2026 National Symposium on Effective and Ethical AI

“2026 Theme: Human-AI Collaboration: Empowerment, Agency, and Belonging.”

The Center for Equitable AI & Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS) at Morgan State University hosts the National Symposium on Effective and Ethical AI each year. The event brings together technologists, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders for critical and constructive reflection on artificial intelligence’s past, present, and future, with special attention to the mission of making AI useful, safe, and beneficial for all.

For our 2026 theme, we especially encourage presentations that explore:  
    • human-AI interaction in real application domains
    • types and models of agents and agency (human, AI, collaborative, or otherwise)
    • how human agency, empowerment, and/or belonging can be furthered or threatened by human-AI interactions

Among others, we welcome discussions of these themes in the following areas:

 Agriculture (for instance: Generative Farming)
 Healthcare (for instance: Diagnostics)
 K-12, College, and Graduate Education
 Legal Landscape and Judicial Support
 The Arts (for instance: Authorship, Originality, Copyright)
 Robotics
 Therapy (for instance: Cyberpsychology)
 Culture and Cultural Implications

Confirmed Speakers:

• Jeffrey Bardzell (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
• Jere Boudell (Clayton State University)
• David Danks (University of Virginia)
• Chungcheng Liu (Northeastern University)
• Olusola Olabanjo (Lagos State University / Morgan State University)
• Gabriella Waters (Virginia State University)

We welcome researchers, practitioners, educators, and community leaders to share their insights and innovations. Submission details will be posted soon, with a deadline of April 6, 2026. Decisions will be announced by May 15, 2026.