CFP: Confronting the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

About the Conference

The University of Scranton, a Catholic and Jesuit University with a strong liberal arts tradition, invites scholars, practitioners, students, and professionals to participate in a National Interdisciplinary Conference on Confronting the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, scheduled for April 16, 17, and 18, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping every dimension of our lives. It has clear impacts on social, economic, educational, scientific, artistic, and ecological spheres. The potential for AI is immense, but its adoption and use raise critical ethical questions. Ranging from algorithmic bias, ambient surveillance, labor displacement, the future of education, and its impact on human creativity and fulfillment. As it stands, the AI landscape demands discernment and ethical reflection.

This conference seeks to bring together diverse voices to explore, critique, and reimagine AI through the lens of ethics, understood broadly to include philosophical, religious, cultural, legal, medical, environmental, artistic, and social perspectives.

Conference Themes

We invite submissions that engage with the ethics of artificial intelligence in both specific and general applications. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Arts & Humanities: AI in creativity, authorship, performance, and cultural identity.
• Business: Automation, labor ethics, and corporate responsibility.
• Education: AI in teaching, learning, and research integrity; utilizing AI for student success initiatives and learning accommodations; ethical applications and questions related to AI in scholarly activity; AI in K-12 education.
• Environmental Impact: AI and sustainability, climate modeling, and AI resource consumption.
• Healthcare & Medicine: Projection models for patient disease development; treatment individuation; individualized medicine; bias in treatment.
• Law & Policy: Privacy and data usage; the legitimacy of AI in governance.  
• Library & Information Science: AI and the new digital divide; algorithimic bias; AI accuracy, mis- and dis-information.
• Philosophy: AI as moral agents; AI’s effect on human autonomy and decision making; human-AI interfaces and the locus of moral responsibility.
• Science: AI fabrication of scientific data or references; legitimacy of sources for AI training; drug discovery; intellectual property of data from AI discoveries.
• Theology: AI in moral theology and bioethics; AI applications in Catholic healthcare; theological responses to AI development, including those offered in light of Antiqua et nova (2025).
• Social Justice & Equity: Accessibility, bias, and discrimination in AI systems.
• Social Sciences: AI as a research tool for data analysis and methodology; AI systems as social entities and their behavioral impacts; algorithmic bias in social research; AI's effects on human social structures and interactions.

Conference Format

We envision the final program to include:

• Keynote Lecture by a leading voice in AI and ethics.
• Plenary Panels featuring interdisciplinary perspectives.
• Paper Presentations (20-minute talks with 10 minutes of Q&A) organized by theme.
• Roundtables and Workshops on emerging ethical challenges.
• Seven-minute Lightning Talks for students and early-stage projects.
• Posters showcasing research, case studies, and practical applications.

Submission Guidelines

We welcome proposals for individual papers, panels, workshops, posters, or creative presentations. Submissions should include:

1. Proposed Title
2. Abstract (250-300 words) clearly outlining the project and its ethical dimension(s).
3. Disciplinary Alignment or Keywords (up to 5 keywords) that help to categorize your proposal.
4. Format Preference (paper, panel, interactive discussion/workshop, or 7-minute lightning talk).
5. Short Bio (100-300 words) for each presenter, including institutional affiliation.

All submissions will undergo blind peer review by the interdisciplinary planning committee.

Please submit the above information to [email protected].