Absolutely Interdisciplinary 2026

Advancing new ideas to meet the challenges of artificial intelligence.

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems become more autonomous, persuasive, and socially embedded, assumptions about their intelligence, agency, and impacts are being re-examined. At the same time, the window for shaping the safe and ethical development of advanced AI systems is rapidly narrowing. When AI systems function not only as tools but as social actors, what changes? How should we evaluate their cognitive capacities? And what new governance challenges emerge as they shape belief, intimacy, and public discourse?

On May 13, 2026, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (SRI) will convene leading international thinkers from a rich variety of fields for Absolutely Interdisciplinary 2026, its annual academic conference dedicated to advancing cross-disciplinary approaches to AI research.

Conference participants will contribute to and learn about emerging research areas and new questions to explore. Each session pairs researchers from different disciplines to address a common question and facilitate a group discussion. By identifying people working on similar questions from different perspectives, we will foster conversations that develop the interdisciplinary approaches and research questions needed to understand how AI can be made to align with human values.

All sessions will take place exclusively in person.

Absolutely Interdisciplinary 2026

May 13, 2026 | 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM ET

Venue: Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, Multipurpose Room (W280), Second Floor

Entrance: 108 College. St., Toronto, ON, M5G 0C6

Explore the Conference Schedule

Confirmed Speakers

• Thomas Costello, Carnegie Mellon University
• José Hernández-Orallo, University of Cambridge
• Kashmir Hill, New York Times
• Michael Inzlicht, University of Toronto
• David Lie, University of Toronto
• Raphaël Millière, University of Oxford
• Anat Perry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Karina Vold, University of Toronto
• Jevin D. West, University of Washington
• L.K. Bertram, University of Toronto

Visit the conference website to learn more about our speakers.

About the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society is a research institute at the University of Toronto that explores the ethical and societal implications of technology. Our mission is to deepen knowledge of technologies, societies, and humanity by integrating research across traditional boundaries to build human-centred solutions.

Our research community seeks to rethink technology’s role in society, the needs of human communities, and the systems that govern them. We are investigating how best to align technology with human values and deploy it accordingly.

Across all our activities, SRI convenes world-class expertise and diverse perspectives from universities, government, industry, and beyond to develop new modes of thinking about powerful technologies and their role in what it means to be human in the 21st century. We are defining what’s possible, determining what’s at stake, and devising implementable solutions to make sure technologies like AI are effective, safe, fair, and beneficial—for everyone.

To learn more, visit our website.

About Absolutely Interdisciplinary

Now in its sixth year, Absolutely Interdisciplinary has become a flagship forum for cutting-edge, evidence-based dialogue at the intersection of technology, society, and policy. Connecting technical researchers, social scientists, and humanists, the conference fosters new ways of thinking about the challenges posed by AI. The event seeks to catalyze new research agendas aimed at promoting human well-being in an era of rapidly evolving systems, convening an international community of researchers, students, and professionals to interrogate unique questions, build collaborations, and connect ideas across fields to push beyond conventional boundaries in order to advance safer and more socially grounded AI.

To learn more visit absolutelyinterdisciplinary.com.