SRI researchers will present 13 accepted papers and one workshop session at FAccT 2026, showcasing the Institute’s research in responsible AI, algorithmic governance, alignment, privacy, and the impacts of socio-technical systems.

AI is everywhere. But can we trust it? A new SRI white paper led by Beth Coleman reframes trust in AI as a multidisciplinary challenge—not just a technical one—and charts a path forward.

Organized by SRI’s 2025–26 graduate fellows, “Designing Responsible Futures” examined how AI can be shaped through operational safety, community participation, worker-led governance, and democratic principles.

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society is pleased to announce its cohort of 2026–27 graduate fellows, bringing together fifteen exceptional U of T researchers exploring the societal implications of AI and emerging technologies.

SRI’s annual conference explored how increasingly capable AI systems are reshaping public discourse, institutional trust, and the boundaries between technical systems and social life.

Can AI-powered chatbots help young voters better understand politics? SRI Faculty Fellow Semra Sevi and her colleagues tested an interactive voting advice chatbot with nearly 2,900 politically unaffiliated voters under 35—and found significant gains in political knowledge, even if party loyalty remained unchanged.

The Schwartz Reisman Institute’s annual academic conference Absolutely Interdisciplinary explores interdisciplinary approaches to AI governance, risk, and safety on May 13, 2026, at U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus. Registration is now open.

A new partnership co-led by Karina Vold is confronting racism in AI systems—highlighting how tools like facial recognition and LLMs disproportionately harm Black and racialized communities, and calling for greater public awareness and equitable governance of AI in Canada.

SRI Executive Director Monique Crichlow argues that Canada’s global AI leadership depends on sustained investment in fundamental research, interdisciplinary science, and thoughtful governance to ensure AI advances serve the public good, not just short-term economic growth.

The SRI Seminar Series continues in winter 2026 with leading scholars examining AI governance, democratic values, and human-centred technology in the public interest.

Global security expert and author Bruce Schneier—known for reshaping how the world understands security, privacy, and trust—has joined the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (SRI) as a visiting senior policy fellow for 2025–26.

From AI chatbots marketed as digital partners to voice assistants designed for intimacy, these systems promise connection while raising urgent questions about privacy, manipulation, and digital addiction.