Responsible Tech Summit 2026. From Principles to Power: Embedding Accountability in the AI Era

At a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping society, the conversation is shifting from broad principles to real-world accountability. The 2026 summit will explore the theme of Principles to Power: Embedding Accountability in the AI Era. For years, the Responsible Tech field has been guided by ethical frameworks, voluntary commitments, and emerging standards. Today, the challenge is clear: how do we translate those ideas into systems of governance, oversight, and design that ensure innovation does not come at the expense of safety, rights, or trust? The Responsible Tech Summit is designed as a highly curated convening for 375 leaders that helps align and shape the direction of the movement. Participants will include global governance leaders, AI researchers, industry practitioners, policy experts, civil society advocates, and philanthropic leaders who are building the infrastructure of accountability for the digital age. Through keynotes, panels, and conversations, attendees will explore topics such as accountability by design, platform oversight, youth online safety, the Responsible Tech economy, and the evolving global regulatory landscape. All ticket proceeds fund free resources and services for the Responsible Tech community that our organization provides. Can't make it in person? The event will be livestreamed for free on All Tech Is Human's YouTube page, where recordings will also be available afterward. – Are you a journalist looking to potentially cover the Responsible Tech Summit? Reach out to [email protected]. Speakers for the Responsible Tech Summit 2026 Camille François - President, ROOST Eli Pariser - Co-Director, New_ Public Cathy O’Neil, Founder, Author, Mathematician & Data Scientist, O'Neil Risk Consulting & Algorithmic Auditing Rumman Chowdhury, CEO, Humane Intelligence PBC Alex Bores, Assembly Member, New York City’s 73rd District Beth Goldberg, Founding Executive Director of Humanity AI Sinead Bovell, Founder, WAYE Alexis Wales, Chief Information Security Officer, GitHub Alison Lee, Chief R&D Officer, The Rithm Project Amanda Craig, General Manager of Responsible AI Public Policy, Microsoft Anya Schiffrin, Director, Media Program, Columbia University (SIPA) Britta Holmberg, Deputy Secretary General and Program Director, World Childhood Foundation Carrie Varoquiers, Chief Impact Officer, Workday Joshua Elder, Senior Vice President and Head of Grantmaking, Siegel Family Endowment Julie Cordua, CEO, Thorn Fernanda Del Castillo, Director of AI Governance, Mastercard Kathy Pham, Faculty & Senior Fellow, Product & Responsible AI, Harvard University Kristin Hansen, Executive Director, Civic Health Project Renée Cummings, Professor of Practice in Data Science, University of Virginia J. Trevor Hughes, President and CEO of IAPP Shreya Singh Hernández, Senior Manager, Aspen Digital, The Aspen Institute Melanie Plaza, Chief Technology Officer, AE Studio Courtney Radsch, Director of the Center for Media & Digital Governance, Open Markets Institute; Fellow, Brookings Institution Andrew Rasiej, Founder, Civic Hall *See the full agenda and bios of our speakers here. Sponsors for the Responsible Tech Summit 2026 Special thanks to our strategic partners, Columbia World Projects, Forum One, and Highspring, for helping bring this critical conversation to life. Workday Workday operates at the heart of the enterprise – HR, finance, and IT – where the margin for error is effectively zero. By tightly coupling AI with the context, guardrails, and trusted processes that run the business, Workday goes beyond AI that assists work to agents that do the work and drive measurable outcomes. More than 11,500 organizations worldwide, including more than 65% of the Fortune 500, trust Workday to deliver. Mastercard Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories. The company is committed to building a sustainable, inclusive digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere. Pinterest Pinterest is a visual search and discovery platform where people find inspiration, curate ideas and shop products — all in a positive place online. Headquartered in San Francisco, Pinterest has over 600 million monthly active users worldwide. Microsoft Microsoft is a global technology leader empowering every person and organization on the planet to achieve more through its platforms and productivity tools. The company is committed to advancing responsible AI and ensuring emerging technologies are developed and deployed safely and ethically. Siegel Family Endowment Siegel Family Endowment takes an inquiry-driven approach to grantmaking, informed by the scientific method. As technology reshapes society, we fund organizations asking critical questions about its impact on learning, work, and infrastructure. Founded in 2011 by David Siegel, co-founder and co-chairman of Two Sigma, we advance technology in the public interest, supporting research and initiatives that imagine a more inclusive, resilient technology-driven society. AE Studio AE Studio is an applied AI and AI alignment company that builds software products for clients while advancing research on making advanced AI systems safe and beneficial. Its recent work with Anthropic, GRAM, trains dangerous knowledge into removable modules so it can be stripped from a model before release. AE Studio reinvests its commercial success into neglected approaches to AI alignment research. Learn more at ae.studio. Google Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. As a leader in AI and computing, the company is focused on developing technology responsibly to benefit people and society. Kapor Foundation Rebuilding a more Equitable Tech Sector, Economy & Society. IAPP The IAPP is a policy-neutral, not-for-profit association founded in 2000 with a mission to define, prom