Welcome to the 2026 Responsible AI Symposium. It is an honor to gather with you for our third year as we continue shaping a future where technological progress and civil rights advance together, not in silos.   

We meet at a defining moment. AI is a powerful force influencing housing, credit, education, employment, healthcare, consumer protection, and the basic functioning of our democracy. For millions of people, AI now determines what opportunities are available, who is seen, who is heard, and who receives a fair chance. The stakes have never been higher. 

This year, the landscape has shifted again. Across the nation, states are stepping up to protect civil and human rights in the digital age. While federal protections ebb and flow, communities are turning to state leaders and civil rights organizations like the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) to ensure that artificial intelligence is deployed with transparency, accountability, and respect for human dignity. The urgency is unmistakable: systems trained on biased data can replicate discrimination at scale; opaque algorithms can be used to explain away inequality; and the rapid expansion of AI‑driven infrastructure—from data centers to automated decision tools—creates both extraordinary promise and tangible risk. 

Yet in this critical moment, I am deeply hopeful. 

At the National Fair Housing Alliance, we are building the future we want to see. Our Responsible AI Lab (RAIL), guided by the bold leadership of Dr. Michael Akinwumi and strengthened by extraordinary talent and collaboration across NFHA, is transforming civil‑rights principles into technical, operational, and regulatory innovations. From fairness assessments to governance frameworks, from model development to policy leadership, NFHA is demonstrating what it means to design and deploy AI that is safe, trustworthy, and rooted in fairness. Powered by partnerships across academia, government, philanthropy, industry, and civil society, our work is helping steer national debates and influence global standards. 

This year’s symposium brings together visionaries, regulators, engineers, researchers, civil‑rights leaders, and policymakers who share a common purpose: ensuring that artificial intelligence expands access to opportunity and strengthens rather than weakens our society. Over the next three days, you will hear from leaders who are confronting the most urgent challenges of our time: how we govern AI responsibly, how we protect communities from discrimination and harm, how we secure our data and infrastructure, how we build trust in automated systems, and how we guarantee that innovation benefits everyone, not just the few. 

This gathering is a commitment. 

A commitment to build systems responsibly. 

A commitment to create guardrails that protect people. 

A commitment to ensure that technology serves humanity, not the other way around. 

Thank you for being part of this work and conversation. Your voice, your expertise, and your leadership matter. Together, we are crafting a blueprint for a digital future that elevates justice, expands opportunity, and reflects the values we hold most dear. 

With deep appreciation and shared purpose, 

Agenda

Speakers

Pitch Competition

Sponsors