13 - 15 July 2026 · Al Akhawayn University, IFRANE, MA

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.

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// 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.

Context-aware AI

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

Interdisciplinary dialogue

Across technical, social, and policy perspectives.

Responsible practices

Inclusive frameworks for AI development and deployment.

Cross-sector collaboration

Bridging academia, industry, and policy institutions.

Emerging voices

Mentor early-career researchers and practitioners.

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

Scholarly outputs

Papers, essays, journal contributions

New collaborations

Interdisciplinary partnerships

Policy insights

Actionable governance guidance

Shared repository

Open archive of symposium materials

// 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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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).

// 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

AI and Society International Symposium 2026.