Join Us for the 2025 Tech Ethics Symposium!
Staying Human in the Age of AI
November 6-7, 2025
Power Center Ballroom and Online
The Grefenstette Center for Ethics is excited to announce our sixth annual Tech Ethics Symposium, Staying Human in the Age of AI, which will be held in person at Duquesne University's Power Center and livestreamed online. This year's event will feature internationally leading figures in the ongoing discussion of ethical and responsible uses of AI. The two-day Symposium is co-sponsored by the Patricia Doherty Yoder Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Albert P. Viragh Institute for Ethics in Business.
We are excited to once again host a Student Research Poster Competition at the Symposium. All undergraduate and graduate student research posters on any topic in the area of tech/digital/AI ethics are welcome. Accepted posters will be awarded $75 to offset printing costs. In addition to that award, undergraduate posters will compete for the following prizes: the Outstanding Researcher Award, the Ethical PA Award, and the Pope Francis Award. Graduate posters can win Grand Prize or Runner-Up. All accepted posters are eligible for an Audience Choice award, to be decided by Symposium attendees on the day of the event! Student Research Poster submissions will be due Friday, October 17. Read the full details of the 2025 Student Research Poster Competition.
The Symposium is free to attend and open to all university students, faculty, and staff, as well as community members. Registrants can attend in person or experience the Symposium via livestream. Registration is now open!
Find the details of all past Grefenstette Center Tech Ethics Symposia on our News and Events page.
Featured Speakers
Edward Grefenstette
Director of Research, Google DeepMind and Honorary Professor of Computer Science, University College London
Nikki Pope
Senior Director, AI & Legal Ethics, NVIDIA
Bry Pardoe
Deputy Secretary for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer, Governor's Office of Administration
Susan Baida
Executive Director, Center for Applied Research on Targeted Violence, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh
April Barton
Dean and Professor of Law, Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Duquesne University
Sara Bauknecht
2025 Visiting Media Scholar, Patricia Doherty Yoder Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media, Duquesne University
Sarah Beal
Educational Specialist, Otterbein University
Anoff Cobblah
Assistant Director, University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning & Teaching
Gregory T. Donovan
Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham University
Luis Fabregas
Executive Editor, TribLive
Stephanie Gray
Assistant Professor of Public History, Duquesne University
Brianne Jacobs
Associate Professor of Theology & Religious Studies, Emmanuel College
Klaudia Jaźwińska
Researcher and Journalist, Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Columbia University
Kirsten Martin
H. John Heinz III Dean of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
Kate Ott
Jerre and Mary Joe Stead Professor of Christian Social Ethics, Director of the Stead Center for Ethics and Values, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Monica Ruiz
Executive Director, Casa San José
Melissa Villa Nicholas
Associate Professor of Information Studies, UCLA
Audrey Watters
Freelance Writer, Author of Teaching Machines: The History of Personalized Learning
Symposium Details
Program
The 2025 Tech Ethics Symposium will take place on Thursday, November 6 and Friday, November 7, 2025 in the Dougherty Ballroom in the Power Center on the Duquesne University campus. See the detailed schedule below.
2025 Tech Ethics Symposium - Staying Human in the Age of AI
Thursday, November 6
4-5 p.m. - A New Tech Industry? AI, Ethics, and Global Tech
- Nikki Pope, NVIDIA
- Ed Grefenstette, Google Deepmind
- Audrey Watters, Freelance Writer
- Kirsten Martin, Carnegie Mellon University
- John Slattery, Duquesne University, Moderator
5-6 p.m. - Opening Reception & Undergraduate Posters
Friday, November 7
8-8:45 a.m. - Continental Breakfast
8:45-9 a.m. - Welcome
9-10 a.m. - The Robots Win?! The Future of AI & Intelligence
- Ed Grefenstette, Google DeepMind
- Kate Ott, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
- Melissa Villa Nicholas, UCLA
- John Slattery, Duquesne University, Moderator
10-10:45 a.m. - At What Cost? Addressing AI in Higher Education
- Anoff Cobblah, University of Michigan
- Sarah Beal, Otterbein University
- Stephanie Gray, Duquesne University
- Audrey Watters, Freelance Writer, Respondent
- Jeff Lambert, Duquesne University, Moderator
10:45-11 a.m. - Break and Snack
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. - Who’s Behind Those Search Results? How AI-Generated Content Is Rewriting the News
- Klaudia Jaźwińska, Columbia University
- Luis Fabregas, TribLive
- Gregory Donovan, Fordham University
- Sara Bauknecht, Duquesne University, Moderator
12:15-1:45 p.m. - Lunch and Student Research Posters
1:45-2:45pm - Dignity and the Dangers of AI: Surveillance, Immigration, and Faith
- Gregory Donovan, Fordham University
- Melissa Villa Nicholas, UCLA
- Monica Ruiz, Casa San José
- Susan Baida, Carnegie Mellon University, Moderator
2:45 - 345 p.m. - Love in the Time of ChatBots: AI, Faith, and Relationships
- Brianne Jacobs, Emmanuel College
- Kate Ott, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
- Mia Briceño, Duquesne University, Moderator
3:45-4 p.m. - Break and Snack
4 p.m. - Student Poster Competition Award Presentation
4-5:15 p.m. - Ensuring an Ethical Future for AI: Policy Conversation
- Nikki Pope, NVIDIA
- Bry Pardoe, Governor's Office of Administration
- April Barton, Duquesne University
- John Slattery, Duquesne University, Moderator
Registration
The Symposium is free to attend and open to all university students, faculty, and staff, as well as community members. Registrants can attend in person or experience the Symposium via livestream. Registration is now open!
Student Poster Competition: Staying Human in the Age of AI
All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit posters to present at the Symposium on any aspect of technology ethics! All accepted posters will receive a $75 award to offset printing costs. On top of this award, accepted posters will compete for the following prizes:
Undergraduate Students:
Outstanding Researcher Award ($400) for the poster that exemplifies the best of undergraduate research and its applications for technology ethics
Ethical PA Award ($400) for the poster that best addresses ethical technology questions and concerns of people around Pittsburgh or throughout Pennsylvania
Pope Francis Award ($400) for the poster that best exemplifies the Catholic ethic of service, encounter, and love, as encompassed in Pope Francis’ approach to technology
Graduate Students: Grand Prize ($400); Runner-Up ($200)
Additionally, all posters will be eligible for $100 "Audience Choice" awards, for which Symposium attendees will cast their vote during the event.
Rules & Eligibility:
- Complete the poster submission form and submit the poster by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 17!
- Submissions may come from individuals or teams. Only one poster per team.
- Poster size must be 36" x 44"
- Posters may come from any academic discipline.
- Any current undergraduate or graduate student, from any university, is eligible to submit a poster.
- If accepted, at least one author must be physically present to present the poster.
- Generative AI may NOT be used to create the poster. All posters will be scanned, and AI-generated posters will be disqualified.
- See a full list of guidelines and recommendations here.
Parking and Campus Information
Duquesne University is located at 600 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15282. The Tech Ethics Symposium will take place on the fifth floor of the Power Center in the Dougherty Ballroom and Shepperson Suite areas.
If you are driving to the Symposium, you are advised to park in the Chatham Garage.
Please refer to this map to assist you in navigating the Duquesne University campus.