2nd SEPAI (Society for the Ethics and Politics of Artificial Intelligence) Conference, “The Great Transformation: AI, Cities, and Democracy”

How are work, knowledge, cities, and democracy changing in the age of AI? “The Great Transformation. AI, Cities, and Democracy,” the second annual conference of SEPAI (International Society for the Ethics and Politics of Artificial Intelligence), scheduled to take place in Milan from November 11 to 13, 2026.

Organized by Mario De Caro ( Roma Tre), Riccardo Manzotti (IULM), Andrea Lavazza (University of Milan), and Benedetta Giovanola ( University of Macerata), the event will explore the ethical, political, and social implications of AI. The conference will open on Wednesday, November 11, at the Smart City Lab (Via Ripamonti 88), and will continue on November 12 and 13 at IULM University.

International guests include Francesca Rossi (IBM Research NY), Mark Coeckelbergh (University of Vienna), Theodore Lechterman (IE University), Paul Nemitz (College of Europe), Oreste Pollicino (Bocconi), and Patrick Lee Plaisance (Pennsylvania State University).

The two-day event at IULM will open on Thursday, November 12, with a keynote address by RiccardoManzotti titled “The Treachery of Reason: Values, Knowledge, and Power in the Age of AI,” followed by sessions on education, democracy, and relations (with a live link to the “Stati Generali della Scuola Digitale” in Varese). On Friday, November 13, the focus will shift to ethics, justice, and the limits of AI, with presentations by Giuseppe Sartori ( University of Padua) and Marcello Massimini (University of Milan), concluding with an awards ceremony for the best scholarly contributions.

To participate, registration on Eventbrite. Registration for the entire conference is open until November 10; registration for individual days will remain available on each respective day. IULM students are admitted without registration.

For more information: [email protected]

View the detailed program here