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.
About Absolutely Interdisciplinary
Now in its sixth year, the Schwartz Reisman Institute’s annual conference 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.
Venue
Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, Multipurpose Room (W280), Second Floor
108 College. St., Toronto, ON, M5G 0C6
All sessions will take place exclusively in person.
Speakers
L.K. Bertram, associate professor, Department of History, University of Toronto; faculty affiliate, Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
Tobias Blanke, professor of artificial intelligence and humanities, University of Amsterdam
Beth Coleman, associate professor, Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology and Faculty of Information, University of Toronto; research lead, Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
Thomas Costello, assistant professor, Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University
José Hernández-Orallo, director of research and research professor, Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge; professor, TU Valencia, Spain
Kashmir Hill, investigative reporter, The New York Times
Michael Inzlicht, professor, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto; research lead, Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
Malcolm Langford, professor of public law, University of Oslo; co-director, TRUST: Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI
David Lie, professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto; director, Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
Sheila McIlraith, professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto; associate director, Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
Raphaël Millière, associate professor, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford; affiliate member, Institute for Ethics in AI
Anat Perry, associate professor, Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; director, Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
Karina Vold, assistant professor, Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology and Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto; research lead, Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society
Jevin D. West, professor and associate dean for research, Information School, University of Washington
Schedule
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM | Breakfast and registration
9:00 AM – 9:05 AM | Opening remarks
9:05 AM – 10:00 AM | Session 1: Keynote by Kashmir Hill, “Artificial agents, real relationships”
Speaker: Kashmir Hill, The New York Times
AI systems are increasingly influential in our day-to-day lives. From recommendation engines that shape our attention to chatbots that offer companionship, advice, and emotional support, artificial systems are becoming privy to sensitive information about us and steering our decision-making. But what happens when software begins to function as a "someone" rather than a "something"? In this opening keynote, Kashmir Hill, investigative journalist at The New York Times, draws on her distinctive reporting at the intersection of technology, power, and lived experience to explore how AI systems influence belief, mediate relationships, and quietly reshape norms around privacy, persuasion, and trust.
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Break
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM | Session 2: AI as social agent: Intimacy, empathy, and persuasion
Speakers: Thomas Costello, Carnegie Mellon University; Michael Inzlicht, University of Toronto (moderator); Anat Perry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Kashmir Hill, The New York Times (respondent)
AI systems are increasingly functioning as social agents. People form deep attachments to AI companions, seek emotional support from chatbots, and sometimes revise long-held beliefs through AI conversations. This session explores a fundamental question: What makes artificial agents effective at both emotional connection and persuasion? Through journalism and experimental research, our speakers examine how AI's capacity for personalized, patient interaction shapes human relationships and beliefs. We investigate what people value in AI empathy versus human empathy, how AI conversations can shift conspiracy beliefs, and what real-world stories reveal about both the benefits and risks of AI companionship. These cases illuminate broader questions about authenticity, trust, and the boundaries between simulated and genuine human connection.
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM | Lunch
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Session 3: Benchmarking minds: How to evaluate cognitive capacities in general-purpose AI?
Speakers: José Hernández-Orallo (virtual), University of Cambridge; Raphaël Millière, University of Oxford; Karina Vold, University of Toronto (moderator)
As AI systems increase in versatility and scope, assessing their potential cognitive capacities becomes urgent. This panel brings together researchers from AI, philosophy, and cognitive science to explore how we can meaningfully evaluate such systems. We’ll discuss what constitutes a “cognitive capacity” or an “inner life”? How can approaches from cognitive science, comparative psychology, and psychometrics translate—or fail to—when applied to general-purpose AI? What are the challenges of applying traditional benchmarks to identify emergent cognitive properties? What are the implications of these issues for safety, trust, and alignment?
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM | Break
2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Session 4: Negotiating the agentic turn: The sociotechnical architecture of AI trust
Speakers: Tobias Blanke, University of Amsterdam; Beth Coleman, University of Toronto; Malcolm Langford, University of Oslo (virtual)
As AI increasingly mediates high-stakes decisions in healthcare, public administration, and the justice system, trust cannot be reduced to a technical metric; it is an ongoing negotiation between human agency, algorithmic infrastructure, and institutional legitimacy. Yet, despite rapid advances in technical safeguards and emerging regulatory frameworks, societies still lack a shared understanding of how trust is formed and sustained across diverse cultural and geopolitical contexts. This session interrogates the "trust gap" in AI systems working across disciplines of science and technology studies (STS), humanities computing, and legal informatics to move beyond abstract ethics toward domain specificity. Inspired by the year-long inquiry of the AI & Trust Working Group, the panel explores how to engineer systems that sustain democratic oversight and the terms of technical performance, specifically addressing the challenges posed by the "agentic" turn in autonomous systems.
3:15 PM – 3:30 PM | Break
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Session 4: AI, misinformation, and the integrity of public discourse
Speakers: Jevin D. West, University of Washington; L.K. Bertram, University of Toronto; David Lie, University of Toronto (moderator)
Generative AI is transforming how information is created, distributed, and trusted. From automated content production to persuasive synthetic media, these systems are reshaping the epistemic environment on which democratic societies depend. The speed, scale, and fluency of AI-generated content raise new questions about credibility, authority, and collective sense-making. In this session, Jevin D. West, professor at the University of Washington and co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public, examines how generative AI alters the structure of public discourse. Drawing on computational research into misinformation networks and the sociology of science, West explores how AI systems amplify narratives, blur the line between authentic and synthetic communication, and challenge traditional mechanisms of verification. Moderated by David Lie, the conversation will consider what technical, institutional, and educational responses are necessary to sustain informed publics in an AI-mediated information ecosystem.
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Reception
About the Schwartz Reisman Institute
Located at the University of Toronto, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society’s mission is to deepen our knowledge of technologies, societies, and what it means to be human by integrating research across traditional boundaries and building human-centred solutions that really make a difference. The integrative research we conduct rethinks technology’s role in society, the contemporary needs of human communities, and the systems that govern them. We’re investigating how best to align technology with human values and deploy it accordingly. The human-centred solutions we build are actionable and practical, highlighting the potential of emerging technologies to serve the public good while protecting citizens and societies from their misuse. We want to make sure powerful technologies truly make the world a better place—for everyone.