Join Us for the 2025 Tech Ethics Symposium!

 

REGISTER NOW!

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!

REGISTER NOW!

Find the details of all past Grefenstette Center Tech Ethics Symposia on our News and Events page.

Featured Speakers

Edward Grefenstette

Edward Grefenstette

Director of Research, Google DeepMind and Honorary Professor of Computer Science, University College London

Nikki Pope

Nikki Pope

Senior Director, AI & Legal Ethics, NVIDIA

Susan Baida

Susan Baida

Executive Director, Center for Applied Research on Targeted Violence, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh

April Barton

April Barton

Dean and Professor of Law, Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Duquesne University

Sara Bauknecht

Sara Bauknecht

2025 Visiting Media Scholar, Patricia Doherty Yoder Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media, Duquesne University

Sarah Beal

Sarah Beal

Educational Specialist, Otterbein University

Anoff Cobblah

Anoff Cobblah

Assistant Director, University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning & Teaching

Gregory T. Donovan

Gregory T. Donovan

Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham University

Luis Fabregas

Luis Fabregas

Executive Editor, TribLive

Stephanie Gray

Stephanie Gray

Assistant Professor of Public History, Duquesne University

Brianne Jacobs

Brianne Jacobs

Assistant Professor of Theology & Religious Studies, Emmanuel College

Klaudia Jaźwińska

Klaudia Jaźwińska

Researcher and Journalist, Tow Center for Digital Journalism

Kirsten Martin

Kirsten Martin

H. John Heinz III Dean of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University

Kate Ott

Kate Ott

Jerre and Mary Joe Stead Professor of Christian Social Ethics, Director of the Stead Center for Ethics and Values, Garrett-Evangelical Theological School

Monica Ruiz

Monica Ruiz

Executive Director, Casa San José

Melissa Villa Nicholas

Melissa Villa Nicholas

Associate Professor of Information Studies, UCLA

Audrey Watters

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. 

Detailed program coming soon!

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!

Register Now

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.

Submit Your Poster

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.