Conference

Online technologies, digital services, and most notably artificial intelligence (AI) have profoundly reshaped the ways we interact, learn, and work. These transformations touch every part of our social ecosystems, influencing how we educate our children, organize communities, and conduct business across sectors.

AI now affects all spheres of society. It opens extraordinary opportunities, enabling major advances in areas such as data processing, knowledge dissemination, humanitarian action, and medical analysis. Yet, these innovations also bring about critical challenges related to data protection, privacy, algorithmic bias, and complex ethical and educational dilemmas.

The International Symposium on AI and Societal Challenges aims to convene specialists, practitioners, and decision-makers to explore these pressing issues and discuss the implications of the rapid development of artificial intelligence.

A central ambition of this symposium is not only to foster dialogue, but also to actively engage participants in shaping future initiatives. Attendees will contribute to defining priorities, identifying emerging needs, and laying the foundations for sustained working groups and collaborative scientific activites, such as journals, events and conferences.

By participating, you will help build a lasting interdisciplinary network dedicated to understanding and addressing the societal challenges of AI, creating a platform for continuous exchange, joint research, and meaningful impact.

Speakers and Participants


Speakers and participants come from different backgrounds: academic institutions, international and civil society organizations, governments and private companies, representing different geographical regions. 


Themes

This year's edition of the symposium highlights three key domains where artificial intelligence intersects with major societal challenges:

Education

AI has the potential to transform education through personalization, enhanced accessibility, and new forms of learning innovation. Adaptive systems can support diverse learners and open pathways for inclusive education. At the same time, AI raises crucial questions regarding equity of access, data privacy, the role of teachers, and the long‑term impact on pedagogical practices. How can we ensure that AI strengthens, without replacing, human-centered education?

Ethics

The ethical implications of AI are central to contemporary societal debates. Issues such as transparency, fairness, accountability, and human agency are critical to ensuring that AI systems serve the public interest. Addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary perspectives and collective reflection on how to develop, govern, and deploy AI responsibly.

Humanitarian Action

AI is increasingly integrated into humanitarian action, supporting activities such as crisis mapping through satellite imagery, resource allocation, early detection of disasters, and coordination of emergency response. These technologies offer immense potential for improving efficiency and saving lives. Yet they also demand careful consideration of data sensitivity, operational integrity, and the need to avoid unintended harm. How can AI be designed and applied to strengthen humanitarian principles and maximize positive impact?

Possible Delivrables


Past conference (2023/4):