s distinguished lecturer announcement, please see the AI Safety Foundation’s announcement here.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Anchored in our ambition to be the number one choice for customers, we operate as Manulife across Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice, insurance and health solutions for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment solutions, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2025, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 106,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 37 million customers with operations across 25 markets globally. We trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges, and under ‘945’ on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

Media Contact

Emily English (647) 544-2800

emily_english@manulife.ca

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