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AI & SOCIETY
AI & SOCIETY

Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Communication

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AI & SOCIETY - 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

Dates: 12–15 July 2026
Venue: Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI), Morocco
Format: in-Person

Background and Rationale

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in societal systems, influencing decision-making, public services, economic models, cultural production, and everyday life. While AI innovation is often driven by technical performance and market forces, its societal, ethical, governance, and human implications require sustained, interdisciplinary engagement.

The AI and Society Symposium 2026 is conceived as a multidimensional and cross-sector forum that brings together diverse perspectives on AI from technical development to societal impact without privileging any single disciplinary lens. The symposium recognizes that responsible and sustainable AI emerges from the interaction of multiple forms of expertise, including computing & engineering, social sciences, philosophy, public policy, and business practice.

The symposium aligns with the interdisciplinary tradition of AI & Society,  Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Communication (Springer Nature), which for four decades has examined the societal, cultural, ethical, and communicative dimensions of artificial intelligence. It is organized in the context of the journal’s 40-year anniversary, marking a moment of reflection on past contributions while engaging with emerging challenges and future directions for AI in society.

Objectives

The symposium aims to:

  • Foster cross-disciplinary dialogue on AI’s societal, ethical, economic, and governance implications.
  • Bring together research, practice, policy, and industry perspectives on AI.
  • Highlight inclusive and responsible AI approaches relevant to diverse global contexts.
  • Encourage collaboration between academia, civil society, industry, and public institutions.
  • Generate high-quality scholarly and reflective outputs contributing to AI & Society discourse.

Key Dimensions and Themes

The symposium will be organized around complementary dimensions, including:

  • Applied Technical Solutions for Local Challenges: AI applications in areas such as climate resilience, agriculture, health, education, urban services, and public administration, with emphasis on deployment in resource-constrained and context-specific environments
  • Societal and Ethical Dimensions: Fairness, accountability, inclusion, human-centered AI, and social impact
  • Philosophical and Conceptual Reflections: Agency, responsibility, values, and meaning in socio-technical systems
  • Governance, Policy, and Regulation: AI governance frameworks, public sector use, and digital rights
  • Economic and Business Perspectives: AI innovation, entrepreneurship, deployment challenges, and organizational impact

Stakeholders and Partners

The symposium is organized by the Digital Innovation Lab (DIL), Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, with the support of strategic partners:

AI & Society, Upanzi Network, EngageAI (https://engage-ai.org/ ), IEEE, Women in AI

Participants and contributors will include AI researchers, data scientists, philosophers, social scientists, policymakers, civil society actors, and business leaders from diverse geographic and professional backgrounds.

Scholarly Outputs

Selected contributions from the symposium will be invited for submission to AI & Society, subject to the journal’s standard editorial and peer-review processes. Possible formats include symposium notes, reflective essays, position papers, or a thematic collection, aligned with the journal’s interdisciplinary scope.


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