“AI knows more than we do. But does it also know what wants to come?”
Newsletter | Salonhosting | September 2026
Dear Subscriber,
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing our relationship to knowledge. It has access to global knowledge – to more than any single person could ever obtain alone. In a matter of seconds, it can synthesize information, recognize patterns, compare perspectives, and access knowledge that would take us humans decades to acquire.
AI has access to what we already know that is virtually impossible to match.
That fascinates me. At the same time, it leads me to another, perhaps even more important question:
What happens to that which cannot yet be known because it is still in the process of emerging?
When Existing Knowledge Is No Longer Enough
The future does not arise solely from processing what we already know. There are situations in which existing answers no longer hold up, in which we do not simply need more information, and in which we will not make progress simply by each of us thinking even harder on our own.
Innovation does not happen by simply thinking even harder. The New emerges when people collectively enter a different state of awareness.
In my work with executives, teams, salons, and dialogue formats over the years, I have seen that something new can emerge when people begin to speak to one another differently and, above all, listen differently: Not with the urge to come up with a solution as quickly as possible, nor with the question of who is right, but with the willingness to set aside one’s own knowledge for a moment, to truly take different perspectives into account, and to tolerate the Not Knowing. It is the process, that counts, and which get’s cut off when AI alone is being applied.
That’s when a conversation changes. What was once merely an exchange of existing opinions becomes a shared process of discovery.
Spaces for Shared Understanding
For me, this is a central human task in the age of artificial intelligence: to create spaces where we can collectively gain access to what is not yet known.
To insights that no one had previously brought to the table. To possibilities that only become visible when we perceive them together. To decisions that do not simply follow from data or known solutions, but arise from a deeper understanding of what a situation requires at this moment.
Such spaces do not arise automatically. Simply putting people in a room does not create collective intelligence. It requires a certain quality of attention and connection. This is precisely where I see the significance of dialogue, conversation, and the Art of Hosting: not merely as methods of communication, but as forms that can facilitate a shared space of new understanding.
The Bregenzer Salon is a space where this has often been achieved. Many years ago, when this space belonged to my great-grandmother’s Gasthaus Tötsch and discussions were underway about founding the Bregenz Festival; then in 2010, during the Bregenz Salon’s early years, when Art of Hosting took root in Vorarlberg; and just recently again, when I had the privilege of hosting the Kultursalon. You’ll find a brief recap later in this newsletter.
A skill for the future
Conversation, dialogue, and presence will therefore become even more important in the coming years as a complement to technology.
The crucial question will not only be what we can know, but above all, the nature of the attention with which we shape our future.
Kindly,Ursula Hillbrand
Mag. iur. Ursula Hillbrand
Transformation Consultant | Executive Coach | Processdesigner
Upcoming Events, Workshops, and Training Sessions
11 September 2026
“The Art of Hosting – how to create spaces for change”
Leadershift 2026The brand eins Conference for Young LeadersHamburg’s Oberhafen
Hamburg
Why is it so important to truly listen, and what does it lead to?What role do self-leadership, authentic participation, trust filled conversational spaces and co-creation play?Where do I and my organisation stand in the change process?What does trust feel like, and how can we create it?
In this interactive workshop, you will experience how the Art of Hosting and the Two Loops of Change can design spaces where transformation is held and supported collectively. You will learn how to preserve what is valuable while fostering innovation. The workshop combines guidance, self-reflection and practical application. You’ll gain a clearer understanding of your own role in the change process and develop actionable insights that you can put into practice straight away in meetings, teams and transformation processes.
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25 – 27 September 2026
“Where courage begins, the future grows”
DACHLi conferenceof BPW (Business and Professional Women)
Bregenz
Join us on Friday, September 25, as we visit Austria’s only women’s museum in the idyllic Bregenzerwald.
We’ll take a guided tour of the new exhibition “Working for Peace: On Justice, Democracy, and Gender.”
This exhibition is part of the COURAGE project.
Or when we join the “Bregenz Power Women” city tour on Sunday, September 27, to hear inspiring and fascinating stories about extraordinary and courageous women from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Look forward to inspiring stories of courage from (professional) life – and to new perspectives that move you. To conversations that inspire.
Be there when courage gives rise to new opportunities!
The BPW DACHLI conference is the platform for professional women from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
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December 2–3, 2026
“Empowering Women in Leadership”
Develop leadership skills, gain new perspectives,
and act with authentic effectiveness!
online
The topics of “women in leadership roles” and “leadership tandems” are becoming increasingly relevant, particularly in the public sector. Current figures show a high proportion of female leaders; at the same time, women are more likely to work part-time and show greater interest in alternative leadership models, such as shared leadership positions.
This seminar provides an opportunity to reflect on one’s own understanding of leadership, to examine role models, and to consider possible differences between various leadership styles. In addition, modern leadership models – such as shared and collaborative leadership – will be introduced, which enable new forms of collaboration beyond traditional hierarchies.
Another element is the model of the four dimensions of leadership – a practical tool for analysing and further developing one’s own leadership role.
An online seminar by What a Day! Berlin
Offers
You can experience genuine spaces for encounter and change,
you can also learn and practice
how to design conversations, meetings, workshops and participatory processes
in ways that generate clarity, collaboration and new possibilities.
📩 Book an introductory meeting and find out how Ursula can support you:
Where the old no longer works and the new is not yet born.
Mindful coaching during times of transition.
For you personally.
For your team.
For your organisation.
For co-creative working.
For innovative approaches to holistic leadership.
As an anchor for the right mindset.
Online with empathic connection.
“Design spaces where collaboration thrives, and find your the right place for your own inner leadership.”
