WHAT’S HAPPENING
Here’s what we’re thinking about, talking about, and working on at the Schwartz Reisman Institute.
Call for expressions of interest: Rights & AI Network
SRI Research Lead Anna Su is convening a working group to examine how human rights frameworks are being impacted by AI systems. Expressions of interest are now open, with a deadline of September 17, 2026.
From steam engines to algorithms: How a history course is teaching students to think critically about AI
What can the steam engine, telegraph and railroad teach us about artificial intelligence? Quite a lot. In a new U of T history course, SRI Faculty Affiliate L.K. Bertram is helping students understand today’s AI revolution through the technological upheavals that came before it — exploring how new technologies can reshape power, infrastructure and society.
SRI research leads ask whether AI can support human flourishing
A three-year, US$3.6M project co-led by SRI Research Leads Karina Vold and Ashton Anderson with Purdue University’s Louis Tay explores how AI systems might be designed to support long-term human well-being, not just short-term user satisfaction.
From Toronto to Seoul: SRI researchers at ICML 2026
SRI researchers are heading to Seoul this July for ICML 2026, and they're arriving with a lot to share. Across 24 papers, seven position papers, and a co-organized workshop, 21 members of our community are presenting work spanning machine learning theory, AI safety, clinical AI, legal compliance, and more.
SRI researchers present work at ACM FAccT 2026
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.
Geoffrey Hinton awarded Sandford Fleming Medal
Geoffrey Hinton, University Professor Emeritus of computer science in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Arts & Science and co-laureate of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, has received the 2025 Sandford Fleming Medal.
SRI releases new white paper on trust in human–AI interaction
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.
SRI graduate fellows convene workshop on designing responsible AI futures
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.
Research led by Nicolas Papernot shows that AI worm could target any online device
A team of researchers at the University of Toronto, including SRI Faculty Affiliate Nicolas Papernot, has discovered a new class of cyberthreat that gives hackers more power and reach at far less cost. It can be built with free AI models.
Schwartz Reisman Institute announces 2026–27 graduate fellows
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.
Seeking alignment: What religion can teach us about the past and future of AI
As part of the programming for the Department for the Study of Religion’s 50th anniversary, SRI co-hosted an interdisplinary panel of scholars working in the study of religion, history of science, media theory, and computer science to consider how the religious pasts of AI shape the foretelling of its future.
Absolutely Interdisciplinary 2026 explores AI’s social, cognitive, and political dimensions
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.
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