2026 Conference on Society-Centered AI

February 12 – 14, 2026
Duke University Fuqua School of Business

The Conference on Society-Centered AI (#SCAI2026) brought together more than 950 attendees from 80+ companies and 50+ universities for Duke’s largest gathering yet focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on society. Held February 12–14 at the Fuqua School of Business, the conference featured three keynote talks, expert panels, 14 spotlight research presentations, 40 research posters and art exhibits, and multiple community-building events that highlighted the breadth of society-centered AI work happening across Duke and beyond.

The event was co-sponsored by the Society-Centered AI Initiative at Duke, the Fuqua School of BusinessDuke Science & Society, the Center for Computational Thinking, the Duke Artificial Intelligence Master of Engineering, the Duke Master of Enginerring in Design and Technology Innovation, the Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics, and the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship.

Arvind Narayanan

Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University
Keynote

Nicholas Christakis

Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University
Keynote

AI Companionship & Intimacy Panel

Walter Sinnott‑Armstrong (moderator), Kaamna Bhojwani, Jana Schaich Borg, Timothy J. Strauman
Keynote

Richard So

Michael G. Rhodes and Maureen C. Rhodes Associate Professor in the Digital Humanities in the Department of English at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Shuyan Zhou

Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Daniel Scott Smith

Assistant Professor in Sociology at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Alessio Brini

Executive In Residence in the Engineering Graduate and Professional Programs in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Rich Eva

Director of the Character Forward Initiative in Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Tong Qiu

Assistant Professor of Ecology at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Brandon Fain

Assistant Professor of the Practice of Computer Science at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Wenhao Jiang

Assistant Professor of Soiology at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Anne L. Washington

Rothermere/Harmsworth Duke Chair in Technology Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University
New Faculty Spotlight

Responsible AI Symposum 2025

February 28 – March 3, 2025
Duke University, Karsh Alumni Center & Penn Pavilion

Co-sponsored by Duke’s Society-Centered AI Initiative, the Artificial Intelligence Master of Engineering Program, Duke AI Health, the Office of Climate and Sustainability, and the Coach K Center for Leadership and Ethics (COLE), the 2025 Responsible AI Symposium convened over 700 attendees from academia, industry, and government to explore the future of artificial intelligence through a society-centered lens. Revisit some of the great talks from our distinguished speakers below.

Yann LeCun

Meta FAIR & New York University
Inaugural Distinguished Lecturer in Society-Centered AI

Cynthia Rudin

Duke University
Keynote

Ronnie Chatterji

Duke University
Keynote

Monica Agrawal

Duke University
Talk: Responsible natural language processing in medicine

Jon Green

Duke University
Talk: Using Interviewing Agents to Reconsider Public Opinion

Pardis Emami-Naeini

Duke University
Talk: A Safe AI-Integrated Society Begins with People and Ends with People

Boyuan Chen

Duke University
Talk: Achieving Scalable AI Systems with Human-AI Synergy

Ashley Harrell

Duke University
Talk: Evidence of spillovers from (non)cooperative human-bot to human-human interactions

Emily Wenger

Duke University
Talk: Reclaiming Data Agency in the Age of Ubiquitous Machine Learning

SCAI Reflections Panel

Brinnae Bent )moderator)
Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
Jana Schaich Borg
Lee Tiedrich
Monica Agrawal