13 - 15 July 2026 · Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco

AI and Society
International Symposium
2026.

Applied AI for societal impact in the Global South, in the context of four decades of AI & Society scholarship. Three days at Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, uniting researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and industry leaders.

00
DAYS
00
HRS
00
MIN
00
SEC
Submit Your Paper →
// 01Premise

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming societies, shaping how we live, work, and govern. It offers opportunities, but also ethical, social, and policy challenges, especially in underrepresented regions.

This symposium fosters inclusive, interdisciplinary dialogue, uniting perspectives from the Global South and beyond to ensure AI reflects diverse societal needs.

Across three days in Ifrane, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and industry leaders will gather to confront the next decade of AI & Society scholarship.

// 02Objectives

Six aims for the symposium.

01

Context-aware AI

Approaches grounded in local realities, especially in the Global South.

02

Interdisciplinary dialogue

Across technical, social, and policy perspectives.

03

Responsible practices

Inclusive frameworks for AI development and deployment.

04

Cross-sector collaboration

Bridging academia, industry, and policy institutions.

05

Emerging voices

Mentor early-career researchers and practitioners.

06

Shared knowledge

Open repository of papers and frameworks.

// 03Why now

AI is already shaping key sectors, from education and healthcare to governance. As adoption accelerates, so do concerns around bias, inequality, and accountability.

THE MOMENT

This is a critical moment to ensure AI is developed and governed in ways that are inclusive, ethical, and socially grounded, work that cannot wait for consensus from a single region or discipline.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES
01
Scholarly outputs
Papers, essays, journal contributions
02
New collaborations
Interdisciplinary partnerships
03
Policy insights
Actionable governance guidance
04
Shared repository
Open archive of symposium materials
→ Formation of collaborative working group to advance outcomes and develop practical solutions.
// 04Programme

Details.

DATES13 - 15 July 2026
LOCATIONAl Akhawayn University, Ifrane
FORMATIn-person
FOCUSApplied AI · Global South societal impact
AUDIENCEResearchers, practitioners, policymakers, industry

Five themes.

Applied technical solutions01

Climate, agriculture, health, education, urban services, public administration, with emphasis on resource-constrained, context-specific deployment.

Societal & ethical dimensions02

Fairness, accountability, inclusion, human-centered AI, social impact.

Philosophical reflections03

Agency, responsibility, values, and meaning in socio-technical systems.

Governance, policy & regulation04

AI governance frameworks, public sector use, digital rights.

Economic & business perspectives05

Innovation, entrepreneurship, deployment challenges, organizational impact.

// 05Voices

Featured speakers.

Dr. Houda Chakiri
Dr. Houda Chakiri
CHAIR
Asst. Professor · Al Akhawayn University
Director of the Digital Innovation Lab at AUI, Ifrane. Researcher in responsible AI and digital public infrastructure for Africa. Senior IEEE Member.
Karamjit S. Gill
Karamjit S. Gill
CO-CHAIR
Professor Emeritus · Univ. of Brighton
Co-founder and Founding Editor of AI & Society journal (Springer, 1987). Pioneer of human-centred thinking at the intersection of AI and society.
Emad Tinawi
Emad Tinawi
Founder · Engage AI
Former Senior Partner at PwC Dubai and Managing Partner MENA at Monitor Group. Advocate for equitable AI-driven social and economic development.
RN
Rajakishore Nath
Professor of Philosophy · IIT Bombay
Associate Editor of AI & Society journal. Researcher in Philosophy of AI, Philosophy of Mind, and AI Ethics; author on consciousness and moral agency.
Satinder P. Gill
Satinder P. Gill
Research Scientist · Univ. of Cambridge
Centre for Music and Science, Cambridge. Associate Editor of AI & Society. Researcher in rhythm, tacit knowing, and embodied human-AI interaction.
Dr. Sofia Ghacham
Dr. Sofia Ghacham
Founder · Women in AI Morocco
State Engineer and ICT researcher; Department Head at ONCF (Morocco's National Railway Office). Advocate for responsible, inclusive AI and gender diversity in tech.
Tom Willkens
Tom Willkens
Visiting Asst. Professor · Al Akhawayn University
Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts Foundations faculty at AUI. Researcher in coevolutionary algorithms, deep reinforcement learning, and artificial life.
Kaoutar El Maghraoui
Kaoutar El Maghraoui
Principal Research Scientist · IBM Research
Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. Expert in AI hardware-software co-design and foundation models; global vice-chair of Arab Women in Computing (ArabWIC).
MK
Manohar Kumar
Asst. Professor · IIIT Delhi
Researcher in Applied Ethics, AI Ethics, and Political Philosophy. Dept of Social Sciences & Humanities, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi.
CB
Caterina Berbenni-Rehm
CEO · PROMIS@Service
Advisory Board member of AI & Society journal (Springer). Digital transformation innovator specialising in AI ethics-by-design and multilingual governance at scale.
Steve Watson
Steve Watson
Associate Professor · Univ. of Cambridge
Faculty of Education, Cambridge. Transdisciplinary researcher on AI, LLMs, and democracy. Co-founder of EdgeLab; speaker at Davos and the World Economic Forum.
Filippo Fabrocini
Filippo Fabrocini
Full Professor · Tongji University
Director of the Sustainable AI Lab, Tongji University. Associate Editor of AI & Society. Former IBM Research scientist. Research in Ethical AI, ML, and Quantum Neural Networks.
BF
Britta Nordin Forsberg
Senior Lecturer · Mälardalen University
Researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Work spans talent management, technology-enhanced learning, and digital tools in organisations.
SR
Sushruth Ravish
Asst. Professor · IIT Kanpur
Dept of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT Kanpur. PhD from IIT Bombay. Research in ethics, epistemology, and the limits of transparency and explainability in AI systems.
Alfredo M. Ronchi
Alfredo M. Ronchi
Associate Professor · Politecnico di Milano
General Secretary, EC-MEDICI Framework. UNESCO IFAP delegate since 2003. Author of 450+ papers on e-Culture, AI Ethics, and digital transformation impacts on society.
Moise Busogi
Moise Busogi
Asst. Teaching Professor · CMU-Africa
Co-Director of the Upanzi Network. Deputy Director at Kigali Collaborative Research Centre. Research in ML, operations research, and AI for Africa.
ZM
Zain Moosa
CEO · Magnus Ventures
Entrepreneur, investor, and technology consultant. Member of the CxO Global Forum.
Chrysi Nanou
Chrysi Nanou
Music Fellow & Lecturer · RPI
Stanford CCRMA alumna. Pianist, sound artist, and researcher at the intersection of music, technology, and human cognition. Board member, International Computer Music Association.
Hind Lamharhar
Hind Lamharhar
Professor · INSEA, Rabat
Senior NLP and data engineer. Professor at INSEA and Mohammed V University, Morocco. Research in AI, NLP, Machine Learning, and e-Government applications.
// 06Call for papers

Submit your paper.

Abstracts have been accepted. Selected speakers can now upload full papers ahead of the symposium.

PAPER DEADLINE: 25.06.2026
// Organizing Committee
HC
Houda Chakiri
SG
Satinder Gill
AA
Abderrahim Agnaou
AB
Asmae Bentaleb
AK
Ahmed Khalayoun
NS
Najlaa Sabir
// Organizers
D.I Lab
AI & Society Journal
Al Akhawayn University
// Partners & Sponsors
AFRETEC Network
Engage AI
Upanzi Network
Women in AI Morocco
IEEE Women in Engineering Morocco Section